How To Stop Your Baby From Putting Everything In His Mouth?

It is not uncommon to hear a mother of a baby of around 6 months of age ask, “how to stop baby from putting everything in mouth”? A baby since they are born, reach different milestones and discover things at their own pace.

While they might achieve milestones at their own pace and there is nothing to be worried about this, one thing most children do around this age is to put everything in their mouth. Around this time, i.e. when the baby reaches six months of age, everything the baby holds or grasps goes straight to the mouth.

Well, this is not an uncommon situation and your little one is turning an explorer and trying to feel objects by putting it in their mouths. Since the activity is very normal, before we find out how to stop baby from putting everything in mouth, we should try to understand first why babies do this.

Why Do Babies Put Everything in Their Mouth?

You might have noticed babies trying to put their fingers and fists into their mouth. This is also the time they develop the thumb sucking habit or finger sucking habit. If you go to your pediatrician, most of them will say to let them do it as it good for their development. 

If you are a parent who wants to know about this habit or want to know how to get rid of it, read the post, The Big Debate on the Thumb Sucking Habit.

At about six to seven months of age, the baby’s hands function more than their fingers. This means, the baby can hold and grab objects and bring them closer to him but cannot use his fingers yet to explore the object.

The lips and the tongue, on the other hand, are the most sensitive parts of a baby and therefore, to quench their curiosity, they start outing the objects they can grip into their mouth to feel the shape, taste and texture.

Mouthing lets your baby take a step into exploring the things around them. It is a part of their behavioral growth and this is their way to find out and understand things around them.

Also when babies start teething, or when a new tooth is breaking through the gum, they tend to put everything in their mouth. Another sign of teething is that they start drooling a lot. Teething can be tough for your baby, and these Home Remedies for Soothing Gums, can be helpful.

The post by Heidi Murkoff, on Why Babies Mouth Everything is an interesting read on this topic.

The Dangers You Need to Be Careful About

Parents often want to know how to stop baby from putting everything in mouth because of two reasons. One it can cause infections and other because of the potential dangers involved. Some of the dangers that one needs to be careful about when the child starts putting everything in their mouth are:

Choking

Small parts of toys or anything tiny lying about around the baby during this phase pose a threat of choking. The good quality toys designed for babies of 0 to 2.5 years usually do not come with any small parts which can otherwise choke the baby if put in the mouth. However, if the surroundings of the baby is left unsupervised, and small object which can fit the baby’s mouth can cause choking.

Poisoning

All parents try to make the house safe for the baby. But on instances where you might accidentally leave your make up or medicines within the reach of the baby and mouthing such objects can cause poisoning.

Make sure you keep the surrounding of the baby toxic free and devoid of anything that could cause harm to the baby, even accidentally. If the baby has to be left unsupervised for a while put them at a place where they are busy like a play gym or their crib, with nontoxic things around them.

Infection

The habit of mouthing persists till the baby learns to use his fingers to ‘feel’ objects and this phase can last up to 2 years or more. During the time, if the baby happens to be in a group play and sucks on to something which another baby has, the act can lead to infections.

There is also a view here that when the baby exposes himself to bacteria and virus, they develop their immune system and makes them stronger. This does not mean you give them everything, but yes you need to be more vigilant.

Also something the toys of the baby might not be clean and be carrying some infection. Thus, it is always recommended to ensure the toys of the baby are cleaned properly.

How to Stop Baby from Putting Everything in Mouth

Due to potential dangers and also because parents worry about a bad habit being formed, many parents want to know how to stop baby from putting everything in mouth. The answer is simple, you cannot.

The baby will put things in mouth and this in a way is important for their development so we should not want them to stop as well. There are certain things you can keep in mind which might help are:

Do not Scold

Babies put things in their mouth out of curiosity. So do not scold your baby for putting things in her mouth. Rather, take safety measures to remove anything toxic or hazardous from around the baby. Scolding will discourage the learning spirit in the baby.

Train appropriately

Make it a point to train your baby to understand when you say NO to her from putting something in her mouth. Though this a behavior aspect and might take longer for each child to understand, you must supervise and let the child know about things she should not put in her mouth.

In this way, they might understand what to put and what not to, thus, reducing the dangers.

Remove dangerous objects

To prevent your baby from putting anything in the mouth that could prove fatal, you must ensure that you keep nothing hazardous around the baby. A cleaning of the room will not be enough and kids crawl and reach corners to pick up things which you would not otherwise have thought of.

The best way to ensure that the baby’s surrounding is safe is to yourself get down to the level of the baby and look for things that the baby is likely to put in his mouth. Likewise, inform the other kids in the house to keep any tiny objects away from the baby.

Get a Teether

Instead of supervising the baby all the time and not giving enough room to explore, give something to the baby to chew on. Buy teether of different sizes and shapes so that you can offer your baby a new one each time he gets bored of the current teether.

If you are looking to buy a teether for your baby, head to the post, The 10 Best Teethers.

Can you Know How to Stop Baby from Putting Everything in Mouth

Mouthing is important for a baby during the growing phase since it boosts creativity and curiosity in kids. However, as a parent, you must take adequate safety measures to prevent any accidents to happen. You cannot stop them from exploring and thus, putting things in their mouth. However, you can always take care of what they put and ensure they are safe and go about becoming our little explorers in the best surroundings.

Related Posts Which you Might Like to Read About Babies:

Why You Should Not Worry About Baby Milestones in the First Year?

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