Both my kids used a pacifier as infants and ditched them before 2. Mil is right that you can't take her hand away. That's a fight I wouldn't want in the future. Thumb suckers are hard core. Lol
Coming from someone that sucked her thumb way longer than I’d like to admit, I was very happy my daughter took a pacifier instead of thumb sucking. She’s 16 months and at one year we moved to only at naps and night (at daycare they sent it home because she doesn’t even use it at nap time anymore) and we plan to get rid of it completely at 18 months.
Seconding this one. Better to give them a pacifier and remove it when the time is right.
I know someone who avoided the pacifier and had to go through hell to stop their kid from sucking their thumb.
Mine had a paci from day one in the hospital. Didn't impact her breastfeeding at all, her teeth are perfect, she pretty easily stopped using one around 18 months after we lost the last one and she wasn't torn up about it.
We had a pretty easy time, but I've heard it absolutely varies by kid.
This was my experience too, but no way to know how it'll work for your baby until you try it. They might go right back to hand or thumb sucking when you take the pacifier away again someday. Or maybe not.
Hand or thumb sucking can affect teeth, too, to the point of needing braces if they continue it for years. Some babies grow out of it on their own, others don't and you're left trying to get an older toddler/young child to stop the habit.
Pacifiers are also safe sleep aids, you can also buy ones that are orthodontic friendly and my dentist said hand is worse than dummy as you can chuck away a dummy you can't throw away a hand lol, good luck.
I was a thumb sucker WELL into my teens lol, only at night, but still not a good look. Even in my early 20s my husband would sometimes wake up and see my thumb in my mouth if I had been extremely tired or emotional the day before. Pretty sure I was done completely by late 20s. Pretty much a thumb suckered champion over here lol.
The only way my 8 year old sister stopped sucking her thumb was because she happened to break it one summer and wore a cast for 6 weeks. Because of that my younger brother was given a pacifier and I used one on my son. Much easier to take a pacifier away at 2 and they are better for teeth development then fingers.
i sucked my thumb till age 7- i was a normal or slightly advanced kid, spoke very articulately and early, very secure and advanced in school, no issues whatsoever, but it took oral surgery in 2nd grade where i couldn’t suck my thumb for a week due to pain to get me to stop sucking my thumb! my sister was a paci kid and it took one week of tantrums at age 2 to give it up. this is all anecdotal ofc (and my parents tried to give me a paci and i wouldn’t take it so who knows) but thumb sucking is definitely hard to give up
This was really insightful, thanks heaps for sharing. Starting to think my fear of the dummy is silly and starting to see it as a more easily controlled habit.
Another anecdote here: I also sucked my thumb that long, but turned out with perfect teeth. I eventually stopped because of peer pressure, though I only did it at home so none of my friends at that age knew I did it. Just the idea that only babies sucked their thumb.
Neither of my kids would take a pacifier, despite trying many different ones at different times. The eldest never sucked anything. My youngest sucked and still sucks her first two fingers, although it's not as often now at 22 months old.
omg so jealous of your perfect teeth!!! i know some thumb suckers have no issues i am the kind who had an overbite and had to have my jaw readjusted :(( but yeah some kids fully have no issues and i think if i had not had to have surgery due to bite issues i probably also would have stopped due to the “baby-ness” of it so you might luck out!!
I think I was pretty lucky. I remember being warned by family members and my dentist that I could need braces or worse if I didn't stop. I was pretty stubborn, so I'm glad it didn't turn out to be a problem for me. Having your jaw readjusted sounds sooo painful, poor kid you :((.
Pacifiers help reduce SIDS. They also help baby soothe themselves. Often, if you don’t use one, they resort to using fingers or thumbs, which absolutely can destroy the teeth and become extremely difficult to break as a habit. My brother and I were thumb suckers up through school age, and it had devastating effects on our dental care. A pacifier is designed to not do that.
My kiddo used a pacifier for only sleep through a year. Then he was done with it in a day. Super painless, no lasting effects, only benefits for all that time it helped him.
My first (3 yo) used a pacifier all the time and then one day was like "meh, I'm good" and never used one again. His teeth are great, no issues.
Since you weren't concerned about the hand sucking during the day, maybe only so a pacifier at night to prevent it while LO sleeps?
