Everyone has a personal opinion and or experience of thumb and or dummy. Most interesting. someone said "mothers get put under too much pressure to do or not to do one. Uhmm Is marketing and advertising considered as pressure??? Dummies, pacifiers, soothers everywhere - in gifts to new mothers in magazines on supermarket and chemist shelves. One would think it a normal human phenomena yet fingers and thumbs were created way long before the plastic thing.
>From an academic point have you all seen and read Binns, C & Scott, J, (2002) Using pacifier: what are breastfeeding mothers doing? Breastfeeding Review, 10 (2) 21-25 so yes there are many facets to this topic and each parent needs to weigh up the evidence and blend to their individual parenting style. >From a personal view point. Our family has a history of thumb sucking 3 out of 4 girls in a family of six were thumb suckers. 1 out of 2 of my daughters also was a thumb sucker (the other would suck only the breast) from birth and possibly in utero. Based on my knowledge (at the time) of coping and behavioral development of children I gradually and gently coaxed my 4 year old to stop sucking her thumb 1st in the day time by keeping busy and distracting and sticker rewards and eventually at night time by sticker chart rewards etc. If I had my time again I would not do that. That kind of management can be perceived by some child temperament types as nagging and who knows what else. I would leave her be and just show her love acceptance and validity and lead her to make the decision more at her own pace. I have known of adults who traded a dummy or thumb for smoking or other harmful substances. In comparison a thumb or dummy sucking habit is quite harmless and not disgusting at all as we seem to perceive it is after some certain age. that's my input on this topic anyway Ruth Ruth Cantrill > From: "Maternity Ward Mareeba Hospital" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2003 20:42:55 +1000 > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] thumb not dummy > > I would have to agree with the genetic aspect. My mum needed braces as did I > (not a thumbsucker) and my next sister also not a thumbsucker but the brother > who was a thumbsucker had great teeth. Then my daughter who sucked until > around 8 yrs old also needed braces and surgery for an oral cyst. Must admit, > by that time I wished the thumb was a dummy so I could throw it away. I was > dead against dummies but now, am not so sure. Thumbs also get really dirty by > the time the child becomes self-propelled. > Judy > >>>> [EMAIL PROTECTED] 24/02/2003 7:23:11 pm >>> > Hi, > > My son, aged 4.5, was seen sucking his thumb on ultrasound at 18 weeks. Nearly > 5 years later, he's still going.... much to our delight! Never had we had > dummies for our last two, as our oldest had lots of trouble getting rid of > hers. > > The youngest prefers to suck nothing, and that's cool too. > > Both boys were breastfed beyond 14 months. > > But Nathan still sucks his thumb, and with the other hand holds his earlobe, > when tired. His teeth are perfect, and it is something he cannot lose at the > shops or anything. He only sucks it late in the day, near bedtime, which is > fine by us. > > My cousin is a dentist, but earlier in life was seen forever with her thumb in > her mouth. She ended up needing braces (as did her 5 non-thumb-sucking > sisters) and swears to this day that it was genetic, not thumb-induced. > > We love non-dummy households! And thumbs are fine by us. It's just one of > those things (like co-sleeping) that people think we are strange for > supporting - but each family is individual and so is each child, so who are > the experts here? > > Seeya > Janine > > > > > ********************************************************************** > This e-mail, including any attachments sent with it, is confidential > and for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). This confidentiality > is not waived or lost if you receive it and you are not the intended > recipient(s), or if it is transmitted/ received in error. > > Any unauthorised use, alteration, disclosure, distribution or review > of this e-mail is prohibited. It may be subject to a statutory duty of > confidentiality if it relates to health service matters. > > If you are not the intended recipient(s), or if you have received this > e-mail in error, you are asked to immediately notify the sender by > telephone or by return e-mail. You should also delete this e-mail > message and destroy any hard copies produced. > ********************************************************************** > > -- > This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. > Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe. > -- This mailing list is sponsored by ACE Graphics. Visit <http://www.acegraphics.com.au> to subscribe or unsubscribe.
