Our daughter puts everything possible in her mouth - clothes, books, toys, shoes, rocks, bark, bottles/containers, bags, bathwater, weeds/grass/flowers/leaves, dirt, hair, bedding, bugs - the list goes on. More disconcerting though is her continual need to put her mouth on things or lick things that she can not pick up, for example, the playground equipment, carts, strollers, random bars in public (like at the library or bank that guide the line or at the baseball stadium), furniture, doors, the car - again, the list goes on and on. This happens several times per day, varies based on where we are, but once her mouth is on something there is no stopping her short of picking her up and leaving. Warnings, threats, redirection, distraction typically don't work. We can take away and then put away the things she can pick up and we do. We are quite vigilant when we go out and stay close to her, for example at the park I stay near where she is rather than sitting on a bench while she plays hoping to prevent that first 'taste' but then I'm able to ready to pack up and leave. At stores we wipe down carts with the antibacterial wipes - but we can't wipe down the whole environment. We have discussions about how she can get sick if she doesn't stop. I'm concerned that she is going to get sick - really sick, like contract Hep B or something. Also, this was an issue before we weaned from the binky in April, but has become 200 times worse - then we just gave her a binky to stop her. (I am very frustrated - she just put the soap in her mouth.)
I have tried having treats on hand for her to have something to put in her mouth (distraction) that isn't touched by the public. I am hoping for some ideas or suggestions to prevent and teach her not to to these things. I have considered teaching her how to chew gum, but have some concerns about that as well - swallowing, sugar, playing with it and it getting everywhere.
I would love to hear your suggestions. Thanks in advance.
R.
My advice.is.to make an apointment with an occupational therapist. This sounds sensory seeking to me.
M.
Wow! Your little one MAY be using this trick as a technique to get a rise out of you and to get your attention. I would suggest if you are currently getting very upset, and talking to her about it, and pleading, begging, explaining, and all the above...suddenly STOP...don't pay attention to this behavior. Protect your child of course...but do not show emotion about it. For example...you are pushing her in a shopping cart (that you just cleaned, I clean them too!!) and she puts her mouth on the handle - ignore it. Continue to shop and interact with her and let her chew on the handle if she wants. She is not hurting herself, you, or displaying a behavior that is disruptive to those around you. Another example - if she is putting a choking hazard in her mouth - I would tell her that is unacceptable behavior and put her in timeout...no emotion when putting her in timeout. I am working with my almost 3 year old on a similar issue. A quick read and a quick study book on discipline that might work for you too is 1-2-3 magic...it is magic and it has worked wonders in our family...the most recent book I got was Wimpy Parent...How not to raise a brat...Love LOVE love this book too! I hope you find this helpful! Good luck!
In child care we are legally NOT allowed to have anything in the 2 year old and under rooms that can fit through a cardboard paper towel tube. We still have to watch the 3 year olds very closely because they still put things in their mouths too but not as much as they get closer to 4. It is a toddler's nature to learn by tasting everything and therefore it goes directly to their mouth. This is NOT anything abnormal. You can go ahead and have her checked for sensory things but this is really a natural thing for her to be doing. Even up to age 4 kids still put things in their mouth and lick the oddest things. My best friends daughter licked the floor at Wal-Mart one day... and liked it so much she threw a fit to keep doing it.
Absolutely look at a sensory disorder. Anything else going on? She sounds like a sensory seeker..
Our 20 month old does this too. I have assumed she will eventually just grow out of it; I'm not sure, but I don't think gum chewing in general is a great habit, I would be VERY hesitant to "teach" a 2 1/2 year old to do it. I don't want this to sound flip, but there's a certain amount of germs and enviornmental dirt that is going to be good for developing her immune system. Again, I totally understand your concern...have you asked your pediatritian for any good advice?
I've heard that kids with sensory integration issues can do this. Sensory Integration Disorder can be treated with just cognitive therapy (rather than medication). Try talking to a ped. ?
Best wishes!
Two thoughts - is she delayed in her development in any other areas? This could be way she is still doing the oral stuff, or maybe never learned how to get over having a binky?
Or, is this a two year old power struggle. Maybe you are so focused on getting her to stop, and paying so much attention to it that she is deliberately doing it all the time just to break away in her independent little two year old mind. In that case, pretending to not care what she puts in her mouth, cleaning her up or reacting at all should stop the behavior after a week or so.
Def does not sounds like a need for attention, def more of a sensory thing. My oldest step son does this and will chew through wood, plastic toys etc. He does however have autism but this is just one of the issues. Distration does work for him but def would talk with your pediatrician if it is that consistant and seek help from an occupational therapist. She is at the perfect age!
When I read your header I thought, hey, my almost 3 year old does this too, put things in her mouth. She was never a mouthy baby and has just started this maybe a year ago (it may also coincide with weaning from the binky).
I do believe that it is to some degree normal for them to have an oral fixation still at this age - however your situation sounds a little escalated and I would consider getting her evaluated for OCD and other possible conditions.
With us it's usually boredom and my DD reacts very well to redirecting...it's also rather infrequent (not several times a day...).
On another note, I would not worry so much about the germs. Your child should be immunized against Hep B (and A) and if she isn't you may want to reevaluate your risk profile. Most germs she will pick up will only strengthen her immune system.
As for chewing gum, I am just starting to teach my daughter this, because chewing sugarfree gum that contains xylitol helps prevent cavities. I start by giving her half a piece of gum right now, every couple of days. She still swallows it (not to worry about that unless they swallow an entire package), so we will keep trying.
Again, probably good to talk to your doctor about it...
Good luck.
My daughter seemed to need to put things in her mouth at that age too, and it lasted until she was about 4. One thing I tried that seemed to help was to carry around a baby chew toy and hand it to her when she seemed to want to chew on something. I would say "That is not acceptable to put your mouth on, but if you need something in your mouth here is your chew toy." Of course, she got bored with that pretty quickly, but it also coincided with her losing interest in mouthing other things, so it may be worth a try.