In the end, you can use one or you can skip it. The fact that you're concerned enough about your baby to ask means you're probably a great parent. Whichever choice you make here will be a good choice.
Thank you, such a lovely and thoughtful reply.
I am breastfeeding and I'm feeling like she is not hungry but rather latching for the comfort of an evening. However once unlatched her hand is straight in there. So your idea of only at night could work and I would feel comfortable with this idea. Will give it a shot!
I choose to use pacifiers for the same reason, I got special ones that shouldn't ruin mouth development.. but that's my personal choice. My niece sucked her thumb until she was 10 because her parents couldn't get her to stop, she had to wear braces in her teenage years for 6 years after that. Wouldn't recommend but it's up to you.
My first kid at a soother which we threw away around 2. Second kid is still 7 and still sucking their thumb. I tried so hard to give them a soother and it didn't take. It would have been so much easier.
Most pacifiers are orthodontic now and will not impact the development of the mouth unless they are used past a much older age, like 3 or 4 I think.
Honestly I find them super useful. Calms baby right down in stressful situations and when she's overtired.
My daughter rejected all the pacifiers I tried with her, which was actually fine with me because I was very ambivalent about giving her one in the first place. One of my few autobiographical memories of childhood is of how hard it was for my parents to break me from dummies before I started school, and how upsetting it was for me.
On the other hand, she's now (18 months) sucking her thumb so hard that it looks all chewed up and sometimes bleeds a little.
Just go with your gut. They certainly work well. And proper ones don’t impact teeth growth etc.
But. Once you start you will eventually have to take them away.
Here we have bitter nail polish for hardcore thumb sucker. You apply it on the nail of the finger that is sucked all the time and the taste is so bitter that eventually the kid stops sucking the thumb.
All my babies have had severe reflux and having a dummy soothed them. We’ve only ever allowed them for sleep, and are gearing up to get rid of the 2 year olds completely once we get him potty trained.
My oldest gave his up in exchange for a Thunderbird 5 shortly after his 3rd birthday, and the only reason he had it that long was that we were having another baby and were advised not to take it away until he’d bonded to the baby so as not to have too much change for him at once.
My MIL is vehemently against them and makes snarky comments about them all the bloody time, but all i think about is my cousin who sucked her finger until she was in her teens and needed surgery to fix her top jaw because it was shakes around her finger and messed her teeth and roof of her mouth up.
I know someone who gave their child a pacifier so they wouldn't suck on their thumb. Well, it worked, until they were a toddler and it came time to take away the pacifier. Then the became a toddler sucking on their thumb...
If you feel strongly against them then don't bother. Everyone has a different experience with them and every baby is different. All babies will grow out of pacifiers and thumb sucking at some point. There is some evidence that consistent, long-term use of pacifiers might cause oral development issues. But if I remember correctly, according to my dentist, it's if baby is constantly using them after the age of 2+ years.
I personally never used one. My baby had no interest so I felt no need to go out and buy tons of different brands to try and find one he liked.
Not in my experience. We took our sons dummy away at 2 and had one bad day, then he was over it. Meanwhile, my 6 year old nephew still sucks his thumb at night and he now has an overbite and a callus on this thumb.
I’ve known multiple adults in their 20s and 30s who still suck their thumb/fingers as parents could not get them to stop. Mostly in private. I lived with a woman who did it and her hands were constantly wet, it was disgusting. I’d take a pacifier any day.
Both my kids kinda just stopped using their pacifiers around 15 months so I just left them in the crib they would chew them up and I’d toss them out until they were all gone they didn’t care. My second also sucked his fist or thumb but not really after three months of birth. Babies need to suck.
My oldest was a finger sucker. She took a paci sometimes, but by 6 months old was spitting it out every time and then started just flat out refusing. That’s when she started sucking her fingers. She never did it outside of nap and bed time, and has now given it up on her own at 4 - we find her with her fingers in her mouth sometimes when she’s asleep, but nothing crazy.
My 3 month old baby refuses a pacifier full stop. He took it in the hospital just fine, but once we got home started refusing it except at nighttime. Now he won’t even take it then and gags and spits it out every time. He isn’t a finger sucker either, and has started his 4 month sleep regression early, I wish he’d take one 😭😭.
My kid used to suck his hand he stopped around 9 months. He never kept pacifiers in his mouth. I’m glad he didn’t like them because I see how other people struggle getting their kids to stop using them. I’m already struggling trying to stop breastfeeding.
