Resist The Urge To Do This With Your Baby

My baby started sucking her fingers at two months old and since then it's been her go-to comfort, which led to a bit of an unusual interaction with another mum at the park. I was there with all of my kids. Two of them were playing on the equipment, my baby was in the pram and I was chatting away to

my kids. Two of them were playing on the equipment, my baby was in the pram and I was chatting away to this mum I'd just met. And while we were chatting I noticed she kept glancing down at my baby, clearly distracted. She kept looking down, returning to our conversation and then looking

clearly distracted. She kept looking down, returning to our conversation and then looking down again. And it got to the point where I was thinking, what's wrong? Why does she keep looking

down again. And it got to the point where I was thinking, what's wrong? Why does she keep looking at my baby? Until finally there was a pause in the conversation and she just looked down on my baby and said, "Don't you want to stop her from doing that?" She was talking about my baby sucking on her fingers. My response was, "No, no it's fine. I don't mind at all. She does it all the time!"

her fingers. My response was, "No, no it's fine. I don't mind at all. She does it all the time!"

Now as a pediatric occupational therapist I kind of guessed where this was going.

Her follow up to that was, "Aren't you worried about what it's going to do to her teeth?"

It was exactly what I suspected. This is a common and valid concern that many parents have when it comes to sucking. Because long term sucking, especially if it continues beyond four years of age, can affect how a child's teeth and jaw grows. This might lead to crooked teeth and the need for orthodontic treatments like braces, which can be expensive. But for me I wasn't worried about it,

because first of all, most kids naturally outgrow this habit between the ages of two and four, long before it causes any lasting issues. Plus, there are actually many developmental benefits that come from sucking. In fact, the downsides of stopping her from sucking her fingers were actually greater than just letting her continue. So I politely explained to her that I'm really

not worried about it. If she keeps doing it past the age of four, then we'll look at stopping it at that point. But she still wasn't satisfied. Her next concern was, "What about the germs? Aren't

that point. But she still wasn't satisfied. Her next concern was, "What about the germs? Aren't

you worried she's going to touch things and put her fingers in her mouth and constantly get sick, especially once she starts childcare?" This is another valid concern because there is a possibility that sucking on her fingers might expose her to germs. But I wasn't concerned about that either, because exposure to germs can actually be beneficial. In fact, a study by Lynch,

Sears and Hancox found that kids who sucked their thumbs or bit their nails were less likely to develop allergies. By putting these things in their mouths, these kids were building an immunity to various bacteria at a young age, which helped to strengthen their immune systems later in life.

And again, the developmental benefits of finger sucking outweigh the potential risks. Now,

because we're at the park, and she was a stranger, I didn't go into the full rundown of the developmental benefits of finger sucking or mouthing. But I will go through them now so that you know why you should let your baby mouth their fingers and resist that urge to immediately pull them out. First off, letting your baby suck or mouth their fingers will actually make it a

lot easier for them to start eating solid food in the not too distant future. And here's how. When

babies are born, they have a gag reflex that helps protect the airways from things that are too big.

Essentially, it prevents your baby from swallowing potential choking hazards, ensuring the airways stay clear so that they can breathe easily. And initially, this gag reflex is located at the front of their mouth and is easily triggered. This is why you might notice that your baby is gagging on your nipple, the teat of a bottle, or their fingers when they start putting

them in their mouth. However, what you'll likely see is that the more they suck on their fingers, the less they gag. And this is because sucking on their hands and fingers gradually moves their gag reflex towards the back of their mouth, making it less sensitive. And it's this shift which is crucial in getting your baby ready for solid food. If that gag reflex were to stay at the front of

the mouth, your baby would likely gag and spit out every piece of food they try to eat, making meal times uncomfortable and potentially distressing. However, by moving the gag reflex back, they'll be able to chew and swallow solid food without constantly gagging. And this will make meal times more enjoyable for both you and your little one. Additionally, giving your baby

