I Week Without The Thumb

In an outburst of frustration with constantly taking care of a blistered and bleeding thumb, and a whimpering and whining child, and a pinching habit that is directly related to thumb sucking. I decided to jump to the first thing that popped into my head one morning. Vinegar.

I explained then that just like babies use diapers, babies suck their thumb, and Bella is a big girl. Just like she is too big for diapers she is too big to suck her thumb. Big girls don't suck their thumb!

From then on every time she sucked her thumb I poured vinegar on BOTH thumbs. She screamed, she cried. I felt terrible and like a horrible, mean Mommy. And doubted whether this would do any good, or would be just some traumatic childhood memory she'd hate me for. 

I did make a decision that this was only for wake times, and not sleeping. Unconsciously thumb sucking was a whole different thing.

I made sure I cuddled her after the dreaded vinegar was put on, and we talked about why and how she was so big. I would distract her with something new to do; coloring, painting, chalk, play-doh, reading, dolls, anything to get her mind off the thumb and vinegar. Throughout the day if I saw her thumb getting close to her mouth I would remind her "You are a BIG GIRL NOW! Right?" 

It was rough. But by the next day there was a HUGE difference. 

Usually her thumb is in her mouth every time she sits or lays down, which for a "quieter" child like Bella is quite a lot. I talked about how awesome she was doing and how big she is. We told lots of people via phone and skype. She was happier smiling about her thumb if it got close. But I did use vinegar consistently, poured on a paper towel and wiped on her hand. She screamed and cried but it was much easier to distract her and talk to her and perk her up; partly because vinegar only needed to be used a few times. 

By day three she wasn't thumb sucking or pinching and I rarely had to remind her. We talked lots about a special prize if she could go a whole week without her thumb. She was so proud and so were we. We were all in shock that this had worked. 

And we were in even more shock that her thumb sucking during naps and bed took care of itself, in the next couple days.

I keep the big vinegar bottle out and every time she sees it she talks about what it is and how she's a big girl and DOES NOT suck her thumb. It has acted as a great visual reminder.

And she picked out "fluttershy" as her ONE WEEK WITHOUT THE THUMB prize.

During  week two she rarely, rarely ever even tried the thumb. I will admit she did it though, experimenting I assume. But I reminded her and YES I threatened vinegar!

I have tried so many things; gloves, tape, nail polish, positive enforcement, and "the only when you are in bed" method, but nothing has stuck. I know this is partly due to my inconsistency and our own interruptions of life. And I may be jinxing myself, like I did HERE, but I really, really think Bella is thumb free for the first time since she started, THUMB FREE!

Now it is weeks later and thumb sucking is officially that of the past.