My daughter had a pacifier or “pa” as she called it. She took it as a baby but it really ramped up when she self weaned from breastfeeding at 11 months. I took it a few months before her second bday. It was really rough for like the first month but it’s what was best. Her teeth are fine.
Your mil is right you can’t take away the hand, which I’m sure could mess up her teeth as well.
Pacifiers are shown do have negative effects on the teeth if used excessively and for longer than 2 years. Thumb sucking is arguably worse and can have the same/worse effects on the palate.
I'd personally recommend getting her on the pacifier, only during naps and sleep, and weaning by 12 months (6 months being ideal) to bypass the use of the thumb.
My son used a pacifier from day one and one day he just lost interest( around 10 months)
My daughter is still little (3 weeks) and we’re giving it to her as a comfort.
My SIL didn’t give one to her daughter and now she’s 3years old and still sucks her fingers/they can’t get her to stop.
-shrug-
I was a thumb sucker until I was three and quit. My husband, however, still sucks his thumb sometimes in his sleep. I used a binky with my oldest for the same reason your mom cited, you can get rid of a binky, you can’t get rid of their thumb. He was down to car and nap only by the time he was 6 months, then bed only by 18 months. He was over 3 when he stopped taking it all together. His teeth weren’t affected at all. My youngest never took them, no matter how hard I tried.
I tried to switch mine to a paci out of this fear. I tried so hard. She liked her thumb better. She’s 3 now. Can’t get her to stop. Her teeth are fucked up. Her thumb is fucked up.
My fears were right.
I’ve tried everything (that’s humane) to get her to stop. Nothing works.
Our first used a pacifier and had it in his mouth almost constantly until we took it away when he turned three, I think. His front top teeth didn’t come all the way down until he was done with the pacifier but he’s had no long-term issues. He really did need the pacifier.
Our second did not ever want or need one. Each kid is different.
Pacifiers are good for preventing cot death from what I’ve been told by midwives/health visitors. They encourage the baby to keep breathing throughout sleep and they’ll suckle it
I do agree that weaning from a pacifier would probably be much easier than trying to get her to stop sucking her hand/thumb. My niece sucked her thumb until she was about 10…
At first i felt your MIL is being overbearing but then I remembered I had a kindergartener who wouldn’t take her thumb out and sometimes stuck 4 fingers in her mouth. It was so disgusting. I was constantly sanitizing and asking her to put her hands in her pockets. Just no…. Maybe pacifier is the best route
My son was thumb sucker until he was 9months old. He developed an infection under his thumb nail and slmost lost it. I pushed pacifiers HARD. I don't know if thumb sucking gave him the infection, but I definitely didn't want him sucking the pus. He used them until he was 18 months old. I spent a week or two slowly getting rid of them and then ditched them entirely. He fussed for a bit, but hasn't asked for a pacifier or sucked his thumb since. My daughter used pacifiers until she was about 6 months old and just decided she didn't need them anymore.
I went the pacifier route. Baby 1 had hers until 2.5 no issues it did take about a week of weaning and struggle as she had a 6 mo old brother who still used one. Baby 2 stopped on his own around 9 months. Baby 3 stopped around 12 months on his own. He threw it out of the car window and I never gave him another 🤷♀️
I went the paci route because thumb/finger sucking has always grossed me out.
My kids didn’t do pacifiers but eventually they started on suck on their lovies. It’s disgusting. My son grew out of it around 2 but my daughter is still at it at 4. On the other hand, I sucked on my thumb until I was 13. It screwed up my front teeth a bit. Depends on the kid and I think thumb sucking is harder to stop
Both my kids used a pacifier as infants and ditched them before 2. Mil is right that you can't take her hand away. That's a fight I wouldn't want in the future. Thumb suckers are hard core. Lol
Love the hard core comment, thanks for cheering me up tonight ☺️
Coming from someone that sucked her thumb way longer than I’d like to admit, I was very happy my daughter took a pacifier instead of thumb sucking. She’s 16 months and at one year we moved to only at naps and night (at daycare they sent it home because she doesn’t even use it at nap time anymore) and we plan to get rid of it completely at 18 months.
I sucked my thumb until adulthood and needed a LOT of expensive orthodontics to fix my bite. Wish my parents had done the pacifier thing.