the chance to mouth and suck on their fingers helps them develop better control of their tongue and jaw. In particular, it helps your baby learn how to move their tongue to the side,

and jaw. In particular, it helps your baby learn how to move their tongue to the side, which is a crucial skill for eating solid food. And the way that they learn this skill is actually pretty cool. When they put their fingers in their mouth and it touches the side of their tongue,

pretty cool. When they put their fingers in their mouth and it touches the side of their tongue, their tongue automatically moves towards that side to touch, lick and explore. At first,

this movement is just a reflex. But over time, as they continue to suck on their fingers and explore with their tongue, this reflex turns into a learned skill, giving them more control over their tongue movements. And this is really important because when they start eating solids, they need to be able to move pieces of food from the middle of their tongue to the side of their

mouth to then chew and then back to the middle to then swallow. Now on top of that, sucking on their fingers also exposes your baby to a variety of textures, tastes and temperatures. And this

exposure helps their brain recognize and process these sensations, making them less likely to have a strong reaction like spitting or pulling away when something enters their mouth. And all of these things make the switch to solid food easier and safer for your little one. But that's not the only reason to let your baby suck on their fingers. Letting them suck on their fingers can also make

your first year together so much easier. And by that, I mean less crying and more calm moments.

This is because sucking on their fingers is incredibly soothing for babies. It's pretty

amazing actually. When babies suck, their heart rate, blood pressure and stress levels all go down. In fact, this natural calming effect is so powerful that health professionals often recommend

down. In fact, this natural calming effect is so powerful that health professionals often recommend it during mildly to moderately painful procedures. That's why you might have had a doctor or a nurse suggest letting your baby suck on a clean finger, their own fingers, a pacifier, or even giving them a quick feed during a shot or a blood test. Now you may be thinking that since health professionals

recommend using a pacifier during these procedures for its soothing effect, there's no need to let your baby suck on their fingers. And it's true that a pacifier can be just as soothing. However,

there's a small catch. Until your baby is around seven months old, they won't have the fine motor skills needed to pop the pacifier back in their mouth when it falls out. This means they'll need your help every time it falls out. And they'll usually let you know by crying loudly. On the

other hand, by around two months of age, your baby will already have the ability to put their own fingers into their mouth and suck on them. This means that they can soothe themselves without needing your help every time. And this ability to self soothe can lead to less crying overall, and more peaceful moments for both of you. But that's not all. Letting your little ones suck

on their fingers can also be incredibly helpful during teething. But before I explain exactly how it does this, I just want to quickly mention that if you do want to know what to expect in your baby's first year of life in regards to milestones, and when you should be concerned, make sure you get my free developmental milestone chart by clicking the link in the description below.

Okay, back to teething. When your baby is teething, their gums can feel sore and uncomfortable, making them fussy and irritable. And a simple way to relieve that pain is applying pressure to their gums. Fortunately, when your baby sucks on their fingers, they naturally apply pressure to their gums, which can help soothe any teething pain they may be experiencing. Now this natural

behavior is super helpful, because babies usually start teething around four to seven months of age.

And at this stage, they often have trouble holding on to teethes in the first place and then getting them into their mouths. But they can easily get their fingers into their mouths and suck on them.

This means that they can comfort themselves and ease their pain without needing any extra help from you. Now although sucking on their fingers can help reduce their fussiness and keep them

from you. Now although sucking on their fingers can help reduce their fussiness and keep them more comfortable when they are teething, there may be times when your little one needs a little more and something you might consider using are teething gels. But you might be surprised to hear that teething gels can contain ingredients that might not be safe for your baby, especially if they're

used in excess. Which then raises the question, "What else can you do to help alleviate your baby's teething pain?" Well, in this video, I walk you through four teething remedies that effectively

teething pain?" Well, in this video, I walk you through four teething remedies that effectively soothe your baby's gums and relieve their pain without putting them at risk. These methods are simple, natural, and best of all, they don't require you to spend a lot of money. So make

sure you check it out.