That Adorable Thumb

By Shari Green, COM®

That adorable baby with their thumb in their mouth…truly a precious sight to behold. But, what happens when that habit continues a bit too long? Should parents become concerned? After all, they will grow out of it anyway, won’t they? Well, not necessarily.

Childhood sucking past age five is a habit. A habit that has roots in the very earliest days of life. Childhood sucking is a pleasurable activity from day one, often associated with early pleasurable innate physiological responses. This is the essence of why it is so hard for some children to stop their habit easily.…