Five-year-old David sucks his thumb. His parents say it's time to stop. David is mad; his thumb feels good in his mouth. He talks with his sister, and then his brother. He asks them why they decided to end their sucking habits and how they stopped. Then, David decides. The Parent Guide addresses myths and realities about thumbsucking. Do sucking habits make children less self-confident or more? Does thumbsucking really impact children's teeth and facial appearance? Can stopping sucking habits harm children emotionally? What are the keys to success in helping children end sucking habits?
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 46 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Bright colorful pictures of David and his brother and sister invite kids to join David as he decides if and how to end his thumbsucking habit. Great story. Remarkable impact on my son, who read the story and decided to follow David's example. Also, the best compilation of information for parents on thumb and finger sucking that I've seen. Covers all the research. Explains how sucking habits help young children, but then gradually become detrimental as kids get older.
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By Diane
Great story- My son and I read this book together before bed one night and because of the book, it was his idea to try to stop. We are into the sixth night now with no thumbs! This book was written from a childs view and talks to the child directly and hits on the subject in a very positive way. I highly recommend this before trying the 'nailpolish', or any other old-fashioned techniques. Very positive!
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By Dr. Rob
Amazon Verified Purchase
I have been a clinical orthodontist/dentist since 1988. Influencing a patient with thumb/finger sucking habits (blanket and pacifiers as well) is quite challenging. My job is to try to help the patient stop their habit in a non-invasive manner, when possible. Using this book, along with some personal counseling, over 95% of my patients have stopped their habit within 3 months. I follow these patients for a year, and the cessation is complete. This is a remarkable success rate when compared to the rates listed in the literature. The patient's parents are out no money (they borrow a copy of the book from me), and thousands of dollars in orthodontic treatment due to flared upper front teeth ("buck teeth") can be avoided. Aren't braces needed to bring the upper front teeth back into alignment? Most of the time, no. The backward resting pressure of the upper lip alone tends to bring the incisors back into a good archform. Technical note: If the child has a "Class II" bite, then orthodontic treatment may be needed in the future. Incidentally, the flaring of the front teeth caused by a sucking habit increases the risk of fracture of these teeth during a sporting accident or fall. This is another reason to stop the habit. Do yourself a big favor and buy this book if your child has this type of oral habit.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Seveen Jaja
Amazon Verified Purchase
My son and I read this book and tried the techniques. Socks were off hands by morning. Bandaids didn't make it past my closing the bedroom door. I think the information in the book is good advice especially if tried when the child is younger but my six year old is still sucking. I hope he stops by his wedding day.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Trevor Clark
I read the first part of this book to my daughter and although it is well written, it uses guilt to motivate the child to stop which I didn't think would be best. I then tried the flavored nail polish "Mavala Stop" and that worked for good: no socks, no charts, no dental appliances, no talk, nothing.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By C. Lopez
A great book to help parents and kids. We have used this at the dentist office for many years.
Amazon Verified Purchase
My son is 6 years old, he's just coming to the end of kindergarten. He has been sucking his pointer and middle finger since he was a baby. I'd tried all different tactics over the past 2 years 1)Verbal reminders 2)nasty flavoring 3)Duck-tape 4)not mentioning it to him 5)sock on hand at night 6)therapy and more. A month before we got this book was when kids started saying things to him. Not mean stuff they would just ask him why he did it and he'd say it was a bad habit. I think kids have been taught to be so accepting these days that none of them would ever make him feel bad about doing it.
He finally started expressing to me that he was annoyed that everyone kept asking him about it. So I jumped on Amazon and checked book reviews. I found this book. We are now on day four of no finger sucking.
We've been cutting band-aids in half and placing them on the top portion of his fingers to remind him not to suck them. This way his fingers can still bend.
It was good that we ordered the book because I told him we were getting it and what it was about. He anxiously waited for it to come. Reading it was key. I think the way David talks about his feelings about sucking was very relate-able to my child. He starts with a question like: did you ever want to stop doing something that you really like to do? As soon as my son heard that he was hooked. He also came up with his own reasons for why he does it and his own reason for quitting. We also looked at David's before and after pictures a bunch. First page he looks sad/confused last page he looks happy/content.
My son had told me that he was nervous that if he stopped sucking fingers that his personality might change. I think David showed him that he could do it and that he would be the same sweet kid after.
