I babysat at 1 yo and 2.5 yo last week and both kids would stick every single thing in their mouths. I am not kidding. I think these kids come from a house where everything but their toys are put up, so my house was probably an oral carnival for them, since my kid is older and I don't have to put everything up and my house isn't childproof anymore. I even had to stop the 1 yo from sticking some extension chords in her mouth (just the middle, not the ends). And I was constantly having to pull out dust, books, magazines, blankets, toys and even shoes out of their mouths. The 1 yo would even try to put her mouth on the TV.
Every time I would pull something out, they would reach for something else to stick in their mouths w/o skipping a beat. The 1 yo was worse but the 2.5 yo stuck at least half the same stuff in his mouth. It was like taking care of a pack of puppies.
My kid is 6 so its been a long time since I can remember what he did as a baby/toddler but I don't remember him sticking everything in his mouth. And if he did, I'm sure I told him no to some degree and taught him to stop well before 2.5.
These kids don't have pacifiers. They have terrible eating habits. All they eat is junk food and fast food and the 1 yo started eating french fries when she started solids. A standard lunch for them is a piece of bread w/jelly on it if they don't go through the fast food drive thru. But I don't know if their junk food addiction has anything to do with them sticking everything in their mouths. They do drink plenty of water so I don't think they are thirsty.
The 1 yo I could accept doing this, but the 2.5 yo? That is just weird to me. You?
hhhmmm....this is unchartered territory for me b/c 1) my kid never did this 2) I've subbed in my kid's preschool for a few years in the 2 yo and 3 yo classes and never had any kids who's oral tendencies have been this extreme. So, to me, it is an usual problem. Thanks to all for your responses!
My 7-year-old put nothing in her mouth that wasn't food after 18 months. If it wasn't food, it wasn't worth it. My 3 1/2-year-old STILL puts stuff in his mouth. Completely different personalities. I don't parent them differently--it's their own temperament. Nothing I do to/for my son will get him to stop exploring with his mouth.
It's not the junk food. It's not the lack of pacifiers. Why is it that something different requires parental blame of some sort?
Some kids are more curious than others, and sticking items in their mouth is a method of exploration. Others have sensory issues where a lot of things go in the mouth.
My almost 2 yo is super active, super curious, and always getting into stuff. So so so much more than our first. And, yes, I do feel like I'm dealing with a puppy at times. She's tried mud/dirt a number of times. She even stuck her tongue in the sand at the beach! (Twice(!) before she figured out it wasn't such a good idea.) This is her temperament. The number of things going in the mouth is tapering off, but I don't expect it to go totally away for a while.
My older daughter (4.5) has sensory issues and still puts things in her mouth sometimes.
They rarely eat fast food. Both have varied and relatively healthy diets. One used a pacifier obsessively (the one with sensory issues) and the other refused to take one.
My 3.5 year old still puts EVERYTHING in her mouth. Dishwasher, EVERYTHING. My 22 month old? Nothing much at all.
Some kids are just very oral.
My 3 y/o is still pretty bad...not with everything you just have to watch him... Guess it depends on the kid
weird! my almost two yr old and almost four yr old stopped putting things in there mouths a LONG time ago. i truly dont rmemeber if they did it after a yr old but it seems like not. my daughter sucked her thumb until she made hickeys on the end and then her thumb skin cracked and got really infected. by the time it healed she was no longer a thumb sucker because we had to keep her thumbs out of her mouth to let it heal. i really didnt mind the thumb sucking we just wanted to let it heal...the quiting was just a plus!
Well, my daughter was always good about not sticking stuff in her mouth that didn't belong, even as a baby - so when she was 2 I was fairly relaxed about letting her have toys and other things that could be considered choking hazards because honestly, I knew she wouldn't do it. But she has a second cousin who is the same age and at 3 she would still stick things in her mouth like rubber bands and beaded jewelry and you had to watch her like a hawk and constantly tell her no. So I don't know if these kids doing it is still within the realm of normal, or if they are not being supervised enough or disciplined from doing it. Maybe their parents are really lax about stuff like that and don't see their eating habits or behavior as any big deal, or something that needs correcting. If you are going to be babysitting them on a regular basis, you might want to mention something to the parents about them sticking stuff in their mouth all the time and that when you see them do it, you want to start telling them no (I don't think not having pacifiers has anything to do with it and I don't think that's really a solution). You could also try introducing them to some healthier food options, but that's also one of those things that the parents might get really defensive about if you try to say anything.
It's normal for babies to put things in their mouth because they use all their sense to explore everything. It is unusual for the 2.5 year old, but I'm wondering if she is just copying the 1 year old for attention? I don't think this has anything to do with the junk food although if the 2.5 year old is still using a bottle that could be part of it. Here are a few articles I found on Babycenter.com that may shed some light:
http://www.babycenter.com/404_why-does-my-baby-put-everyt...
http://www.babycenter.com/400_how-do-i-discourage-my-todd...
http://www.babycenter.com/404_how-can-i-stop-my-preschool...
2.5 seems pretty old, but 3 is the typical age range.
I don't know what's normal, but my son stopped putting stuff in his mouth shortly after he began walking (around 1) . I thought it had to do with the fact that he was no longer spending all his time at ground level and coming into contact with so many "mouthable" things.
sorry, I firmly believe it's all in how you teach your kids. In my daycare, I have one family who simply doesn't know that it's okay to teach "no". Well, that is ...until recently....now the parents take the time to teach what's appropriate & what's not.
Kids with sensory issues...well, that's different. So which do you think it is?
My older daughter never put anything but her thumb in her mouth, my 18 month old puts everything in her mouth and it drives me insane. I have seen some improvement, but I see it getting worse when she is teething. When she has teeth coming in I know I am in for it. She loves to stick everything in there including my shoulder and arm when she can get a hold of it.
Some kids are just very oral and the pediatrician told me it was normal until about 3 years old then they are old enough to be taught not to do that.
Typically they stop by the time they're 3, but can stop much earlier or keep doing it much longer if not encouraged to stop. My little guy is 2.5 and he really hasn't put things in his mouth other than food or drink since he was about 8 months. When I would try to get him to take a cool teether or washcloth to help sooth his sore gums he would look at me as if I was crazy and refused ; )
