OUR BABIES

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 27 September 1933, Page 10

OUR BABIES

By Hygeia.

Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Woman and Children (Plunket Society).

THEM SUCKING. j Thumb or huger sucking definitely l conies under the heading of “Bad j Habits.” It is rather extraordinary that many a mother who would not | dream of giving a dummy to her baby jfor reasons she considers obvious will permit or even encourage him to suck his thumb. Actually, apart from the ! matter of dirt, there is very little to choose between thumb sucking and sucking a dummy. And- the dummy habit is easier to break, because the dummy can be destroyed, and by an effort of will not replaced. Thumbs , are remarkably difficult to put out of action! Persistent sucking of fingers or thumbs causes pressure arid moulding of the jaws, with possible deformities of jaws and teeth. It also causes a dribbling away of digestive juices. If persisted in it tends to prolong the infantile stage and hamper the child’s development along all the avenues which are opened up in other directions by his sense of touch, and it is a form of self-indulgence which, like all other forms of self-indulgence great or small, is putting up a rod in pickle

for the punishment of all concerned. Almost anyone who has had anything to do with children knows what the fight, ahead means when the breaking of this habit is undertaken. We have known a little boy of two years old in whom the habit had persisted in spite of heroic efforts and an enormous wastage of nervous energy on the part of all concerned. He would suck one thumb until he had a little sore place where his teeth pressed on it, then he took to the other until the same thing happened, 'by" which time the first was able to take up the running again. Another baby about six months old was admitted to a Karitane hospital because of failure to gain, even though the food was apparently correct and there was 'no indigestion. It was found that the baby sucked his fingers violently and incessantly. Often he touched the. back of his throat and made himself sick. Ho was a. bundle of nerves. Various efforts (quite unsuccessful) had been made to break the habit, but no one had attributed the whole condition to it. A sharp struggle began with authority which knew its own mind. In a few weeks that unhappy, strung-up, miserable, underweight baby was blossoming forth as a smiling, placid youngster. lie began to be interested in all the tho.usand-and-one tilings which interest and educate babies, instead of being wholly preoccupied with the one abnormal interest. Of course, these are extreme cases, but every case is potentially a bad ease, and why run the risk of subjecting baby and yourself even to the minor degree of trial • and tribulation, which comes sooner or later in most instances! Par better to begin as you mean to go on. The temptation to let a little baby suck his thumb or fingers is a very real thing, we know. He looks very attractive as he fumbles round and finally makes a successful grab and settles down to enjoy his illegitimate comforter.. Often those associated with him encourage the rascal—probably even surreptitiously pop the little thumb in again when it slips out. Buti

what, looks so pretty at one month looks anything but pretty at twelve, and every week adds to the difficulty. Indeed, some unfortunate children carry this bad habit to school with them, and are subjected to the teasing and jeers of their playmates. “Prevention is better than cure. ” Next week we will give some suggestions for the prevention of the habit of thumb sucking.