In addition to being an innate reflex that lasts until the year and serving the baby to feed, the suction provides a sense of comfort, safety and even helps you fall asleep. Therefore, some babies adopt habits such as sucking their fingers, the pacifier, a cloth or a favorite object, also called non-nutritive suction.
It is normal for there to be stages in which the child sucks his thumb for a while and then passes. In that case there is no reason to worry, as if you do it before the end of the year. But the problem comes when they are older, they do it at all hours and for months or years, which could cause infections or irreversible damage to the teeth by deforming the dental arch.
How to help It is essential to identify why he does it to try to solve it, to know if it is due to boredom, anxiety, hunger or sleep. So you can give him other options to help him quit. If you do it at night, offer your favorite stuffed animal or toy to go to sleep. If it is during the day, try to distract the child to keep his hands occupied in something else, or compensate him with a prize if he does not. If you are hungry, offer something to eat. It also works to glue a tape to your finger so that when you take it to your mouth, remember that it should not be sucked. Fundamental and as a general general, you should not scold them or make them feel bad because they do, nor should you shave their behavior, and less in public.