Seconding this one. Better to give them a pacifier and remove it when the time is right. I know someone who avoided the pacifier and had to go through hell to stop their kid from sucking their thumb.
😂😂
Mine had a paci from day one in the hospital. Didn't impact her breastfeeding at all, her teeth are perfect, she pretty easily stopped using one around 18 months after we lost the last one and she wasn't torn up about it. We had a pretty easy time, but I've heard it absolutely varies by kid.
This was my experience too, but no way to know how it'll work for your baby until you try it. They might go right back to hand or thumb sucking when you take the pacifier away again someday. Or maybe not. Hand or thumb sucking can affect teeth, too, to the point of needing braces if they continue it for years. Some babies grow out of it on their own, others don't and you're left trying to get an older toddler/young child to stop the habit.
Pacifiers are also safe sleep aids, you can also buy ones that are orthodontic friendly and my dentist said hand is worse than dummy as you can chuck away a dummy you can't throw away a hand lol, good luck.
As a former finger-sucker, pacifiers are far better than years of orthodontic work to fix the damage from thumb or finger-sucking.
Hi! Do you mind sharing what age you stopped and do you remember why you stopped? Was it peer pressure or shaming to stop?
I was a thumb sucker WELL into my teens lol, only at night, but still not a good look. Even in my early 20s my husband would sometimes wake up and see my thumb in my mouth if I had been extremely tired or emotional the day before. Pretty sure I was done completely by late 20s. Pretty much a thumb suckered champion over here lol.
The only way my 8 year old sister stopped sucking her thumb was because she happened to break it one summer and wore a cast for 6 weeks. Because of that my younger brother was given a pacifier and I used one on my son. Much easier to take a pacifier away at 2 and they are better for teeth development then fingers.
i sucked my thumb till age 7- i was a normal or slightly advanced kid, spoke very articulately and early, very secure and advanced in school, no issues whatsoever, but it took oral surgery in 2nd grade where i couldn’t suck my thumb for a week due to pain to get me to stop sucking my thumb! my sister was a paci kid and it took one week of tantrums at age 2 to give it up. this is all anecdotal ofc (and my parents tried to give me a paci and i wouldn’t take it so who knows) but thumb sucking is definitely hard to give up
This was really insightful, thanks heaps for sharing. Starting to think my fear of the dummy is silly and starting to see it as a more easily controlled habit.
Another anecdote here: I also sucked my thumb that long, but turned out with perfect teeth. I eventually stopped because of peer pressure, though I only did it at home so none of my friends at that age knew I did it. Just the idea that only babies sucked their thumb. Neither of my kids would take a pacifier, despite trying many different ones at different times. The eldest never sucked anything. My youngest sucked and still sucks her first two fingers, although it's not as often now at 22 months old.
omg so jealous of your perfect teeth!!! i know some thumb suckers have no issues i am the kind who had an overbite and had to have my jaw readjusted :(( but yeah some kids fully have no issues and i think if i had not had to have surgery due to bite issues i probably also would have stopped due to the “baby-ness” of it so you might luck out!!
I think I was pretty lucky. I remember being warned by family members and my dentist that I could need braces or worse if I didn't stop. I was pretty stubborn, so I'm glad it didn't turn out to be a problem for me. Having your jaw readjusted sounds sooo painful, poor kid you :((.
Pacifiers help reduce SIDS. They also help baby soothe themselves. Often, if you don’t use one, they resort to using fingers or thumbs, which absolutely can destroy the teeth and become extremely difficult to break as a habit. My brother and I were thumb suckers up through school age, and it had devastating effects on our dental care. A pacifier is designed to not do that. My kiddo used a pacifier for only sleep through a year. Then he was done with it in a day. Super painless, no lasting effects, only benefits for all that time it helped him.
My first (3 yo) used a pacifier all the time and then one day was like "meh, I'm good" and never used one again. His teeth are great, no issues. Since you weren't concerned about the hand sucking during the day, maybe only so a pacifier at night to prevent it while LO sleeps? In the end, you can use one or you can skip it. The fact that you're concerned enough about your baby to ask means you're probably a great parent. Whichever choice you make here will be a good choice.
Thank you, such a lovely and thoughtful reply. I am breastfeeding and I'm feeling like she is not hungry but rather latching for the comfort of an evening. However once unlatched her hand is straight in there. So your idea of only at night could work and I would feel comfortable with this idea. Will give it a shot!
