Does thumb-sucking have side effects?

Dear Dr. Donya

Thanks a lot for replying to my mail concerning my baby's walking. In the mail, you asked if my baby can stand on her own. Well, actually she just learned to stand with the help of a table in front of her, and she has begun to touch objects around her without her hands being held for support. Apart from that, I find her getting a good balance without her shoes. Thanks again.

However, there are other factors that I'm confused about. One of them is her sucking. When she was three months old, she began sucking her two middle fingers at all times, especially when sleepy. If I do try to remove her hand, she gets very agitated and refuses to sleep. When she wakes up in the morning, she is already sucking away, actually enjoying it and refuses to get up. When I pull out her hand, she gets grumpy.

My questions are how to prevent this and if there are any side effects to her sucking, such as maybe the formation of the shape of her mouth? Does this have anything to do with itchy gums or teething? Right now she has eight teeth.

The other factor is her sleeping. From the time she was an infant, I have made her sleep by carrying her and rocking her in my arms. Now that she is getting older, it will be a bit difficult to continue doing this. I've fed her also by carrying her with a batik baby's sling. I've made her eat her food by making her sit down and putting her toys in front of her for distraction. Sometimes she finishes it and at other times she wants to be carried. When she's carried, she finishes her food fast.

Is this a temporary habit and will she grow out of it? What do you suggest I do? She now also has grown out of her baby bed. Is it advisable to put her in the same bed with me, or should I get her a bed of her own?

-- Vindhiya.

Dear Vindhiya,

Thanks for the update. About her sucking, we have to come back to the nature of sucking. Normal babies are born with the instinct for sucking. In the first six months of life, they suck because of hunger, but after six months they suck their thumbs because of comfort.

After six months, babies learn they are different from their parents. They also find things are changing, such as she is now sleeping in a different bed and no longer has a night time feeding so she uses thumb-sucking to comfort herself from being tired, bored, frustrated or unhappy because thumb-sucking reminds her of breast or bottle feeding.

I do not believe you have anything to worry about, it will go away in time, as long as she only sucks when she wants to sleep, is tired and it does not go on throughout the day. The average age of children to get past thumb-sucking is around three to six years old.

However, you are right about thumb-sucking's effect on the teeth and jaws. It can push the upper front teeth forward and the lower teeth back depending on how much she sucks her thumb. But it has no effect on permanent teeth if she can give up before six years old.

About sleeping, it is better to put her in her own bed. And since she is a year old now, she can feed herself by hand or spoon, depending on what you want. It is a mess, but the more you let her handle food, the faster she will learn how to feed herself. I don't think carrying her around to feed her is as desirable as starting with the proper habit of family meals or sitting at the dining table.

-- Dr. Donya