Thumb sucking and lovies in older children

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I sucked my thumb until probably 3rd grade and have perfect teeth (never had braces). I still have my lovey at 33 - it lives in my bed. I am perfectly normal, I swear. I know several 30-somethings who still have their childhood loveys.

Still have mine, age 38 3/4.

[Anonymous]

Please don't take or throw away their loveys. My mom threw my sisters and sister who now has a child with a lovey think that was a horrible choice that our mom made. Just let your kid keep it. Why does it bother you? Let it go!

[Anonymous]

It's so funny that you mention that, because my 12 year old DD just went to a sleepover this weekend & we had the exact same concerns. She too sucks her thumb in her sleep (sometimes as she's falling asleep too) & has a blanket for comfort.

The sleepover this past weekend was a bigger crowd & not just the girls she's been best friends with & have never judged her. I tried giving her tips & went as far as to tell her to try sleep facing the wall (yeah right, fat chance of that... she's like a ninja when she sleeps & is all over the place).

When she came home she told me that it was no big deal!
She said every single girl there had some kind of lovey (either a blanket, a stuffed animal, etc). As far as the thumb sucking, she said a couple of the other girls did it in their sleep too & she said the ones that didn't, didn't even care.

Most kids start going to sleepovers in middle school anyway & they're just becoming comfortable with sleeping somewhere other than home. Even the most seasoned kid at a sleepover still can get nervous, so that's why they all bring something that smells like home or reminds them of home, or just something to snuggle with. She said out of the 15 girls there, they all had something from home & some even brought 2 or 3 things.

I know that at this age they're much closer to becomes teens than they are being single digit ages again, however every once & a while there are certain things that remind us that they are still our little babies & this to me is one of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's so funny that you mention that, because my 12 year old DD just went to a sleepover this weekend & we had the exact same concerns. She too sucks her thumb in her sleep (sometimes as she's falling asleep too) & has a blanket for comfort.

The sleepover this past weekend was a bigger crowd & not just the girls she's been best friends with & have never judged her. I tried giving her tips & went as far as to tell her to try sleep facing the wall (yeah right, fat chance of that... she's like a ninja when she sleeps & is all over the place).

When she came home she told me that it was no big deal!
She said every single girl there had some kind of lovey (either a blanket, a stuffed animal, etc). As far as the thumb sucking, she said a couple of the other girls did it in their sleep too & she said the ones that didn't, didn't even care.

Most kids start going to sleepovers in middle school anyway & they're just becoming comfortable with sleeping somewhere other than home. Even the most seasoned kid at a sleepover still can get nervous, so that's why they all bring something that smells like home or reminds them of home, or just something to snuggle with. She said out of the 15 girls there, they all had something from home & some even brought 2 or 3 things.

I know that at this age they're much closer to becomes teens than they are being single digit ages again, however every once & a while there are certain things that remind us that they are still our little babies & this to me is one of them.

Most have sleepovers beginning in elementary school.

[Anonymous]

I had a friend at school who sucked her thumb at 17. She went to a very good college and became very successful in film development. I have no idea if she ever stopped sucking at night but publically it faded.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's so funny that you mention that, because my 12 year old DD just went to a sleepover this weekend & we had the exact same concerns. She too sucks her thumb in her sleep (sometimes as she's falling asleep too) & has a blanket for comfort.

The sleepover this past weekend was a bigger crowd & not just the girls she's been best friends with & have never judged her. I tried giving her tips & went as far as to tell her to try sleep facing the wall (yeah right, fat chance of that... she's like a ninja when she sleeps & is all over the place).

When she came home she told me that it was no big deal!
She said every single girl there had some kind of lovey (either a blanket, a stuffed animal, etc). As far as the thumb sucking, she said a couple of the other girls did it in their sleep too & she said the ones that didn't, didn't even care.

Most kids start going to sleepovers in middle school anyway & they're just becoming comfortable with sleeping somewhere other than home. Even the most seasoned kid at a sleepover still can get nervous, so that's why they all bring something that smells like home or reminds them of home, or just something to snuggle with. She said out of the 15 girls there, they all had something from home & some even brought 2 or 3 things.

I know that at this age they're much closer to becomes teens than they are being single digit ages again, however every once & a while there are certain things that remind us that they are still our little babies & this to me is one of them.

Most have sleepovers beginning in elementary school.

I'm not the PP, but my daughters didn't start going to "real" sleepovers like the PP is talking about (15 girls) until middle school either. Sure, they'd have a sleepover with a friend or two in elementary school, but that's not what she was describing.

[Anonymous]

I still sleep with my teddy at night that I had since I was 6 months (26 now) honestly I never took it with me to sleepovers because I was afraid of losing it lol but that coincided with the time when I started being able to sleep without it so it was less of a big deal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had a friend at school who sucked her thumb at 17. She went to a very good college and became very successful in film development. I have no idea if she ever stopped sucking at night but publically it faded.

Maybe she was just practicing for her dates.

[Anonymous]

My parents wrapped my thumb in gauze bandages (wrap around the whole thumb and close at the wrist) on the advice of the ped. I was much younger, though. Would she agree to it?

[Anonymous]

OP Here: I am not as worried about the lovies and would never take them away. I still have stuffed animals from when I was a kid (now hers).

I'm more worried about the thumb-sucking but not from a health perspective. More from the "will she be made fun of" perspective. THe wrapping fingers/hands, special policshes, etc., never worked with me as a kid. And, frankly, I was humiliated by it. So I think it has to be up to her (and she only does it at night when she has the lovies). Maybe I'll try a reward . . .

[Anonymous]

I'm 28 and keep my lovey folded up inside my pillowcase. DH probably doesn't even know I still sleep with it.

[Anonymous]

I'm 50 and still have my lovey but have not slept with it since I was 20 or so. I also sucked my thumb until I was an adult.

I don't think either of these things was ever really a problem. By the time I went to sleepovers I was able to sleep without my baby blanket. I can't remember if I brought it to camp but I doubt I did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No lovey outside the house. Our son is 7 and adores his blanket and stuffed animals but never outside the house. Exceptions made for vacations.

My DD is also 7 and can't live without her blanket. One time when she was 5 we took the blanket with us on vacation and accidentally left it behind in the hotel. Half an hour into the drive home I realize the blankie wasn't there, so we turned around and rushed back (literally, running down the hallway) to retrieve it. Luckily for us, the housekeeper was just getting to our room. Crisis averted.

So, answering your question, my child is still very much attached to her lovie. My only hope is that she won't take the blankie on her honeymoon, but I won't hold my breath.

[Anonymous]

None of my children did this, even as babies. My younger sister did until she was 6, but she's the only person I know who did.

[Anonymous]

I had a friend with a special pillow. In law school.