Disruption during sucking elimination program

Q:

How to handle a pause during Unplugging the Thumb

Hi, I received Unplugging the Thumb for my daughter recently. We started the program and she is doing quite well with it. Now I learned that I have to travel out of town unexpectedly. How do I handle this? Do I stop and then begin once again when we get back home?

A:

You didn’t say how far along you are in the program. Also, you didn’t say how old she is. I am assuming that she is not going out of town with you. If she is, then she might be able to handle things well as long as you take “sockie” with you and her chart, stickers, etc. If she is not going with you, then I have other suggestions that follow: If you have already trained another adult in your home to cover for you, that should be fine….especially if you speak with your daughter on the phone during the days you are out of town. If there is no adult to “cover” for you, depending upon her age, I would include her in the discussion to get her take on the situation. She might be quite confident and old enough to continue if enough positive days have already ensued in the program. It is not a good idea to stop the program in your absence since that could seen by her as a reason to go ahead and suck her thumb while waiting for you to return. There must be some carryover planned during your absence. You also did not say how long you will be gone. If this information is not adequate to help you decide what to do, please get back with me and let me know how far along she is with UTT, what her age is, and how long you will be gone. Those factors are important in deciding the best route to take.