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
- Why Do Babies Put Almost Everything to or in Their Mouth?
- At What Age Do Babies Stop Putting Everything in Their Mouth?
- What Are the Risks of Babies Putting Things in Their Mouth?
- Precautions to Take During Mouthing Phase
- How Do I Get My Baby to Stop Putting Everything Into the Mouth?
- FAQ’s
Why Do Babies Put Almost Everything to or in Their Mouth?
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.
At What Age Do Babies Stop Putting Everything in Their Mouth?
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.
What Are the Risks of Babies Putting Things in Their Mouth?
It can be very risky and sometimes even life-threatening. Some of the possible risks of baby mouthing are
1. Choking
Both small items and big items carry equal risk of choking a baby.
2. Toxic
Your baby can get poisoned if they swallow something toxic like batteries or other small items in the house.
3. Infections
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]
Precautions to Take During Mouthing Phase
It can be a very tricky phase for the adults around. Here are a few precautions you need to take.
- Never leave the baby alone with access to various things – big or small.
- Never let the baby hold small things, no matter how close you are to them.
- Don’t give them toys with tiny parts (small Lego blocks, toys with tiny balls).
- Do not let small children play with sand or clay. They are very easy to swallow, and you can’t gauge from the quantity if they did put a little into their mouths.
- Keep your house surfaces clean, especially the floor and others your child can reach.
- Learn CPR and other essential techniques to care for a baby in case they choke on something.
[Read : CPR in Babies]
How Do I Get My Baby to Stop Putting Everything Into the Mouth?
Over time, you can teach your child safe practices and stop them from mouthing everything. Here are a few tips:
- Use the word “no”. teach them to not do something when you say “no”.
- If they are teething, give them teethers. You can even give them frozen teethers, they will be very soothing for achy gums.
- Have an adult watching them at all times when they are playing with small things.
- Let them play in groups so that you have more pairs of eyes on them.
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?]
FAQ’s
1. Can My Child Choke on Big Things?
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.
2. Do You Need Medical Intervention When the Baby Chokes?
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.
3. At What Age Do Babies Start Mouthing Everything?
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
