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- $Unique_ID{BRK00102}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{How to Stop Sucking Your Thumb}
- $Subject{thumb suck childhood parenthood child care behavior behaviors sucks
- bitter tasting sucking thumbs children kid kids}
- $Volume{S-23}
- $Log{}
-
- Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
-
-
- How to Stop Sucking Your Thumb
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-
- QUESTION: Our six-year old still sucks his thumb, in spite of our pleas to
- act more mature. My mother suggests an old-fashioned solution of painting his
- thumb with a bitter liquid, but this sounds terribly old-fashioned to me.
- What do you think?
-
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-
- ANSWER: A recent study conducted at the John Hopkins University School of
- Medicine in Baltimore suggests that your mother's time-honored solution may
- still be applicable in our modern day and age. Seven thumb-sucking children
- who were otherwise emotionally and developmentally normal had their offending
- thumb or finger coated with a bitter-tasting, commercially available solution
- after waking and before bedtime. All the children quickly stopped the
- offending habit, and did not resume it even when their parents ceased applying
- the liquid once five continuous days of nonsucking had passed. As long as
- there is no underlying emotional reason for your child's thumb sucking, your
- mother's solution, while a bitter pill to swallow, is effective.
-
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-
- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
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-