[ozmidwifery] thumb not dummy

[Janine and Steve Clark]

Hi,   My son, aged 4.5, was seen sucking his thumb on ultrasound at 18 weeks. Nearly 5 years later, he's still going.... much to our delight! Never had we had dummies for our last two, as our oldest had lots of trouble getting rid of hers.   The youngest prefers to suck nothing, and that's cool too.   Both boys were breastfed beyond 14 months.   But Nathan still sucks his thumb, and with the other hand holds his earlobe, when tired. His teeth are perfect, and it is something he cannot lose at the shops or anything. He only sucks it late in the day, near bedtime, which is fine by us.   My cousin is a dentist, but earlier in life was seen forever with her thumb in her mouth. She ended up needing braces (as did her 5 non-thumb-sucking sisters) and swears to this day that it was genetic, not thumb-induced.   We love non-dummy households! And thumbs are fine by us. It's just one of those things (like co-sleeping) that people think we are strange for supporting - but each family is individual and so is each child, so who are the experts here?   Seeya Janine