Everything in the Mouth

[hope]

I have a dcg that is 20 months. I know putting things in their mouths is normal but it has become constant with this baby. She always has to put something in her mouth. If I put her in her seat to get a meal she will even start to bite the table or the neckline of her shirt. I feel like she is missing out on the opportunity to speak because she rather bite on something. I used to think it was teething but now I think it is just an obsessive habit. How can I break this?
I watch her older sisters and they came to me with their hands always in their mouths. Was so bad that they wouldn't speak or play because they rather have their hands in their mouth. I had them wash their hands every time and it stopped eventually. I feel 20 months is too young to do this though.

[Baby Beluga]

As gross as it is (I can't stand drool or spit ) Imo, she seems a bit young to try and stop the behavior. I think you might save your sanity a bit if you reserve one or two washable chew toys for her use only.

[Blackcat31]

As gross as it is (I can't stand drool or spit ) Imo, she seems a bit young to try and stop the behavior. I think you might save your sanity a bit if you reserve one or two washable chew toys for her use only.

I agree with this. I think it's normal at her age but some kids just need more oral stimulation. I'd just make sure you have something within her reach at all times for her to chew on so that she doesn't chew on things like the table or worse.....others!

I am sure the older she gets the more the need to chew will wane. Just continue to redirect to acceptable chew items and she'll probably be over it before you know it!

[hope]

But don't you think it would prevent her from talking? At this age many of the babies I have had start to say words. This baby can only grunt because something is always in her mouth.

[Blackcat31]

But don't you think it would prevent her from talking? At this age many of the babies I have had start to say words. This baby can only grunt because something is always in her mouth.

It could....but I think that unless she becomes severely behind in developmental milestones, that it isn't something to get overly concerned about at her age. My own son didn't say a single understandable word until age 3. However, he is amazingly gifted and has a very high IQ and you wouldn't have any idea that he was "mute" until age 3 when speaking with him today.

I sometimes think that things like that shouldn't necessarily be "charted" or have timelines as kids are soooooo different and each of them seem to meet the requirements for certain/specific age groups at such differing times that it can make parents and caregivers worry unnecessarily simply because the child hasn't done "X" or "Y" by a certain age.

Unless there are other signs of being delayed, I think by the time they all reach Kindy most are right on par with where they should be.

You can look at an entire Kindy class and not have a clue who walked earliest, talked first, sat up first, slept through the night first or who got their first tooth the earliest....KWIM?

So I'd definitely encourage her to use her words, encourage her to take things/her hands out of her mouth but I wouldn't focus on it or stress about it unless there are other signs of being delayed.

You mentioned her older sisters being the same way (with oral fixation)....do they speak okay? If so, then she will probably be just like them and remove her hands from her mouth when she feels ready to.

I've had entire families that had kids that ****ed their fingers in the weirdest ways but ultimately they outgrew it and one wouldn't have a clue looking at the or speaking with them today.

HTH

[hope]

Thank you for the feedback. Guess sometimes I worry too much.

[Blackcat31]

Thank you for the feedback. Guess sometimes I worry too much.

Me too But I've adopted a new attitude lately and am trying to see more positives and see things from a more expansive perspective. (if that makes sense...)

Jut keep watching (without the worry ) and then decide if it's worth stressing over.