Finger sucking is a phenomenon seen in children up to 3-4 years of age without any psycho-pathological factors in normal children. Most babies suck their thumbs or other fingers. The most important reason for the finger sucking, which is a harmless behavior, to be found immediately in all babies is that the newborn babies learned to suck a finger more in the mother's womb (uterus) and that they have a sucking reflex which is one of the strongest reflexes they have inborn. Also the bubbles seen on the wrists are to be a result of it.
The majority of mothers think that sucking finger is caused by starvation. However, this absorption is a common behavior that does not depend on feeding at a high rate from 50% to 87%. Immediately half of the age children absorb their fingers. From the 9th month, there is a close relationship between sleep and finger sucking, and the baby from the sleep takes his finger to his mouth. It is seen. Efforts to discourage the child from sucking finger up to 3 years of age are met with resistance by the child. Some babies suck their fingers as new teeth come out and some of them face difficulty and shyness and squeezing. Finger sucking usually around 18 months is expected to disappear towards the age of 4 years. Researches at the latest at the age of 5-6 years, the loss of finger sucking, but if the continuation of the teeth can prove to be deformation. As with subwet, continuous finger sucking can also develop as a result of psychological problems and tensions.
Parents may be worried about the effects of children sucking their fingers on the jaw bones and teeth. It is true that finger sucking pushes the lower and upper teeth back. The degree to which finger sucking affects teeth depends on the duration of the finger sucking and most importantly the position of the finger in the mouth. This change in milk teeth indicates that it does not affect the actual teeth after 6 years of age.
Sucking the finger and pacifier
The suction function is very strong in newborns. However, the finger suction and tongue sucking habits are normal for the first 1.5 years but disappear at the end of the age of 2 years. In this case, the upper anterior teeth and the lower anterior teeth are tilted backwards and the opening between the lower and upper anterior teeth occurs. The finger sucking habit is more effective when sleeping at night, and as a result, a stenosis (a V-shaped chin) occurs in the upper jaw.
What is the best way for parents to do in the way of finger sucking?
It is a simple way to tell the child that this habit is a babyish behavior and that he / she will not look others in the eye, avoiding the incident with patience and avoiding constant care. Perpetuating the child through the same habit in the family, so that the attention is placed on the child, therefore, to criticize the child continuously for the purpose of getting into agitation and solution is considered to be one of the wrong parental behaviors. The child sucking a finger at the school age, the teacher's warning, his parents' criticism, even in the process of ridiculing his friends continues this habit. In this case, the psychological adaptation of the child to the positive recommendations and explanations may cause the problem to disappear. What is important here is the discovery and elimination of the factors that make up this habit, which is considered a symptom of regression. For example, the birth of a new sibling may lead to the beginning of this kind of habit in the child. As mentioned earlier, the preparation of the child before the birth of the brother, the existence of the child despite the existence of the brother and persuade the child that his place is separate, because the brother is in need of assistance to the child because of the need to look at the need to look at him, reduce the tension in the conviction. In this way, habits resulting from this tension also disappear with time. Due to the similarity of lower wetting, finger sucking also decreases with age. In this respect, treatment should be avoided especially in the first childhood period. It should be applied.
Measures to be taken to eliminate finger suction
It should be made clear to parents that finger sucking is a harmless activity in the early periods. It should be clearly explained that finger sucking does not cause tooth deformations as mentioned before, and is not a disease. Because the mother, father and family believers believe in this lifelong bad habit to resort to very severe measures to discourage their children. In fact, those who put the chili peppers on the children's fingers, the beatings, the hands of his arms behind his back, put a needle in his fingers and impose punishments they will never forget. These criticisms, reprimands, beatings, and pain in the finger can lead to an increase in the child's negativity. (D. Ages Çağ 1981) Finger sucking is not a habit that affects itself in childhood and subsequently in adjustment. It does not require being a special corrective measure. However, it may be the reason why many inappropriate and sensory problems have arisen as a result of the imposition of improper measures and penalties for children who are starting to suck or put a habit. Methods used to abandon a simple habit may cause some new and chronic adjustment disorders that are not relevant to the situation. (D. Ages 1981)
Children should be properly fed at an early age. Besides the quality of food and breast milk, it is necessary to give special importance and importance to the attitude of the child while giving food. The child should be brought close to the mother's chest to hear her warmth while feeding on both the mother's breast and bottle. On the one hand, while the child is given food or breast, on the other hand the mother should pour warm love out of her eyes. Keeping the child loose, battering, reprimanding the food is not a big meaning, a glorification of a young person to buy food, he does the effect of giving food (D. Çağlar ek 1981). The sincerity of civilized people feed the dogs from the human cub. Proper nutrition is the biggest obstacle to the emergence of this problem (D. Çağlar-1981). This is never a harmful habit. Through normal behavior and relationships, this habit may be abandoned after the age of 1 (D. Çağlar-1981). The examination of the child's condition should be corrected by corrective measures to correct the whole condition, not just the one finger. Because the child will continue to suck the finger unless the main causes of sucking are eliminated. (D. Ages 1981)
Child-friendly rest, wide and diverse activities, playgrounds should be provided with opportunities to engage. Improper behaviors of parents should be corrected. Children should not be subjected to violence because of this habit and should not be intimidated by superstitious ideas. The promise of prosperity, the child's desire to abandon it and the power to move, the various measures to move the child to move the child can leave it. It can be a good reminder to give harmless pain to stimulate the child when the child takes the finger to his mouth, and to wear gloves at night and if necessary the child in the daytime, to end the habit.
It may be a good reminder to defeat the habit, in particular to give the child the belief that he or she will leave this habit, especially for self-control. If the child continues to suck his finger when he is 4-5 years old, it may be helpful to indoctrinate him. It is explained in a language that the child can understand that this is a childish behavior is not pleasing to the eyes of others. At these ages, children are usually attracted to being like a great human being, mimicking parents. Most of the time they behave like them. The parent should evaluate this situation very well. It is often effective to say that they do not suck finger, because this is not very pleasant (S. Gizer inin 1996).
It has been explained that cutting the child from the early nipple to the pessimist, sadistic late breast, and developing a safe and optimistic personality (H. Yavuzer un 1997).