What to do if your two and a half year old baby likes to suck his fingers

Two and a half year old babies love to suck their fingers, which makes parents more worried. Sometimes it can cause peeling of the child's hands. Generally speaking, this is a normal physiological phenomenon, and parents should not worry too much. It is okay for children to suck their fingers occasionally before they grow permanent teeth. Of course, we should also pay attention to personal hygiene. Parents should learn some methods to educate their children not to suck their fingers.

It's OK for children to suck their thumbs before their permanent teeth come out

I love sucking my fingers, and my white and tender little fingers are starting to peel off. Mom and Dad are very anxious, but this is a natural physiological need of the child. Before the permanent teeth come out, there is nothing wrong with sucking his fingers.

Sucking your fingers can make your baby feel comfortable and reduce anxiety. Moreover, babies have the reflex and need to suck.

As for the issue of hygiene, at this stage children will put whatever they get into their mouths. In comparison, the bacteria that are ingested from sucking their fingers are relatively few. Just wash your hands frequently.

Overreacting, such as applying smelly substances to children's hands, will not be very effective. Before the baby's permanent teeth come out, that is, before the age of four or five, there is no need to deliberately stop sucking your thumb, as long as it does not affect the growth of teeth or deformation of the lower jaw. Small links:

Three ways to stop sucking your thumb

Ignore: the most effective method. If parents react too strongly, it will only reinforce thumb sucking.

Reward method: Frequent encouragement can help your baby stop sucking his thumb.

Distraction method: Use small games to divert your baby’s attention when he is sucking his fingers.

At what age does a baby start sucking his fingers?

Babies will begin to develop their own hands at around three months old and use them as new playmates. Therefore, it is normal to put his new little friend into his mouth and suck it for fun at this stage, not to mention that this is his most readily available little friend and he cannot let it go. This little hand is the carrier that connects the child to the heart of exploring the world. If one deliberately tries to "cut off" this "hub", it will have a great impact on the child's psychology. Some babies even regard sucking their fingers as a sign of attachment to the nipple. Sucking fingers is a reasonable need of infancy. It is harmless and requires adults to restrain their mindset to satisfy their needs. In the past, many attempts to break the habit of sucking breasts and fingers by using stimulating objects during infancy were an act of disregard for the infant's feelings and growth needs, and this practice is not recommended unless it is absolutely necessary. However, today we will not discuss in detail the impact of these little hands on psychology. Instead, we will focus on solving the problem of how you want to save your baby's little hands from turning white from eating. Some mothers think that babies sucking their fingers is dirty and will cause diarrhea, develop bad habits, and make their teeth crooked, so they should be stopped immediately. In fact, this practice is unscientific and harmful to the baby's development because it goes against the baby's growth laws.

When a baby sucks his thumb, his brain begins to develop. It is the beginning of the baby's development stage. Parents should not stop it, but let him move freely. After the baby is one year old, his desire to suck his thumb will weaken, and the habit of sucking his thumb will gradually decrease. Before the age of three, most children will naturally give up this habit. In addition, the fingers of the baby's deciduous teeth can also be used for grinding teeth.