It is the habit of many children to suck their fingers. Helping your baby quit this bad habit is an important topic for novice parents! Is it normal for children to suck their fingers? Lots of moms. On the one hand, I am worried that if I don't quit, my child will become a big tooth in the future; On the other hand, I am worried that tough abstinence will leave a shadow in children's hearts. Dr. Shen said that it is normal for children to suck their fingers before 1 year old, but if they continue to suck their fingers until they are two or three years old, they should try to quit as much as possible so as not to affect the development of teeth and jaws. Sucking your fingers is a natural habit. Babies suck their fingers at birth. It can be found from ultrasound that some fetuses suck their fingers in the womb. Generally speaking, children are in the oral period from birth to 1 year. In this period, children's sense of touch and vision are immature, and only the feeling of mouth is the best. Therefore, babies will suck their fingers when they are bored or tired, and they can get a pleasant sense of satisfaction and security. For infants under 1 year-old, sucking fingers is a beautiful thing and does not need to be corrected immediately. However, there are still many mothers who are worried about letting their children suck their fingers. What should they do when they grow up? Most children will naturally stop sucking their fingers after teething at 1 year old, and only a few children still have the habit of sucking their fingers after 2 years old. Usually, after a child has teeth, his attention changes and he naturally stops sucking his fingers. However, some children may still suck their fingers after 1 year old because of insecurity or strong appetite. In addition, if the mother doesn't help the child develop good living habits, the child is more likely to continue to eat pacifiers or suck fingers. When do you need to quit sucking your fingers? It is usually acceptable to suck your fingers before you are 2 years old, Shen said. If you still have the habit of sucking your fingers afterwards, help your child to quit slowly. However, if the habit lasts until the age of 4, we must take more active actions, otherwise it may affect the growth and development of teeth and jaws, leading to tooth eruption or malocclusion. Two adverse consequences of finger sucking 1. Increasing the risk of infection, children do have health concerns when sucking their fingers. In particular, children like to grab their fingers and touch them, and then put them in their mouths, and many germs follow them into their mouths. Clinically, it is also found that children who like to suck their fingers seem to have a higher probability of otitis media. In addition, sucking fingers for a long time can easily cause skin problems such as eczema of fingers, repeated inflammation of wounds, and cocoon formation. Shen said that children who suck their fingers are often seen in outpatient clinics, with white thumbs and eczema. The mother also complained that the child still had to suck until his finger was broken. This situation can be improved by rubbing steroid ointment and taking antibiotics to control infection if necessary. But besides treating skin problems, the most important thing is to get rid of the habit of sucking fingers. 2. It affects the development of teeth and jaws. Children sucking their fingers and nipples are most likely to cause problems such as sudden tooth loss and malocclusion. Because the force of sucking fingers will make the fingers sway back and forth on the tongue, this force will pull the maxilla outward to form teeth, which will affect the chewing function of children. Children's sudden tooth loss or malocclusion will not only be ugly in appearance, but also affect chewing function and pronunciation. For example, children will "leak" when talking, or bite when eating, which will cause children's inferiority complex and parents can't ignore it. Methods Get rid of the habit of sucking fingers 1. Good Eating Habits Establishing good eating habits helps children to correct finger sucking. Especially after 6 months, mothers can train their children to eat complementary food and chew so that they don't just suck. At the same time, it is best to start training children to drink water and juice through straws or cups, instead of relying entirely on bottle feeding, which can help children get rid of finger sucking earlier. 2. Flexible methods In order to avoid children's troubles such as orthodontics in the future, it is necessary to help children quit the habit of sucking their fingers in time. Because fingers can be carried with you, it is more difficult to stop sucking fingers than nipples. Mothers must be more patient and spend more time helping their children. It is suggested to use flexible methods to help children, and never punish children in a tough way, so as not to arouse their disgust and make it more difficult to quit sucking fingers. Mothers can communicate with their children first, let them know the disadvantages of eating fingers and clean and repair their nails regularly. At the same time, increase the opportunities for children to chew, and other activities that need to be done, and even play finger games to divert attention, and the situation of sucking fingers will be reduced. If flexible methods don't work, you have to ask a doctor to help your child get rid of the habit of sucking his fingers in a more active way.