Thumbsucking Booklet

A my Quits

Thumb Sucking Written by Alana Costley Illustrations by Mike Chapman

MouthMatters™ Amy Quits Thumb Sucking www.mouthmatters.co.nz Š Waghorn Publishing, 2014 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and New Zealand Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.

A my Quits Thumb Sucking

Written by Alana Costley Illustrations by Mike Chapman

When Amy arrived home from school and Mum asked how her day was she burst into tears and said “the kids at school teased me about my teeth and one of them was my brother David.�

Mum and Amy decided it was time to go and see the dentist about her teeth.

They phoned and made an appointment Amy was excited and very nervous at the same time.

The day finally arrived.

Off they went to the dental practice. The nurse took some photos and an x-ray and asked Amy lots of questions.

The one which really surprised Amy was “did you ever suck your thumb?”

Embarrassed, Amy replied “Yes, and I still do.”

The dentist talked about her teeth and explained that her thumb sucking was making them go like that.

Before we could fix them she would need to quit the habit. “But how?� Amy asked.

The dentist called in his thumb sucking therapist. She sat down with Amy and asked her more questions about her thumb sucking habit.

“How often do you suck your thumb?”

“Only at nighttime,” said Amy. “Do you have something to hold when you suck your thumb?”

“Yes, my teddy bear”.

“Do you want to quit thumb sucking?”

“Yes” Amy replied.

The therapist said, “to start off we need to find a new home for teddy! So I am going to give you an idea.

Find an old box.

Decorate that box if you like.

Place teddy in the box.

Place the box somewhere safely out of reach.�

“You also need to make your own calendar or use one in the kitchen because we are going to play the calendar game.”

“How do we play the calendar game?” Amy asked.

THE CALENDAR GAME: First of all you need to discuss a reward with your parents. On completion of the game you will receive that reward.

Every day you do not suck on your thumb you get a tick on the calendar.

Once you get 28 ticks in a row you receive your reward.

If you suck your thumb you have to start all over again.

Remember you need 28 ticks in a row to receive that special reward.

What if I forget and put my thumb in my mouth?” Asked Amy. “I would suggest you get some fabric band-aids and wear one on your thumb day and night, I would also like you to place some special cream on the band aid so if you do put your thumb in your mouth it will taste bitter!!! That will remind you not to suck your thumb.”

How do you think you will get on?” The therapist asked.

“Well, I really want to quit and I know I can do it”.

The therapist also gave Amy her business card and asked Amy to phone every morning for the first week to update her on how she was going.

Amy and her mum left the dental practice talking about different kinds of rewards. They decided on one they both liked.

Amy made Teddy a special box and placed him on the top shelf.

She made her calendar and put it on the fridge for all to see.

Before bed that night she placed the band-aid on her thumb and the special cream on top.

The next morning Amy rang the nurse with exciting news that she’d got her first tick on the calendar.

For the rest of the week the phone calls were all positive.

28 days went by without any problems Amy was so proud of herself she couldn’t wait to get her reward.

A my Quits Thumb Sucking Amy did not like the way her teeth looked. The dentist told her that “before he could fix them she would need to quit sucking her thumb.”

That is exactly what Amy did.

Read how Amy Quits Thumb Sucking.