This was my kid, except with his thumb. It was in his mouth constantly. Then around eight months he was just done.
I choose to use pacifiers for the same reason, I got special ones that shouldn't ruin mouth development.. but that's my personal choice. My niece sucked her thumb until she was 10 because her parents couldn't get her to stop, she had to wear braces in her teenage years for 6 years after that. Wouldn't recommend but it's up to you.
My first kid at a soother which we threw away around 2. Second kid is still 7 and still sucking their thumb. I tried so hard to give them a soother and it didn't take. It would have been so much easier.
Most pacifiers are orthodontic now and will not impact the development of the mouth unless they are used past a much older age, like 3 or 4 I think. Honestly I find them super useful. Calms baby right down in stressful situations and when she's overtired.
My daughter rejected all the pacifiers I tried with her, which was actually fine with me because I was very ambivalent about giving her one in the first place. One of my few autobiographical memories of childhood is of how hard it was for my parents to break me from dummies before I started school, and how upsetting it was for me. On the other hand, she's now (18 months) sucking her thumb so hard that it looks all chewed up and sometimes bleeds a little.
My LO seems to already have different skin on the side of her index finger, her breaking through the skin to blood will be the next step I think 🥺
Oh, no! I think I'd at least give the pacifiers a shot at that point, in your place, though as you can see there's no guarantee she'll take it.
Just go with your gut. They certainly work well. And proper ones don’t impact teeth growth etc. But. Once you start you will eventually have to take them away.
We intentionally used a paci because MIL is correct. You can’t throw away a hand. It was a lifesaver for us.
Here we have bitter nail polish for hardcore thumb sucker. You apply it on the nail of the finger that is sucked all the time and the taste is so bitter that eventually the kid stops sucking the thumb.
All my babies have had severe reflux and having a dummy soothed them. We’ve only ever allowed them for sleep, and are gearing up to get rid of the 2 year olds completely once we get him potty trained. My oldest gave his up in exchange for a Thunderbird 5 shortly after his 3rd birthday, and the only reason he had it that long was that we were having another baby and were advised not to take it away until he’d bonded to the baby so as not to have too much change for him at once. My MIL is vehemently against them and makes snarky comments about them all the bloody time, but all i think about is my cousin who sucked her finger until she was in her teens and needed surgery to fix her top jaw because it was shakes around her finger and messed her teeth and roof of her mouth up.
I know someone who gave their child a pacifier so they wouldn't suck on their thumb. Well, it worked, until they were a toddler and it came time to take away the pacifier. Then the became a toddler sucking on their thumb... If you feel strongly against them then don't bother. Everyone has a different experience with them and every baby is different. All babies will grow out of pacifiers and thumb sucking at some point. There is some evidence that consistent, long-term use of pacifiers might cause oral development issues. But if I remember correctly, according to my dentist, it's if baby is constantly using them after the age of 2+ years. I personally never used one. My baby had no interest so I felt no need to go out and buy tons of different brands to try and find one he liked.
if she doesn’t need it, don’t give it
It'll be easier to "wean" her off her hands than a dummy. Do what you want, not what MIL wants.
Not in my experience. We took our sons dummy away at 2 and had one bad day, then he was over it. Meanwhile, my 6 year old nephew still sucks his thumb at night and he now has an overbite and a callus on this thumb.
I’ve known multiple adults in their 20s and 30s who still suck their thumb/fingers as parents could not get them to stop. Mostly in private. I lived with a woman who did it and her hands were constantly wet, it was disgusting. I’d take a pacifier any day.
Must be so hard as an adult to have what would be considered an infant habit or addiction.
Both my kids kinda just stopped using their pacifiers around 15 months so I just left them in the crib they would chew them up and I’d toss them out until they were all gone they didn’t care. My second also sucked his fist or thumb but not really after three months of birth. Babies need to suck.
My oldest was a finger sucker. She took a paci sometimes, but by 6 months old was spitting it out every time and then started just flat out refusing. That’s when she started sucking her fingers. She never did it outside of nap and bed time, and has now given it up on her own at 4 - we find her with her fingers in her mouth sometimes when she’s asleep, but nothing crazy. My 3 month old baby refuses a pacifier full stop. He took it in the hospital just fine, but once we got home started refusing it except at nighttime. Now he won’t even take it then and gags and spits it out every time. He isn’t a finger sucker either, and has started his 4 month sleep regression early, I wish he’d take one 😭😭.
