Pacifiers/Security Blankets/Thumbsucking
John's Most Recent Articles
With Sippy Cups, Stick to the Short Term
Posted on 7/20/2021
Research finds that so-called “sippy cups” – spill-free cups used by most American preschoolers – are linked to speech problems as well as early dental issues. A sippy cup’s spout depresses a...
Read MoreA Hardly-Ever-Fails Thumb-Sucking Program
Posted on 4/12/2016
Q: Our 7-year-old son has sucked his thumb forever and more or less constantly. He has recently switched to sucking his index finger and putting his right hand down the back of his pants at the...
Read MoreThumb Sucking - Revisited
Posted on 8/27/2013
In a recent column I said thumb-sucking is not, as was once thought, a sign of insecurity or other psychological problems. Well-adjusted children suck their thumbs and grow up to be...
Read MoreThumb Sucking and Security Blankets
Posted on 8/13/2013
Q: My 5-year-old is going to Kindergarten soon and still sucks her thumb. We've tried everything to get her to stop, even a dental appliance, but she won't give it up. Do you have a solution for...
Read More7-Year-Old Son Sucking on Stuffed Animals
Posted on 7/20/2010
Sleeping with stuffed toys Q: My husband recently discovered that our 7-year-old son has been sucking on his stuffed animals when we put him to bed. He took the animals away, telling our son he...
Read MoreUse of the The Doctor to Abandon Certain Behaviors
Posted on 6/23/2009
SORRY, DEAR READER: 'THE DOCTOR' IS IN More from the mailroom: Reader Objects to My Favorite Therapist: One woman believes that I am wrong to invent "The Doctor" as a means of persuading...
Read More5-Year-Old Annoying Habit
Posted on 8/1/2006
TELL 5-YEAR-OLD HER HABIT ANNOYS YOU Q: My 5-year-old has been sucking her thumb since she was 2 months old. The problem is she likes to touch faces when she's doing it. She will snuggle up to...
Read MoreDiscipline is Leadership
Posted on 6/14/2005
DISCIPLINE'S GOAL: ADULTS WITH CHARACTER With rare exception, today's parents believe discipline is all about the clever manipulation of reward and punishment. They think this because...
Read MoreIf You Respect a Child, then You Expect a Lot of the Child
Posted on 6/24/2003
MISBEHAVIOR BY STUBBORN CHILDREN REQUIRES STUBBORN LOVE AND DISCIPLINE The following are some things I've been thinking about lately. I thought perhaps you might want to think about them, too....
Read More3-Year-Old Carries Around Kitchen Towels
Posted on 6/11/2002
LET THE CHILD KEEP HIS SECURITY TOWEL Q: About two years ago, our 3-year-old son developed a fondness for kitchen towels, similar to some children's attachment to security blankets. At first,...
Read MoreRecent Questions
Saying "Bye-Bye" to Binkie
Posted on 2/25/2022
What age should children stop using a binkie? Our 3-year-old still loves his for night only. Any ideas how to approach taking it away?
Read MoreNo more bottles!
Posted on 1/27/2021
Hello, My 2.5 yr old boy still uses a bottle to self soothe at night. This habit was created from living in a one bedroom apartment and trying to keep him quiet through the night when he was...
Read MoreConcerned Over Thumbsucking
Posted on 7/11/2020
My amost 4 years old, born Oct 28, 2016 is sucking her two fingers especially at night. This is causing injury to her fingers and may affect her teeth. I can't get her to stop. She does it to...
Read MoreHow to Stop Thumb Sucking
Posted on 5/13/2020
Our 4 1/2 year old still sucks his thumb when he's tired or bored. We call him out on it when we see it. I've looked online, but all the advice is pretty much 'feed and reward them', 'discuss it...
Read MoreHold Me! Never Let Me Go!
Posted on 1/8/2020
My daughter (age 2) demands to be held an excessive amount. By "excessive amount", I mean hours in a row. The more holding I give her, the more she demands. She gets furious when put down before...
Read MoreIgnoring Bad Habits
Posted on 11/25/2019
My 9-year-old daughter still puts things in her mouth and chews on them like a toddler: Lego pieces, wrappers, etc. It seems like she has an oral fixation and always needs to be chewing or sucking...
Read More"Mouthy" 5 y/o
Posted on 7/1/2018
My daughter is 5 1/2 years old. She will be starting kindergarten in the fall. She has always put things in her mouth (fingers, toys, pens) - anything she has in her hands she puts in her mouth....
Read MoreIf it Feels Good...
Posted on 6/8/2018
I am a stay at home mom who has 4 kids, ages 5, 4, 2, and 6 months. My 4 year old daughter started masturbating or "rolling," as we call it, around 2.5 years old. She seems to do this just when...
Read More3 year old boy should keep his lovie
Posted on 10/15/2017
I have read "The Well Behaved Child" and I have been implementing the ticket system for three days with my three year old son. Today he lost all of his tickets after a complete melt-down at...
Read MoreCry Baby 3 year old
Posted on 7/25/2017
Hi, I have a 3 and a half year old boy that I need help with. He has always been more sensitive than your average child (I also have a 5 and 2 year old girls so I do have a comparison of what...
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