About Handaid Glove
What is The Handaid Glove?
Like most successful ideas, the Handaid Glove was born out of necessity. We realized that our 3 year old son was not going to stop his thumb sucking habit on his own. After trying the basic drugstore products (nail polish, hot sauce etc.) we went to the internet for help. We tried several products and received the same results. It was time to find a solution that was tailor made to our son’s habit. His mother was instrumental when it came to making the first Handaid Glove. She did not want our son Mike to experience any pain or discomfort and she was concerned about how any device would interfere with the use of his hand at this age. I was confident that I could make a device that would work. The challenge was concentrating on the 2 key issues that his mom had… make it painless and don’t let it impede the use of the hand. The first Handaid Glove worked so well for our son that we found ourselves making it for other families that were experiencing the same problems with one of their children. After several modifications with the strap, the closure, even the color of the fabric, the Handaid Glove is now the best
thumb and finger sucking product on the market due to a custom made approach to this difficult problem. The Handaid Glove has a very high success rate of 99%!
At what age should my child stop thumb sucking?
The short answer is “as soon as possible”. 15 to 30 months is the easiest time for the child and the parent. At this age, most children have a very short attention span and they will give up the thumb or finger sucking habit without too much resistance and won’t go back to it. As they get older, they grow attachments to habits easier because they are better able to compartmentalize their reasons for doing it. Understand that what I have said up until now refers only to damage that can be caused to the child’s teeth. From birth thru age 4 there are many other dangers that thumb/finger sucking can cause. Displacement of the tongue can cause breathing restrictions. Many children hold their thumb in their mouth with their tongue causing a “strengthening” of the muscles in the tongue. This is known in medical terms as a tongue thrust. This tongue thrust may cause problems with your child’s speech. They can develop problems pronouncing words containing the letters D, T and L. Children that thumb suck are more susceptible to colds, flu’s and many other diseases simply by putting a tainted thumb in their mouth. In short, there is no safe age to allow any child the habit of thumb or finger sucking. Ages 4 thru 6 are the worst years for your child to be thumb/finger sucking because the permanent teeth are arriving. The end result can be devastating to the alignment of those permanent teeth. After age 6, the focus evolves from an emphasis on physical problems to emotional problems. The child is now in school and quickly realizes that they are the minority when it comes to their habit. They can become somewhat inward and reclusive because of the teasing from other children. They continue their habit only when they are alone or feel they are not being watched. They will pick spots where they can be by themselves. The parent has little knowledge of this because when the child is home they are in their sanctuary where mom and
dad always pretend that it is ok to thumb/finger suck. By this age, the child now has doubts as to whether it is ok to thumb/finger suck. Even the parents are starting to wonder how to stop thumb/finger sucking and giving signs to their child that it may no longer be ok to continue doing something that was always ok to do before. The child grows even more dependent on thumb sucking to the extent that it has now gone from a habit to an addiction. As they get older, most children actually want to stop but can’t do it by themselves. Nothing good can come from this habit and it is my advice that you stop your child’s habit as soon as possible.
Stop the habit; Not the hand.
The best way to cure your child’s habit is to incorporate a plan that focuses on the immediate problem only without causing another problem. Thumb/Finger sucking remedies are worthless if they interfere with the normal use of their thumb/fingers and even worse, their hand. Tie your child’s hand behind their back and then tell them to go on with their normal day. The child is going to let you know immediately that they can’t use their hand and will continue to scream this information at you until you untie it. Well, this is what happens when you put most thumb or finger sucking devices on your child’s hand. Yes, they can’t suck their thumb/fingers. But, the bigger distraction is that they can’t use their thumb or fingers. The Handaid Glove covers only the bottom two thirds of the thumb/fingers. The top third is uncovered so your child can hold a pencil, a spoon, type on the computer or use a cell phone. The only thing they can’t do is suck their thumb/fingers. Your child adapts to the custom fit quickly and the only time that they know that it is there is when they try to thumb/finger suck. This is just one of Handaid Gloves unique features which helps put your child on the fast track to a thumb or finger sucking cure.
Consulting a Professional
When searching the internet for “how to stop sucking your thumb”, you will find many directions that you can go for advice. Your child’s pediatrician would be a better source of information for parents with children under the ages of 6. Keep in mind that Orthodontists and Pediatric Dentists are somewhat at a disadvantage because their expertise is with the permanent teeth not the baby teeth. They can offer you many solutions and dental products which will stop these habits. But all of them need to be installed in the mouth and attached/wired to ”permanent” teeth. Your 3 year old child still has most of their baby teeth. And, 3 years is the age when most parents start searching for solutions on how to stop thumb/finger sucking.