# How to Help a Kid Stop Thumb-Sucking

An episode of [Care and Feeding | Slate's parenting show](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/774383607), 4 Sep 2025, 30 min.

Audio: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/695d8d15d1ba84fb8f1c34af/e/04542876-a1d5-11ef-9f35-cf970df76917/media.mp3

Today on the show: What to do when your kid won’t stop sucking their thumb. Lucy, Elizabeth, and Zak offer guidance for moving on from thumb-sucking—without turning to bribes or battles—as well as alternative methods of self-soothing. In ‘triumphs and fails’ Elizabeth and Zak wrestle with airports and big international moves, while Lucy deals with a budgeting tantrum. Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask questions, share feedback, and suggest future topics. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an extra weekly grab-bag of content on the Plus Playground, an ad-free experience across the network, and support the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus — or try it out on Apple Podcasts. Listen to Opportunity Gap wherever you get your podcasts: https://lnk.to/opportunitygapPS!careandfeeding Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple Podcasts get automatic access—no setup required. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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