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View Full Version : Everything in mouth...and not even a baby!



Helen Dempster
04-02-2010, 12:15 PM
I have a mindee who will be 4 years old at the beginning of September. He still puts everything in his mouth, toys, stones, snow etc etc - it all goes in! I've not mentioned this to his parents before now (well, only the snow, and that was in a jokey way), but his nursery commented on it when I picked him up just now and said he's still very babyish in that way.

Should an almost 4 year old still be doing this? My own son will be 4 years old in July and he's not done this since his baby months. Have any of you experienced this with an older child before, and if so what did you do to deter it? I'm sick of my own voice saying "not in your mouth..." (I do make a point of explaining why not). He still insists on using his fingers to eat too (even things such as yoghurt) and will sneakily do this when I'm not looking, he gets into such a mess with his food.

Any advice, as always, would be greatly received.

Ta

Pudding Girl
04-02-2010, 01:05 PM
I have an almost 4yo mindee who is like this too. Spent most of Monday saying we don;t put toys in our mouths only babies do that, although he is very mature in all other ways.

Annoys me IMMENSELY! (especially the washing it all afterwards!!) even the baby I do look after doesn;t do that although I have no porblem with under 2s doing it.

loocyloo
04-02-2010, 02:48 PM
my DD ( 4 3/4 ) pretty much always has something in her mouth - the collar of her school shirt or coat, her scarf, her cuff ... not so much toys, but i sometimes catch her with things in her mouth! OR its her fingers and biting her nails !!!

she takes a muslin to bed, and chews the corners. i think it comforts her and is also what she does when she is concentrating! she was never that interested in food or milk per se as a baby or toddler, despite liking things in her mouth. i forsee her becoming a teenager who permanently has gum in her mouth !!!

no advice, i just tell her not to bite her nails and to wash her hands when i catch her ( or use antibac gel - she doesn't like the taste !! )

Mouse
04-02-2010, 05:17 PM
I have an almost 3 year old mindee who is very similar. When he started here a few weeks ago, he had a dummy permanently in his mouth. Mum said it wasn't effecting his speech, but it definitely was. Now he's settled, I take the dummy off him when he walks in the door & give it back when he goes home.
But, it means that he always has to have something in his mouth. Everytime I look he's chewing something - books, toys, clothes. We had the coloured plastic cotton reels out today & he sat there with one right in his mouth! Like someone else said, I'm forever cleaning toys!
I just keep saying 'take that out of your mouth please'. It does get a bit tedious after a while, but I'm hoping he'll grow out of it.

sarah707
04-02-2010, 06:00 PM
Some children are very sensory learners and mouthing toys is one way of them learning through their senses.

I agree it can be annoying, especially as they get older.

Perhaps a good way to deal with it is to provide something else for them to touch so they transfer the mouthing to their hands over time.

Try them with glitter in playdough or textured hand painting :D