I'd say not a big deal. we've got one of each, and with the thumb you dont have to worry about losing it! (or it getting lint all over it, or the dog running away with it, etc) plus you may not be able to control it anyway, since if she really wants her thumb she'll find it. no offense, but it seems a little too controlling to make a big deal of it, but I know there's lots and lots of fine ways to do just about everything.

With three of them encouraged the passy. When I would catch them sucking their thumb I'd replace it with a passy.

I didn't do that with the twins. It was sooooo much easier for them to passify themselves and I just let them suck their thumb. At about three months Bekah stopped using her thumb and never used a passy either. At about 3 months Abby started sucking hers and still does. I'm a little worried about her teeth adn social implications when she starts school. We are trying to help her stop, but I don't know how. (I put a band aid on it today)

All that to say...it is a lot easier to take away a passy when you are ready for them to stop than it is to take away a thumb, but I'm not sure it is really something we can do anything about. Who knows, Abby may have been my only thumb sucker no matter what I'd done with the others.

But...it never hurts to try. : )

Thanks for the feed back. We were recently around someone who kept warning us to discourage it and insisted we'd have a hard time keeping her from doing it. I think it made me a tad paranoid and was just wondering what other parents faced since both our older girls took pacifiers. I guess we'll just see what happens.

since i have not had to face this .....ever.....yet, i will just tell you that i know that you will do what is best for caroline and if she is a tumb sucker, she probably won't be doing it when she is a teenager! at least it will stop at some point. anyway, i would love to see you soon!

Well, just in the last couple of days, I have noticed that there have been a few times when I see Truett's fist headed towards his mouth with the thumb sticking out. At this point, it may be completely random, but since I haven't noticed this before I am wondering he he will be a thumb sucker too. I guess if they are determined to suck their thumbs there won't be anything we can do except try to break them of the habit when they get a little older. I do know of two cases that makes me wary of having a thumb sucker, my b-i-l was one and had lots of dental issues because of thumb sucking and I knew a guy in high school that still sucked his thumb in unconscious moments (like when watching a movie)-and although I realize that those two cases don't necessarily mean that every child that sucks their thumb will end up with those issues they are enough to make me want to gently discourage it in my boy. My only plan is to replace the thumb or fist with a pacifier when it happens, and if nothing works I will just be okay with having a thumb sucker :). I hope this helps-not really words of advice but just my own thoughts on the whole thing. Yay for our chubby babies whether they are thumb suckers or not!!!