Babies who suck their thumbs: should we worry?
A common concern that mothers tend to happen when babies begin to suck his thumb or fingers repeatedly, which is around 3 months of the baby and about 80% of babies. Is it really something to worry about? Can be a habit harmful to the baby, or should we leave?
The reality is that finger-sucking to be harmful to the baby, it’s annoying for dads and moms because there is any negative stigma about it, related to the concern that the small hungry or over time, grow and can not quit sucking his thumb.
But in concrete terms, the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry says that thumb sucking or finger is a reflection completely normal for young babies, which responds to a need to suck and when they are babies do not create damage to your teeth or jaws. Even many times in the scans we can see the babies sucking their thumbs before he was born.
The reason that babies of 2 or 3 months scrumptious often has to do with it at last “find” easily, are more time awake and rely on these completely normal sensory experiences as part of exploration, and sometimes also as a way to calm down when they are tired, bored or hungry. There is a scientific explanation for this: the relaxation that babies experience at sucking in the brain produces endorphins, hormones that soothe and give pleasure.
The normal fear of parents that thumb sucking cause deformities in the growth of teeth only apply in a child older than 5 years was changing the baby teeth to the final: it is a real risk in infants. Babies usually stop sucking their fingers naturally around 6 or 7 months, although some continue a while longer.
Do not worry: as a general rule, it may be important to check for help regarding their teeth only after 2 years if it retains the habit.