Why does my child always suck his fingers?

Parents with babies at home will find that their babies always have some small movements, especially when lying in bed. They will not only suck their fingers, but sometimes they will also suck their feet, which looks a little disgusting. In fact, this kind of behavior of the baby is very normal, and everyone goes through this stage. So, medically speaking, what is the problem with children always sucking their fingers?

When it comes to babies sucking their thumbs, many parents worry that it is unhygienic and that the baby will be invaded by bacteria or viruses. Therefore, you should help correct your baby's thumb sucking behavior from the first time he or she starts sucking their hands, and find ways to prevent him or her from putting his or her hands in his or her mouth. But babies will persist in sucking their thumbs and even express their dissatisfaction by crying. Should we intervene in thumb sucking?

When babies suck their fingers, medically known as finger sucking, it refers to the behavior of repeatedly or involuntarily sucking the thumb, index finger or other fingers. For normal babies aged 0 to 4 months, sucking anything that touches their lips is a normal physiological reflex. Finger sucking usually starts in infants aged 3 to 4 months, reaches its peak at 7 to 8 months, and gradually subsides after 2 years of age. Thumb sucking is an abnormal behavior after the age of 4, which usually occurs when the child is lonely, tired, depressed, sleepy, or hungry; the frequency increases during separation anxiety or illness.

In the early stages of life, any object touching the baby's lips will trigger a sucking reflex, with the proportion of sucking fingers being as high as 90%, which is a normal physiological phenomenon. Babies aged 1 to 2 months cannot open their hands on their own or put their fingers in their mouths. So during this period, the baby's thumb sucking will be manifested by fist sucking. The baby will put the clenched fist to the mouth and suck it, and sometimes most of the fist can be put into the mouth. Babies around 3 months old begin to learn to suck their fingers, usually the thumb, or put the thumb and index finger in their mouths at the same time. The completion of these complex movements is a signal of the baby's intellectual development and one of the signs that the baby has entered the stage of preparation for finger function differentiation and hand-eye coordination. In infancy, this occasional or short-lived thumb sucking should not be considered pathological.

Treatment and prevention

When you find your baby sucking his fingers, don't be nervous or worried, because more than half of babies will stop sucking their fingers around 7 months old. All you can do is wait patiently, there is no need to stop it forcefully. If it is stopped forcibly, it will easily have a negative reinforcement effect. What parents need to do is help their babies keep their hands clean to reduce the risk of hand-to-mouth transmission of diseases. Keep the area around your lips clean and dry to prevent eczema.

Children who persist in sucking their fingers after the age of 4 may affect the development of their mandible, lead to malocclusion, and even affect chewing, swallowing, or pronunciation. Behavioral therapy should be carried out. You can gradually eliminate the problem by ignoring it appropriately, distracting the child’s attention, or praising and encouraging the child when the child stops sucking his fingers.