3.5k
Daycare and childcare providers in Winnipeg, Toronto, Vancouver, Ontario etc. in CanadaGarderies à Montréal ou au QuébecFind daycare or childcare providers in the USA
Forum control
+ Reply to Thread
Page 1 of 2 1 2 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 12
  1. #1
    Euphoric ! Dreamalittledream's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Ontario east
    Posts
    1,152
    Thanked
    278 Times in 201 Posts

    Thumb sucker/super drooler

    Having a challenge with my own son (he'll be 3 in July). I still have to put bibs on him because he drools. We do use a straw cup for him as I read that this is good for increasing muscle control in the mouth/decreasing drool. I also think his drooling is related to the fact that he is a thumb sucker...and perhaps that he has his Dad's 'pre-braces overbite' and small chin. I am torn...do I let him continue to suck his thumb (& if so, how?) & just deal with the drooling (this all too shall pass).
    Children are great imitators.
    So give them something great to imitate.

    ~Anonymous~

  2. #2
    Expansive...
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Posts
    929
    Thanked
    158 Times in 129 Posts
    Check out finger sucking thread and see the "glove" post i put it is supose to stop thumb/finger sucking within 2 weeks!

  3. #3
    Outgoing
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Posts
    290
    Thanked
    55 Times in 48 Posts
    Is the drooling related to the teething? Like, does he have his 2year molars yet? My 2 yr old son does not and he goes on and off with the drooling that also comes with bum rashes when he is teething. He was always the biggest drooler of all my daycare kids in the past. I have 2 others all withing 2 weeks of each other, and mine was always the biggest drooler, like needed at least 3 shirts a day or more. he didnt do the bibs.
    Im not sure if it would be related to the thumb sucking or not. and ive never heard of the straw theory, but it makes sense.
    my older son was a soother man, and we just took that away from him cold turkey, but my younger daughter is a thumb sucker, im not sure how and when i will get her off that.
    I have a 2 yr old and 4 yr old daycare girls who both suck their thumb. I generally dont mention anything to them, leave that to the parents to instruct me if they want the to stop.
    wish i could be more help!

  4. The Following User Says Thank You to KingstonMom For This Useful Post:


  5. #4
    Euphoric !
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Ottawa, Ontario
    Posts
    4,499
    Thanked
    1,469 Times in 1,125 Posts
    How well does your son talk? Excessive drooling can be a sign of very week facial muscles which often leads to poor speech as well. Making him conscious of the drooling and that he needs to swallow it or as most men are prone to do - go spit it out somewhere - acceptable to both of you instead of just letting it drip out.

    My own daughter drools still due to weak muscles. We had some facial exercises including massage to do when she was younger but mentally she isn't able to follow the directions to swallow etc. She breathes through her mouth more than her nose and therefore it is open all the time.

    A speech therapist or occupational therapist might have some suggestions for you on how to strengthen the muscles other than just giving them time.

  6. The Following User Says Thank You to playfelt For This Useful Post:


  7. #5
    Euphoric ! Dreamalittledream's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Ontario east
    Posts
    1,152
    Thanked
    278 Times in 201 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Skysue View Post
    Check out finger sucking thread and see the "glove" post i put it is supose to stop thumb/finger sucking within 2 weeks!
    Oh yes Skysue I did check the glove out...but gee the glove is kinda pricey ($20-30 range?)
    Children are great imitators.
    So give them something great to imitate.

    ~Anonymous~

  8. #6
    Euphoric ! Dreamalittledream's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Ontario east
    Posts
    1,152
    Thanked
    278 Times in 201 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by playfelt View Post
    How well does your son talk? Excessive drooling can be a sign of very week facial muscles which often leads to poor speech as well. Making him conscious of the drooling and that he needs to swallow it or as most men are prone to do - go spit it out somewhere - acceptable to both of you instead of just letting it drip out.

    My own daughter drools still due to weak muscles. We had some facial exercises including massage to do when she was younger but mentally she isn't able to follow the directions to swallow etc. She breathes through her mouth more than her nose and therefore it is open all the time.

    A speech therapist or occupational therapist might have some suggestions for you on how to strengthen the muscles other than just giving them time.
    . Thanks for the post! Lots of good advice. He does talk well, but with an obvious lisp..not sure if that's because he's still really thinking and enunciating those sentences? My husband is for sure a mouth breather; never thought of that too.
    Children are great imitators.
    So give them something great to imitate.

