How can I get my daughter to stop sucking her thumb? I hardly ever go anywhere and stay away from her older cousins when they're sick.  I clean her toys often and the house.  I'm afraid her thumb sucking caused her to be sick many times already.  She also wants to put everything in her mouth and if she cant put it to her mouth doesnt matter what it is then she will put her mouth to it and lick it. The doctor says to always put things in her hands to distract her from her thumb but  even when shes not sucking her thumb shes always putting stuff in her mouth anyway. What can I do? I worry about her health and her teeth forming wrong. I also worry about her choking since always putting everything in her mouth.

This is how they explore their senses and it is completely normal.  My daughter is 2 now, but she was the same way as far as everything going into her mouth or licking. It could be a sign of teething as well. This phase lasted a while, but it did pass. She never sucked her thumb, but she did use a paci for a long time. After her second dentist visit I took it away because it was giving her an "open bite", but it was only a matter of a couple weeks and I already saw a difference in her teeth. I can't imagine that thumb sucking would cause illness. If anything her baby teeth may not align properly, but it is fixable.

As a mother you will always worry about your child choking on something. I have been there and there have been a couple times my daughter would gag on something or food would go down the wrong way causing her to choke, but you can't worry about it to the point where it will consume you or you will drive yourself nuts. Sometimes it happens. Just be aware of what is in her reach and surroundings. She will be okay and will grow out of this. Just be patient. 

Good Luck 

Thanks for the info and support. The only reason worried about illnesses is because she got sick back to back 4 times and dr. thinks it's from her thumb from touching everything then putting it in her mouth and also everything she puts in her mouth because she doesnt go to daycare and mostly my parents and my aunt sandy visit every week. I stay home most of the time, so were thinking she's getting germs from her thumb. I clean her hands often and she gets a bath every night. Everyone is telling me her mouth is going to be shaped funny with her front teeth curved or buck teeth and I'm like dont worry about it she is still too young to be bothering her about her thumb. I just hate it when she gets sick it makes me so sad for her and no one gets sleep.