Until when can children suck fingers?

You may often feel exasperated when you see your baby is licking his fingers. This is a natural thing in the development of babies when they are around 3-4 months old. But if it continues for up to two years, you need to train him to stop the habit.

When the child begins to like to put anything in his mouth, this is called the oral phase. The oral phase is the stage of development of the oromotor area, which is the muscles of the mouth and digestive area which influences other developments such as speech and eating.

In the oral phase, the baby will put any object into his mouth because the mouth is considered a place to satisfy his needs. This actually happens since in the womb, but generally the oral phase starts from birth until the child is 18 months old. In some children this oral phase continues until the age of toddlers and even above 5 years.

Most mothers are worried that the finger sucking habit will continue into adulthood so they feel the need to forbid their child to suck their finger. According to some studies, mothers should let the oral phase pass until the child is satisfied. Children who are often scolded by their parents when sucking their fingers will have an oral phase that is not optimal. This can result in a number of disorders in children.

Some disorders in children when the oral phase fails to be satisfied are delays in the development and maturity of the oral cavity so that it interferes with the ability to speak and eat. In addition, children who are banned a lot during the oral phase will feel anxious and tense so that they grow into immature, irritable and emotional individuals.

Actually, mothers do not need to worry when the child's oral phase occurs until the child is more than 18 months old, but make sure the child's hands and fingers are clean. If your child sucks on a toy, make sure the toy has been cleaned. To reduce the habit of sucking the finger, the mother can distract her by giving her child fresh fruit pieces. If you are over 4 years old or your child has permanent teeth and still likes to bite their fingers, then you should consult a doctor or other health worker.