Written by Sindhuja Prabhu
Babies love to hold things, shake them and then…. put them into their mouths! Yes, to the horror of every mother, babies just love to put anything and everything into their mouths. If you are panicking every minute of the day, worrying about what your baby will put into their mouth next, don’t worry, you are not alone. Baby mouthing is the phenomenon where a baby puts objects or whatever they find into their mouth or brings stuff into contact with their tongue or teeth.
First, we need to understand why babies put everything into their mouths, then we need to come up with some tips to prevent this behavior. Read on to learn some precautions and tips to stop your baby from mouthing everything within their reach.
In This Article
Babies love to explore. It is perfectly natural for them to put things into their mouth.
At around 7 months of age, they are introduced to solid foods. You encourage them to touch, feel and taste the food item. So, when they get their hands on something, they take it to their mouth as a form of exploration. They intend to taste it out of curiosity about the unknown.
Around age 1, when babies start teething, they would want to bite into things. It can be soothing for their achy gums. So, babies, being innocent, just put everything hard they find, into their mouths.
The answer is very subjective. Every child is different. Different children learn and process things we teach them, differently.
In general, children will stop putting things into their mouths around 2 years of age. At this age, they are aware of enough food varieties and have enough exposure to differentiate between eatables and non-eatables. Even if they do pop something into their mouth, they can pull it out.
The danger is when they put something toxic in their mouths. It is safe to say children will mostly get over this dangerous habit when they turn 3 years old. This does not mean they will never put anything strange into their mouth. It will be very rare and a one-off situation, when they find something very attractive looking or looks a lot like food.
If you keep teaching them to not put random things into their mouth and it can be dangerous, they will refrain from doing so, sooner.
It can be very risky and sometimes even life-threatening. Some of the possible risks of baby mouthing are
Both small items and big items carry equal risk of choking a baby.
Your baby can get poisoned if they swallow something toxic like batteries or other small items in the house.
The germs on the items your baby mouths can lead to various health issues. Some bacteria can cause simple vomiting and loose stools while some can cause severe issues that require medications.
[Read : Infant Choking]
It can be a very tricky phase for the adults around. Here are a few precautions you need to take.
[Read : CPR in Babies]
Over time, you can teach your child safe practices and stop them from mouthing everything. Here are a few tips:
Baby mouthing is common and almost every parent goes through this mouthing phase. It can be very scary and stressful.
However, with repeated conditioning and time, most children come out of this phase unscathed.
[Read : How Can I Stop My Baby From Putting Everything In The Mouth?]
Yes, if your child thrusts something big into their mouth, it can get lodged at an odd angle. This can prevent them from breathing properly.
Not always. Sometimes you just need to turn them over and whack them hard between their shoulder blades to dislodge the foreign particle. If the object is visible and big enough, you can pull it out of their mouth with bare hands.
They can start as early as month 4 when they start bringing their fists to their mouths. As hand coordination gets better, they will start bringing things to their mouth. some babies develop this reflex very early while some take time.
Read Also: What If Your Baby Chews on Batteries? by Dr. Chetan Ginigeri
Sindhuja, a mother of two, is an obsessive mom with a keen interest in psychology, especially child psychology. Her quest for knowledge and way with words led her to become a passionate content writer. She transformed her love for writing into a full-fledged career which incidentally also turned up being the perfect stress buster for the last 5 years.Read more.
Top 8 Best Indian Books to Read For Your Baby in the First Year
Itsy Bitsy Spider Rhyme For Babies
Top 100 Super Sweet and Lovely Baby Smile Quotes
When Should You Introduce Baby Slides to Your Baby?
Dry Fruit Powder For Babies – When to Introduce, Benefits & Side Effects
Top Activities For a 8 Month Old Baby – Benefits and Tips For Parents
Get regular updates, great recommendations and other right stuff at the right time.