    ~Anonymous~

  9. #7
    Euphoric ! Inspired by Reggio's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Ontario
    Posts
    2,697
    Thanked
    946 Times in 686 Posts
    Thumb sucking is a hard habit to break for sure ... and a personal thing cause it can affect their teeth growth and so forth so some families do not want to encourage it too long to avoid the costly orthodontist expense of fixing teeth later.

    Personally be it a soother or a thumb I start to discourage the use of that outside of 'quiet time' ... so once you are 'walking' the only place you can have a soother or thumb is in your bed when you are tired or need some down time - if you are under the weather sometimes I let kids lay down in the playroom in the book nook with a soother or thumb other than that if you are happy and playing and the thumb goes into the mouth you get asked 'do you need some time alone on your bed with that' and they generally pull it out quickly.

    With the drooling ... the straw is an awesome muscle develop in addition to sucking with it for drinks use it for blowing games as well .... blow feathers around or create games where you blow various things like a 'race'. Bubble blowing is another awesome mouth muscle developer. Learning to 'whistle' and so forth.
    Children construct their own intelligence. The adult must provide activities and context, but most of all must be able to listen. Children need proof that adults believe in them. Their three great desires are to be listened to, to understand, and to demonstrate that they are exactly what we expect."
    Loris Malaguzzi

  10. The Following User Says Thank You to Inspired by Reggio For This Useful Post:


  11. #8
    Euphoric !
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Posts
    2,008
    Thanked
    677 Times in 507 Posts
    I have not had a thumb sucker yet but have had two with soothers ....I only allow soothers for nap time and are not permitted to have it otherwise. One of these children always had something in his mouth because he was allowed to walk around with it at home, I was constantly saying " hands out of your mouth, toys out of your mouth, books out of your mouth. But because it was a habit of having something in hid mouth all the time. We would ve reading a story and I would ask " show me the red balloon" and he would take his slobbery hand out of his mouth and a string of spit went from his nouth to his hand and he would try and touch my book , ummm I don't think so ... It is such a huge spreading of germs and viruses. I think the more they ate encouraged to keep things out of their mouth the less they do it. I would encourage puzzles , coloring , duplo, anything that they use their hands for in order to keep their hands busy and therefore break the habit. I have googled soother use and it is recommended to take away soothers and bottles by the first birthday, the longer you wait the harder it gets to take away. I'm pretty sure for language development and to avoid over bite issues it's also recommended. If the child is an avid thumb sucker where they have callouses on thier hand then as a parent the $30 for a glove is worth it. IMO

  12. The Following User Says Thank You to Crayola kiddies For This Useful Post:


  13. #9
    Euphoric ! Dreamalittledream's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Ontario east
    Posts
    1,152
    Thanked
    278 Times in 201 Posts
    Actually, he rarely, if ever sucks his thumb during daycare time (too busy!). It just is when he's soothing himself for nap/sleep time really; which makes me think I may just let him grow out of it.
    Children are great imitators.
    So give them something great to imitate.

    ~Anonymous~

  14. #10
    Euphoric !
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Ottawa, Ontario
    Posts
    4,499
    Thanked
    1,469 Times in 1,125 Posts
    My son was a thumb sucker but only when watching tv or sleeping and we are talking well after he should have known better. The dentist actually fit him with a mouth guard that made it impossible to put his thumb in his mouth that he had to wear while sleeping. Once that was successful he was fitted for his braces.

Similar Threads

  1. Sucking on thumb
    By superfun in forum Caring for children
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 10-03-2014, 01:50 PM
  2. Super cranky baby!
    By Calgarymom in forum Caring for children
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 04-11-2013, 02:22 PM
  3. Super hubby!!
    By Wonderwiper in forum This and that
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 12-09-2012, 04:25 PM
  4. Super Sensitive
    By lilac in forum Caring for children
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 05-23-2012, 08:54 AM
  5. Super pooper...
    By sunnydays in forum Daycare providers' experiences with parents
    Replies: 18
    Last Post: 03-28-2012, 03:33 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts

A few tips...

Always ensure that your child receives quality care by taking the time to investigate the provider and by asking for references! We simply cannot verify the claims of every daycare provider.
Did you know?
DaycareBear.ca has helped over 22450 daycare providers fill out their openings since its launch in January 2006!
Partner in your
search for a daycare provider