Salt Lake Telegram | 1934-02-20 | Page 8 | Thumb-Sucking Habit Really Harmless in Majority of Cases

THUMB-SUCKING THUMB HABIT HABIT REALLY HARMLESS IN MAJORITY OF CASES I N Should Be Done to Correct Fault Unless Its It's Constant t By MYRTLE MEYER ELDRED Thumb sucking Is one of these habits habits hab its which ma may be harmless or harmful harmful harm harm- ful according to its causes The small smaIl baby has a very natural tendency ten ten- tendency dency deney to put his finger linger or thumb in his mouth and unless this is an almost almost al al- most constant indulgence and perhaps per haps hops even en if it it is nothing should be bedone bedone bedone done about It it The most modern opinion agrees that this habit is lost more quickly if lif the mother does nothing to antagonize the child by punishment or Ol deprivation of or the thumb It is likewise agreed that even constant thumb sucking up to the fourth year will not perm permanently destroy the arch of or the mouth which tends to go back into its it former position ion when the thumb sucking stops Of course thumb-sucking thumb may very easily mean that the baby is hungry and Find prefers even a barren thumb to nothing But In most cases it becomes becomes becomes' be be- comes comes' a bad habit that is indulged defiantly and sometimes to excess largely because of ot the mothers mother's unwise un un- wise vise efforts to break it H Write for lor formy formy my leaflet Thumb Sucking inclosing ing ng a self addressed cent 3 stamped envelope with your request The mother who has already run the he gamut of ot methods to correct the habit labit may find the child sucking his thumb because he knows how it an an- noys her Or perhaps he Is so unhappy unhappy un un- happy in his his' present environment that thumb-sucking thumb is is' is his one solace against the sense of ot being misfit and lonely To an outsider thumb suck In lag ing may seem a thoroughly repulsive and silly thing to do To the child it is a calming pacifying influence He does docs it when he is' is sleepy and fatigued bored and lonely It lulls him so that hes he's content to sit quietly in a corner or look out of oC a window or lie on his bed alone with the thumb as his companion Ignore the thumb sucking of the small child so that it can never be used as a weapon against a helpless mother It is imperative that we recognize recognize rec rec- this type of oC thumb-sucking thumb as curable only when we so arrange the childs child's life me that he docs does not need such sucha a defense against dissatisfaction The more active the child the le lets less chance there is for lor unwise or harmful harmful harm harm- ful Cui indulgence in such a a purely passive passive pas pas- sive habit One method of correcting correct ing thumb sucking is to encourage companions for the child Find some someway someway someway way of ot stimulating outside interests and active games ames and then let the habit wither away from neglect