I Just Need to Vent Quickly

[DaycareMomma]

I have a new daycare girl whose 2 1/2. She does NOT know how to keep her fingers out of her mouth! I have been working with her since she started 2 weeks ago and she isn't making any progress. She'll slobber her fingers up and then think she's going to go to the toys and play with them. We were painting pumpkins today for halloween and she kept trying to put her fingers in her mouth, even with paint on them! So I washed her up and put her on the couch.

I have never had a kid do this before and its driving me crazy. I'm thinking another talk with mom is in order tonight.

Thank you for letting me vent

[littlemissmuffet]

I have a new daycare girl whose 2 1/2. She does NOT know how to keep her fingers out of her mouth! I have been working with her since she started 2 weeks ago and she isn't making any progress. She'll slobber her fingers up and then think she's going to go to the toys and play with them. We were painting pumpkins today for halloween and she kept trying to put her fingers in her mouth, even with paint on them! So I washed her up and put her on the couch.

I have never had a kid do this before and its driving me crazy. I'm thinking another talk with mom is in order tonight.

Thank you for letting me vent

Every time you catch her with her fingers in her mouth get her to immediately stop what she's doing and go and wash her hands. She's going to end up missing out on lots of play and fun if she's spending the majority of her day at the sink. It's annoying for you, as you will likely have to assist - but if it stops the mouthing, then it's worth it!

[sahm2three]

I have a new daycare girl whose 2 1/2. She does NOT know how to keep her fingers out of her mouth! I have been working with her since she started 2 weeks ago and she isn't making any progress. She'll slobber her fingers up and then think she's going to go to the toys and play with them. We were painting pumpkins today for halloween and she kept trying to put her fingers in her mouth, even with paint on them! So I washed her up and put her on the couch.

I have never had a kid do this before and its driving me crazy. I'm thinking another talk with mom is in order tonight.

Thank you for letting me vent

No advice, just hugs! I have a little one who licks each toy before they put it away! I don't know how to break that habit. I tried giving them a wipe and having them wipe each toy, and that didn't help for long. Good luck!

[SunshineMama]

I had a child that age who did that all the time, and mouthed everything. i researched SPD and came to my own conclusion that she was doing that because she needed more oral sensory input.

I started to add chewy and crunchy snacks daily to give her a variety of oral sensory input. I combined that with dailly correction (for example, if I see you put a toy in your mouth I will take it away). I noticed a huge change in the behavior within a week of the new snack textures. Over time, it got better and better. She still puts things in her mouth at 3.5, but the frequency has been significantly reduced.