Children suck their thumbs because it’s comforting and calming. Thumb sucking usually starts before birth and can be a very helpful way for babies to handle tension. As it becomes a habit, children turn to their thumb when tired, hungry, scared, bored, sick, or trying to adjust to challenges. They also use their thumb to fall asleep at bedtime and to get back to sleep when they wake up in the middle of the night. Sucking their thumb is not a sign of your child being insecure.
Some babies suck their thumbs more than others, but fact is that all babies do. Do not pull your baby’s thumb out of her mouth every time she puts it into her mouth. That’s not the way to deal with thumb-sucking. Half of all babies will stop on their own by 6 or 7 months of age for the others it is a habit that disappears between the ages of 3 and 6 years.
