My 26mo couldn't kick off her bad habit of sucking her fingers. Any successful ways to stop it? There is once when she gotten hfmd and we thought she wean off, but once she recover she start sucking again. Day and night! Now we need to bandage some of the fingers when she sleep cause her fingernails are getting weak from all the saliva soaking. . Sucking fingers is actually her way of self soothing thou. Sometimes when we don't let her suck she will bite her blanket. But it's still not a long term solution. Thanks!

Thumb sucking can be a difficult habit for a child to break. You can try one of these techniques: Use positive reinforcement. Praise your child or provide small rewards such as an extra bedtime story or a trip to the park, when he or she isn't thumb sucking. Place stickers on a calendar to record the days when your child successfully avoids thumb sucking. Identify triggers. If your child sucks his or her thumb in response to stress, identify the real issue and provide comfort in other ways such as a hug or reassuring words. You might also give your child a pillow or stuffed animal to squeeze. Offer gentle reminders. If your child sucks his or her thumb without thought rather than as a way to get your attention, gently remind him or her to stop. Don't scold, criticize or ridicule your child. To spare embarrassment in front of others, you might alert your child to the thumb sucking with a special hand signal or other private cue. Usually when your child start schooling, peer pressure at school usually ends the habit.In the meantime, try not to worry too much about it. Putting too much pressure on your child to stop thumb sucking might only delay the process.