Help for Thumb Sucking

If your photo albums are filled with images like these...you might have a thumb sucker!  For years thumb sucking was such an issue for Buzz and Bud.  I thought they would never stop!  Buzz was even sucking his thumb in the womb!  When we went for our 20 week ultrasound, there he was ... thumb in mouth.  He took it out long enough to wave at us, and then back into his mouth it went and stayed for the next 7 years.   When he was 5, I asked the doctor what I could do to get him to stop.  The doctor told me, "Just let him be, and he will outgrow it."  Fast forward 2 years...

Last summer he went to Cub Scout Summer Camp.  When he came home, someone sent me this picture.  There was my sweet boy sucking his thumb at 7 years old!   He was mortified when he realized he was doing it in FRONT OF FRIENDS!  I knew we had to do something to help him out.  I had heard about guards for thumbs that he could wear, but I really didn't want to draw attention to the problem and make him uncomfortable. 



One day a friend from church was telling me about the same problem she was having with her son who was almost 9.  She told me to try stuff for nail biters.

I ran out to Walmart and bought this.  I admit I was doubtful as to how productive this would really be, but decided I would give it a shot.  I put 1 coat on each of Buzz's thumbs, and did the same on Bud.  I figured I might as well make them suffer together.

I was thrilled that 1 coat was all it took for Buzz to stop!  He stuck his thumb in his mouth once and said it tasted so nasty he never wanted to do it again!  Bud has needed to have a few applications, but has pretty much stopped his thumb sucking as well.

Buzz is so excited to go to Summer Camp this year and not have to worry about embarrassing himself (at least not with this problem!)