Fingers in Mouth - Dallas,GA

When did this behavior start in relation to the new baby??? If close together, I would say she's just 'reliving' baby moments. My three year old will mimic acting like a baby, hands in mouth, play cry, noises, etc. anytime she interacts with a baby. Its just a phase and I'll bet (if this is the case) that once she does start preshool, she will stop. If this isnt the case, try painting her nails with the anti-bite polish (Walgreens) and maybe that will help. Good luck!

It's just something kids do!! My son is 2 and will take a box of frozen waffles and lick the picture on it!! Nasty??Yes!! Do I make a big stink out of it?? NO!! Because it will only make him want to keep doing it and then he'll reach for other stuff in the cart to lick. I just calmly tell him we don't do that and after a few more licks he stops because I didn't feed into him with my reaction. Your daughter is going into pre k, she is going to get other peoples germs, new and old. All you can do is make sure you are teaching her proper hand washing (after the bathroom, before meals, after coughing/sneezing if not doing it in the side of her arm, after playing outside, etc) and hope the school she will go to uses proper cleaning techniques for the toys and what not. In the mean time, just ask her not to put her hands in her mouth without making a big deal out of it. You could also tell her since she puts a blanket in her mouth too that we only put food in our mouth and when you see her with anything that isn't food, remind her by saying Daughter, is that food? She answers no and then you say remember, we only put food in our mouthes!!

Good luck
S.

I think this is pretty normal for 3 year olds they are all about exploring their bodies. My 3 year old has licked the glass doors in the frozen aisle at the super market, just last week she was mouthing the table at cici's pizza. I think when she starts school she will probably be so busy the habit will slow a little, that said I used to teach a 3 year old class and let me tell you it's not just babies who put everything in their mouths. It's gross yes, but remember she could pick up and illness anywhere even when you are being very careful at a play ground the super market, and deffinatly school. She will probably get quite a few sicknesses that 1st year ( sorry to say) no matter how clean the teacher tries to keep the class and how many times she has the kids wash their hands. I wouldn't make too big a deal out of it, that will just make it more appealing to her. Of course if you see her about to do something horrible like lick a toilet or chomp on a shoe bottom ( yes I caught mine licking the sole of her shoe, and almost putting a piece of gum in her mouth that she had found under the counter at the food court in the mall Nasty!)you should stop her right away, I tell my daughter that it will make her sick. Or I will say something if we are out like we don't lick the monkey bars we climb on them sometimes I don't think she even realizes she doing it don't get me wrong my daughter doesn't lick everything she sees it's just curiosity. If she's in school she probably won't have her lovies with her anyways, im guessing the habit will maybe just stop. By the way do you bite your nails? Kids will pick this up and many adults don't even realize they do it. Remember though all those colds and stuff will just help boost her immune system in the long run.

I'm anxious to see the replies to this b/c I keep my 3 yr. old niece (she was 3 in March) and she constantly has something in her mouth and she does not suck her thumb either! I am forever telling her to get her hands or something else out of her mouth. I have even caught her with her mouth all over a grocery cart and licking the boxes of stuff that I have put in the cart. GROSS!!!

Good luck!

S.,

A chld sucks their thumb to self pacify themselves. While it is good that they can calm themsleves down -it is also not good for their teeth and mouth formation. As you have also noted the germ situtation is also an issue. Like it or not you must make this fixation with her hands and mouth unpleasant for her. We used THUMB STOP! It is a store bought product that has a bitter taste tht you put on their fingers liek polish. We put it on each morning and it did great until she just switched thumbs, So go get it from a drug store and put it on all fingers to start with. It is best to do it early in the morning when she is still sleeping so when she goes to put it or something in her hand in her mouth she will notice a nasty taste and will associate putting things in her mouth with a nasty taste and NOT YOU PUTTING BAD STUFF ON THER FINGERS! So do it while she is sleeping in the morings and at nap time. IT worked for us! But we had to learn to out smart her switching fingers and also her not connecting the bad taste to us instead of putting things in her mouth.
Good luck and Keep Mothering!
Ms C.

There is only so much you can control...I also told mine until I was blue in the face...it's now blue forever. She can get germs in prek when someone even a adult coughs I wouldn't stress so much you as well as the school will be teaching her to wash her hands, the fingers in the mouth are just a part of being a toddler with or without sucking a thumb. My children are older and off and on I see them do it. I don't think there is a solution other then finding something to keep her little hands busy. She will out grow it, they all do.