He finally started expressing to me that he was annoyed that everyone kept asking him about it. So I jumped on Amazon and checked book reviews. I found this book. We are now on day four of no finger sucking.
We've been cutting band-aids in half and placing them on the top portion of his fingers to remind him not to suck them. This way his fingers can still bend.
It was good that we ordered the book because I told him we were getting it and what it was about. He anxiously waited for it to come. Reading it was key. I think the way David talks about his feelings about sucking was very relate-able to my child. He starts with a question like: did you ever want to stop doing something that you really like to do? As soon as my son heard that he was hooked. He also came up with his own reasons for why he does it and his own reason for quitting. We also looked at David's before and after pictures a bunch. First page he looks sad/confused last page he looks happy/content.
My son had told me that he was nervous that if he stopped sucking fingers that his personality might change. I think David showed him that he could do it and that he would be the same sweet kid after.
By Yaya
Amazon Verified Purchase
My son started sucking his thumb around 3-4 months old. He couldn't go to sleep without sucking his thumb; he couldn't stop crying without sucking his thumb. When he turned 3, his left thumb had an ugly bump. We tried bitter or spicy nail polish thing, it didn't work even for a day. Our pediatrician recommended thumb guard, which cost over $70 even on Amazon.
I bought this book because it was written by a Ph.D and was rather inexpensive. My husband thought I was out of my mind, wasting money. I read the book in great detail. The method seems to build on children's psychological factors. When I offered my son a pair of socks over his hands during bed time, he agreed, which was a total surprise to me. I sent clean socks to day care for him to wear during nap time. He was very proud of himself after he had made through the first night, the first nap, on and on. It took him 2-3 weeks to stop thumb sucking completely. He is 4 now, and has never gone back to his old habit. His thumbs look normal, no more bumps.
I bought this book because it was written by a Ph.D and was rather inexpensive. My husband thought I was out of my mind, wasting money. I read the book in great detail. The method seems to build on children's psychological factors. When I offered my son a pair of socks over his hands during bed time, he agreed, which was a total surprise to me. I sent clean socks to day care for him to wear during nap time. He was very proud of himself after he had made through the first night, the first nap, on and on. It took him 2-3 weeks to stop thumb sucking completely. He is 4 now, and has never gone back to his old habit. His thumbs look normal, no more bumps.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still unsurpassed
This book was a work of genius, making the child the center of finding a solution to a habit that the time has come to stop. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Patricia S. Bany
2.0 out of 5 stars
Nothing new
The kids dentist recommended to help get the kids to stop sucking fingers and thumb. Nothing new in book that we hadn't already tried. Way to expensive for this.
Published 4 months ago by Nana
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read this once and my daughter stopped sucking her thumb!
First let me say that I am so proud of my little girl for stopping the thumb sucking habit. She is 3 and I was noticing that her top teeth were starting to develop an overbite... Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. Hosler
4.0 out of 5 stars
My son liked it.
My son likes this book as he could relate to David. I thought it was ok, all the kids in it had really bad teeth as if to dramatize that potential in the thumb/finger sucking... Read more
Published 5 months ago by TL
5.0 out of 5 stars
David decides about thumbsucking
Good story to share with the child. Lots of helpful information for the caregiver...
only wish I had ordered the hardback copy. Read more
only wish I had ordered the hardback copy. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Diana Lubbs
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
I did not like the suggestions from this book one bit. The book basically suggests that you appeal to your child's desire to fit in and convince them that sucking his or her thumb... Read more
Published 24 months ago by JHLeo
3.0 out of 5 stars
not for my son
The dentist recommended this for my son to stop sucking on his bottom lip. He has been doing this since I was pregnant. I have an ultra-sound where is it very obvious! Read more
Published on December 22, 2010 by Corinne A. Boycan
5.0 out of 5 stars
It worked for my 7 year old!
I stumbled across this book while looking for ideas to help an older child to stop thumbsucking. We never pressured our daughter to stop, but had encouraged her for years. Read more
Published on September 30, 2010 by K Barksdale
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent book
This book was given to me to use with my oldest son by our orthodontist, to get him to quit sucking his thumb. I had tried numerous tactics with no avail. Read more
Published on February 15, 2010 by D. Werner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very pleased
I bought this book based on the recommendation of my child's dentist. I have a 3 year old son and I read this book to him 2 weeks ago. Read more
Published on May 14, 2009 by Ms. Kathy
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