Why your baby like sucking fingers

But don't pull the plug just yet. It's perfectly natural for newborns to give thumb sucking a big thumbs-up. Here's why:

Babies are born to suck. Sucking is an inborn reflex for babies because it's how they eat. So it's definitely a good thing that your baby has figured it out. 

Sucking calms your baby down. Even when you've just finished feeding your baby, she might still clamor for more sucking action. That doesn't mean she's ready to chow down again. In addition to suckling to fill their tummies, babies need "nonnutritive" sucking, the kind that mellows them out. It's the whole reason we have pacifiers in the first place — sucking helps a baby calm down. Some babies, like your own little thumb sucker, love nonnutritive sucking more than others.

Thumbs are always at hand. There's a reason your baby's already going to town on her thumb: Like Mount Everest, it was there. Of course, the first few episodes were probably just accidental taste tests, but when your baby figured out how comforting her thumb was, she soon found out how to get it in her mouth on purpose. 

So why not pull the old switcheroo and get your baby to suck on a pacifier instead? Well, you could, if the thumb sucking really bothers you. And as a bonus, you have more control over when and where your baby uses a pacifier, which makes it easier to take it away in the end. Something else to consider: Studies show that using a pacifier while sleeping reduces the risk of SIDS.

But there are also some advantages to a thumb sucking baby: With her thumb at her side (literally), your newborn has a built-in way to calm herself down any time she's feeling cranky, with no help from Mom required. Even better — you'll never have to dive under your baby's crib in the middle of the night looking for a lost pacifier. Thumbs don't get lost (thankfully!).

A good rule of thumb if your baby continues to uses her thumb or a pacifier for the long-term: As your child grows, too much of either can disturb the alignment of your child's teeth and even the structure of her mouth, so you'll definitely want to wean her off before her permanent front teeth come in, around age six. Most kids stop thumb sucking on their own by the time they're four (usually because their preschool classmates tell them it's babyish). You can help that process along while your child is still a toddler by offering other comfort objects (like a beloved stuffed animal) when she reaches for her thumb.

But for the time being, you can let your happy little sucker suck to her heart's content (and be glad she's found such a handy way to soothe herself).