Such a common problem as finger sucking worries many parents, and it’s not groundless. Let's figure out where her roots grow from.

Causes of habit: sucking a finger

The bad habit of sucking a finger originates from the unsatisfied instinct of sucking. This problem must be solved immediately, before it becomes a habit. It is necessary to give a breast or a nipple taking into account the duration and number of feedings per day. The average time that a baby should spend at the breast for one feeding is approximately twenty minutes. Breaks between feedings, which are more than three and a half hours, can be shortened. Many mothers often practice on-demand feeding. The first four months of life of the baby is the greatest need for sucking. It gradually decreases in the following months. Most often, the need to suck in the period from seven months to a year comes to naught.

The need to satisfy the sucking instinct for each baby has a different strength. Therefore, the lack of time in which the baby satisfies the innate instinct of sucking can go to sucking fingers. If a newborn pulls a finger in his mouth before feeding, do not worry, it just means that he wants to eat.

Fifteen minutes are enough for some children near the chest and they do not pull fingers into the mouth. And those whose time exceeds twenty minutes can extend it by sucking a finger.In some cases, a pacifier helps. But the children continue to suck their finger, if they do not like the nipple, which the parents suggested.

Most often, finger sucking can be noticed during a period of special need for sucking up to three months of age. If before this the child had clearly never sucked a finger and suddenly at five months he was pulling his fingers in his mouth, do not be alarmed, this can be explained by the fact that his teeth begin to erupt. And if you look closely, you will see that the child is biting, and not sucking a finger. In this case, a special rubber toy will save the situation, which the baby can chew on. Children who precisely suck a finger have lower teeth with a slight slope back and slightly protruding upper front teeth. Of course, parents want to wean offspring from this habit and of course it doesn’t matter if sucking affects the growth of teeth.

If a child stubbornly continues to suck his finger after a year, there is reason to fear that the matter lies elsewhere. Also, kids suck their fingers in moments of shock and frustration, if it became boring and nothing to do, if something hurts or in order to fall asleep soon. This means that this process serves as a sedative, a guarantee of security and support. This can occur as a result of premature weaning (if the mother is sick) or deprivation of the nipple, or in a situation where the parents take a lot of time to solve their own problems and the house has an unfavorable atmosphere.

In this case, it is necessary to fight, because it is an indicator of poor development and a psychological problem. But it can also be solved if the parents will be understanding and attentive to the needs of the child's communication.