In our culture, thumb sucking or dependency on a blanket on a comforting “lovely” like a teddy bear are considered bad habits.
The need for such self-comforting patterns as thumb sucking and cuddling a lovely becomes apparent as one observes how small children use them. When they are tired and yet can’t let themselves stop, they fall back on a familiar self-comforting pattern of behavior in order to calm themselves down.
Thumb sucking started in the newborn period and was reserved for transitions-when going to sleep, waking up, resting during an exciting play session, or giving up a feeding after being satiated. Later on it was used when a toddler got too excited and needed to calm down. It seemed to be a small child’s way of adjusting to the many demands of his world.
Thumb sucking or finger sucking is a natural and even desirable behavior for the infants at certain points in his day. For example, when he is tired, bored, or frustrated, the resourceful infant will fall back on a comforting and self-controlling behavior such as sucking his thumb. With this as a crutch, he can pull out of his stimulating, exciting world and reorganize. He can vegetate, recover, and get ready for the next exciting interaction with the world.
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