How to Manage Annoying Toddler Habits

When my son was a toddler, he started sucking his thumb. As a new mom, I was worried about his health. He touched everything in sight and immediately put his thumb in his mouth, exposing him to a million germs before I could wash his hands or apply antibacterial gel. I also knew that prolonged thumb sucking could result in crooked or buck teeth, which our pediatric dentist later confirmed, and advised that our son may need to wear a special plate in his mouth to prevent thumb sucking if his habit continued at age five. 

We tried dipping his thumb in vinegar, but he reacted by saying, “Yum!” Friends advised us to put a band aid on his thumb, and we went through an assortment of band aids, all of which he always managed to remove. We tried reasoning with him to stop but he just ignored us and continued to suck his thumb contentedly. We finally gave up and prayed that he would stop sucking before turning five since we heard of kids thumbsucking until they reached grade school. All of a sudden, he just stopped at approximately four years old. We should have just listened to our pediatrician when he said to just wait for him to stop on his own.  

Our kids are the cutest and most loveable creatures in the planet but they also have some annoying habits, such as the following:

Thumb sucking becomes worrisome when permanent teeth begin to come out or when a finger infection develops from constant sucking. Kids typically outgrow this behavior or get rid of it once they start going to school and get teased by their contemporaries. You can also explain to your child how he is hurting his finger by comparing his sore thumb with the rest of his fingers. If he is old enough to understand, you can explain that you do not want yucky germs getting in his mouth through his thumb. You can also bring him to a dentist who can explain how their teeth might come out crooked or how their bite might not meet if he keeps on with his behavior. 

 

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Nose picking is a habit that stays on until children grow older. In a study published by the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, almost all the 200 adolescents interviewed admitted to picking their nose. Nose picking is triggered by crusting in the nose, usually caused by a cold or allergy. A humidifier, nasal aspirator and saline solution are good tools to keep the nose moist. Explain to your child that the germs their fingers get when they pick their nose can make them and other people sick. Encourage them to use a tissue and wash their hands after cleaning their nose. The worse thing that can happen with nose picking (aside from it being socially unacceptable behavior) is that can also cause nose bleeds. Check with your pediatrician when this happens.

Dawdling is not a habit but still an annoying behavior nonetheless, where a person takes more time than necessary to complete a task. This is especially frustrating when you are running late and your little one is busy playing or is taking a long time putting on shoes. My only solution to this problem is to allot extra time for your child to get ready. Help get your child ready fifteen minutes earlier than the usual time so you can still have a few minutes to spare. It also helps to give a five minute warning when you are about to leave to avoid toddler tantrums.

Biting is a troubling habit that hurts other people. It can be caused by excitement, a desire to experiment, a call for attention or hunger. When your child bites someone, immediately apologize to the victim and tell your child calmly and clearly (no longwinded explanations please) that biting hurts other people. And know that you should take it seriously, as it might seem funny the first time they do it but laughing just encourages them to do it more frequently.

According to experts, most annoying habits like hair pulling and thumb sucking are self-comforting techniques for kids, so they revert to these habits when they are stressed, sleepy, bored, or frustrated.  Kids outgrow these habits eventually (as my son did) but what do you do in the meantime? Here are practical tips on how to deal with these bothersome behaviors.

• Ignore it if you can. If you put attention to the behavior, or worse, scold or yell at your child, the more he will do it. Does he bite to get a reaction from you, for example? Children like attention, even if it is the negative kind; furthermore, negative reactions can just upset your child instead of making him stop.

• Identify the trigger. Does she pick her nose when she has a cold? Try a nasal aspirator and saline solution so her nose is clear of unwanted gunk.

• Be positive. Positive reinforcement works better. Praise your child for using a tissue to clear his nose or when he gets ready on time. 

• Distraction is the key. Keep the little fingers busy so they do not put them in their mouths.• Be consistent. As with all disciplining tactics, consistency is important in emphasizing good behavior. To make all the tips work; make sure it is a team effort - that means dad, yaya, lolo, lola, teacher and the other caregivers know how to uniformly deal with unwanted behavior.

• Refer to experts. Have your child’s behavior assessed on whether it’s a sign of something more serious or just an annoying habit they will outgrow soon enough. Ask your pediatrician for advice if your child appears to be hurting himself or others in any way. 

Sources:

• Thumb Sucking and Children by the Staff of the Child Study Center. NYU Child Study Center . www.aboutourkids.org 

• Bad Habits/Annoying Behavior by Kyla Boyse, R.N., Kelly Harte, M.D. and Sarah Vick, M.D. Reviewed by faculty and staff at the University of Michigan. Updated September 2008. www.med.umich.edu 

• Your Child’s Habits Reviewed by Steven Dowshen MD, Date Reviewed August 2011. kidshealth.org 

• Pacifiers and Thumb Sucking. www.healthychildren.org 

• Andrade, Chittaranjan; B.S. Srihari (2001). "A preliminary survey of rhinotillexomania in an adolescent sample". The Journal of clinical psychiatry 62 (6): 426–31. www.nbci.nlm.nih.gov 

• What to Expect The Toddler Years Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi Murkoff and Sandee Hathaway, B.S.N. 1994

Photo by kristine imperio via flickr creative commons