Hallie Bulkin argues that thumb sucking isn't a habit to stop but a sign of something else. Instead of forcing kids to quit, ask what need they're meeting: stress, boredom, or an emotional gap. Address the root cause, not the symptom.
Instead of asking, how do we stop thumb sucking? What we need to be asking is, what is this habit compensating for? Let me say that again. The question is not, how do we stop sucking the thumb? How do I get my kid to stop? It's, what is the habit that they're compensating for? Like, or what is— why is this habit compensating? And what is it compensating for? What is this habit compensating for?
What I Was Missing in Feeding Therapy: ARFID, Airway, and Myo with Samy Hernandez