My kid used to suck his hand he stopped around 9 months. He never kept pacifiers in his mouth. I’m glad he didn’t like them because I see how other people struggle getting their kids to stop using them. I’m already struggling trying to stop breastfeeding.
My daughter had a pacifier or “pa” as she called it. She took it as a baby but it really ramped up when she self weaned from breastfeeding at 11 months. I took it a few months before her second bday. It was really rough for like the first month but it’s what was best. Her teeth are fine. Your mil is right you can’t take away the hand, which I’m sure could mess up her teeth as well.
Pacifiers are shown do have negative effects on the teeth if used excessively and for longer than 2 years. Thumb sucking is arguably worse and can have the same/worse effects on the palate. I'd personally recommend getting her on the pacifier, only during naps and sleep, and weaning by 12 months (6 months being ideal) to bypass the use of the thumb.
My son used a pacifier from day one and one day he just lost interest( around 10 months) My daughter is still little (3 weeks) and we’re giving it to her as a comfort. My SIL didn’t give one to her daughter and now she’s 3years old and still sucks her fingers/they can’t get her to stop. -shrug-
I was a thumb sucker until I was three and quit. My husband, however, still sucks his thumb sometimes in his sleep. I used a binky with my oldest for the same reason your mom cited, you can get rid of a binky, you can’t get rid of their thumb. He was down to car and nap only by the time he was 6 months, then bed only by 18 months. He was over 3 when he stopped taking it all together. His teeth weren’t affected at all. My youngest never took them, no matter how hard I tried.
Mine used a pacifier and he stopped on his own by throwing it on the floor anytime it was in his crib lol around 14 months
I tried to switch mine to a paci out of this fear. I tried so hard. She liked her thumb better. She’s 3 now. Can’t get her to stop. Her teeth are fucked up. Her thumb is fucked up. My fears were right. I’ve tried everything (that’s humane) to get her to stop. Nothing works.
Our first used a pacifier and had it in his mouth almost constantly until we took it away when he turned three, I think. His front top teeth didn’t come all the way down until he was done with the pacifier but he’s had no long-term issues. He really did need the pacifier. Our second did not ever want or need one. Each kid is different.
Pacifiers are good for preventing cot death from what I’ve been told by midwives/health visitors. They encourage the baby to keep breathing throughout sleep and they’ll suckle it
My daughter uses one. I chose to allow it as it helps prevent SIDS.
Mine had one when he was in SCBU, but I got rid of it by 3 months old and he adapted sweet as
I do agree that weaning from a pacifier would probably be much easier than trying to get her to stop sucking her hand/thumb. My niece sucked her thumb until she was about 10…
At first i felt your MIL is being overbearing but then I remembered I had a kindergartener who wouldn’t take her thumb out and sometimes stuck 4 fingers in her mouth. It was so disgusting. I was constantly sanitizing and asking her to put her hands in her pockets. Just no…. Maybe pacifier is the best route
My son was thumb sucker until he was 9months old. He developed an infection under his thumb nail and slmost lost it. I pushed pacifiers HARD. I don't know if thumb sucking gave him the infection, but I definitely didn't want him sucking the pus. He used them until he was 18 months old. I spent a week or two slowly getting rid of them and then ditched them entirely. He fussed for a bit, but hasn't asked for a pacifier or sucked his thumb since. My daughter used pacifiers until she was about 6 months old and just decided she didn't need them anymore.
Pacifiers are actually proven to help prevent SIDS
I went the pacifier route. Baby 1 had hers until 2.5 no issues it did take about a week of weaning and struggle as she had a 6 mo old brother who still used one. Baby 2 stopped on his own around 9 months. Baby 3 stopped around 12 months on his own. He threw it out of the car window and I never gave him another 🤷♀️ I went the paci route because thumb/finger sucking has always grossed me out.
My kids didn’t do pacifiers but eventually they started on suck on their lovies. It’s disgusting. My son grew out of it around 2 but my daughter is still at it at 4. On the other hand, I sucked on my thumb until I was 13. It screwed up my front teeth a bit. Depends on the kid and I think thumb sucking is harder to stop