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Infant With Good Health Always Sucks Thumb, Becomes Cranky In Crowded Area And Watches TV. Suggest?
Question: Hi Doctor,
My Son is 1.4 months old. He weighs 11kgs. 76cms in Height.
He walks confidently now and have started to pick few words too..
Basically he is hale and healthy and active at home.
I have three concerns on him.
1. He sucks his thumb most of the times.. We have tried with home remedies like Neem, bitter gurad etc.. but in vain.. I am not sure if he misses me while i ma at work and hence stared this habit.. I am concerned if his teeths and jaw line are coming forward. Just not sure what to do. Do you have any sugesstion to make?
2. He is at home with his grand parents most of the time. Whenever we take him to a crowded area., parties and so on.. he is just not comfortable and gets cranky..If all ppl laugh or clap at teh same time, he gets very scared and cries to the core.I am trying my best to take him out more often to get used to a situation like this.. but he is not comfortable at all.. What else can i do to change his behavoiur.
3. What is the maximum time he can watch TV? Since he is at home most of the time, watches a lot of cartoon..Not able tpo distract him to do anything better.. What can i do?
Thanks in advance,
XXXXX
My Son is 1.4 months old. He weighs 11kgs. 76cms in Height.
He walks confidently now and have started to pick few words too..
Basically he is hale and healthy and active at home.
I have three concerns on him.
1. He sucks his thumb most of the times.. We have tried with home remedies like Neem, bitter gurad etc.. but in vain.. I am not sure if he misses me while i ma at work and hence stared this habit.. I am concerned if his teeths and jaw line are coming forward. Just not sure what to do. Do you have any sugesstion to make?
2. He is at home with his grand parents most of the time. Whenever we take him to a crowded area., parties and so on.. he is just not comfortable and gets cranky..If all ppl laugh or clap at teh same time, he gets very scared and cries to the core.I am trying my best to take him out more often to get used to a situation like this.. but he is not comfortable at all.. What else can i do to change his behavoiur.
3. What is the maximum time he can watch TV? Since he is at home most of the time, watches a lot of cartoon..Not able tpo distract him to do anything better.. What can i do?
Thanks in advance,
XXXXX
Brief Answer:
1Don't worry,2.Gradual exposure,3.Only 2 hours.
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX
Thank you for contacting me on Healthcare Magic.
Thumb sucking is common in babies. Child sucks thumb as they find comfort in it and feel secure.
Thumb sucking comes naturally to a baby whether it is because of hungry, seeking comfort, or exploring own body.
I can tell you some suggestions to decrease the habit of thumb sucking slowly:
1.Don't make the child feel conscious about sucking thumb.
2.Don't nag your child.
3.Don't worry about it as the child will pick up on your concern, which will in turn cause the child to worry and worsen the problem.
4.Corrective measures such as restraints, bad tasting substances application
usually backfire. Pulling the child thumb out of his mouth will only serve him to
make rebel against this restraint and encourage him to continue the habit.
5.Try to distract him with a toy when he begins to suck thumb. But do it subtly as
possible.
6.You can reward or bribe him for not sucking his thumb.
7.Encourage him to give up the habit in a friendly, non-judgmental manner.
Coming to your second concern, around this age there is increased clinginess.
This stage is called rapprochement. This may be a reaction to growing awareness of the possibility of separation. Take him out in a gradual way. Encourage the child to play with his peer group in neighborhood.
And coming to the third issue:
The maximum time you can allow him to watch television is only for 2 hours in a day (24 hours).
Ask his grandparents to engage him in playing with toys on most of the times.
Keep a clothe or curtain to mask the television. Keep TV out of vision of the kid so that he will be diverted to other aspects such as playing with toys or other children.
At the same time the family members should cut down their watching TV and should become an example before asking the child to decrease the viewing of TV.
Hope I have answered your query, if you have any clarification please let me know.
Regards.
1Don't worry,2.Gradual exposure,3.Only 2 hours.
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX
Thank you for contacting me on Healthcare Magic.
Thumb sucking is common in babies. Child sucks thumb as they find comfort in it and feel secure.
Thumb sucking comes naturally to a baby whether it is because of hungry, seeking comfort, or exploring own body.
I can tell you some suggestions to decrease the habit of thumb sucking slowly:
1.Don't make the child feel conscious about sucking thumb.
2.Don't nag your child.
3.Don't worry about it as the child will pick up on your concern, which will in turn cause the child to worry and worsen the problem.
4.Corrective measures such as restraints, bad tasting substances application
usually backfire. Pulling the child thumb out of his mouth will only serve him to
make rebel against this restraint and encourage him to continue the habit.
5.Try to distract him with a toy when he begins to suck thumb. But do it subtly as
possible.
6.You can reward or bribe him for not sucking his thumb.
7.Encourage him to give up the habit in a friendly, non-judgmental manner.
Coming to your second concern, around this age there is increased clinginess.
This stage is called rapprochement. This may be a reaction to growing awareness of the possibility of separation. Take him out in a gradual way. Encourage the child to play with his peer group in neighborhood.
And coming to the third issue:
The maximum time you can allow him to watch television is only for 2 hours in a day (24 hours).
Ask his grandparents to engage him in playing with toys on most of the times.
Keep a clothe or curtain to mask the television. Keep TV out of vision of the kid so that he will be diverted to other aspects such as playing with toys or other children.
At the same time the family members should cut down their watching TV and should become an example before asking the child to decrease the viewing of TV.
Hope I have answered your query, if you have any clarification please let me know.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vaishalee Punj
Thanks Doctor For your detailed answer.
Regards
XXXXX
Regards
XXXXX
Brief Answer:
You are welcome.
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX
You are welcome.
And thank you very much for contacting me on Healthcare Magic.
If you don't have any clarification, you can close the discussion and I request to rate my answer.
Best regards.
You are welcome.
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXXXXX
You are welcome.
And thank you very much for contacting me on Healthcare Magic.
If you don't have any clarification, you can close the discussion and I request to rate my answer.
Best regards.
Note: For further queries related to your child health, Talk to a Pediatrician. Click here to Book a Consultation.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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