Thumbsucking
Maris D. Rosenberg MD1
1 Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
Editors: Steven P. Shelov, MD.
Thumbsucking is a form of non-nutritive sucking occurring as early as the 29th week of gestation; it is seen commonly in infants and peaks at 18 to 21 months of age. Developmentally normal children possess an inherent biological drive for sucking, the explanation for which can be found in both psychoanalytic and learning theory. Psychoanalytic theory contends that non-nutritive sucking represents a biological drive resulting from pleasurable stimulation of the lips and mouth; learning theory proposes that the infant learns to associate sucking with pleasurable feelings such as satiety or being held. Whatever the theoretical basis, thumbsucking generally is viewed as a biological drive that develops into a habit, which in the majority of cases resolves by age 4 years, but can persist much longer.
