Putting Things in Her Mouth

My 5 year old has been like this since we took the paci away at 2 years old. She is constantly chewing her nails, or anything that will fit into her mouth. She chews up her sleeves, toys. Sometimes I think she's part puppy. I have no advice, sorry.

I did notice however that the more attention I bring to it, the worse it gets. And she does it often when she is bored. Keeping her hands busy seems to help a little.

On a similar note...I caught my 3 year old cleaning the toilet seat with her toothbrush once. Yuck! Apparently, this was a regular habit for her. I'm glad I caught her!

Wow- I couldn't help but respond to this. I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I'm laughing to tears! I can totally see my daughter getting mobile and heading straight for the plunger! Too funny. I honestly have no suggestions on this, but wish you the best of luck!! (I'm going to take note of whatever the more experienced mamas have to say cause eventually I will be in the same boat as you)

My 5 month old does the same thing if it makes you feel any better. Come within a 5 inch radius of her face and she will eat you!!
All the advice I can offer is..... keep the plungers out of reach! ;o)

I have this problem too. My son is 14 mos. old and licks the bottom of my shoes when i take them off - DISGUSTING. I wish I could tell you a fix, but we just have gotten hypersenstive to what is on our floor and other places he can reach. Esp. in other peoples homes, be super careful. Everyone tells me that he will grow out of it and that all kids do it...not sure if that is true or not. Sorry I couldn't help!

Hi K.,

It's not usual for a three year old to mouth everything, but not unheard of. Please mention this to her doctor, as it could be a sign of something else. Her doctor will know the right questions to ask to rule out any problems.

My daughter has done the very same thing -- I totally understand your frustrations!! My daughter is 2 1/2 and its finally starting to get better. I was told that she did this because she had some low muscle tone in her mouth and babies with low tone tend to put everything in their mouth. This may not be the case for your daughter, but as those mouth muscles get stronger, she should stop.

My 3 1/2 year is doing something similar. I can't say he has gone for the plunger, but he does enjoy putting things in his mouth. (The seatbelt, his shoes, the hairbrush) It is possible she is teething. Molars may be shifting below surface which can cause discomfort so it is like an infant getting their first teeth. It also could be an oral fixation. I know I have this myself so I'm sure my son does as well. My career is in Speech pathology, I have seen many children who use pacifiers develop this. The best thing for me is chewing gum, or things that are crunchy like nuts. (Of course becareful with this because you don't want her to replace the pacifier withand addiction to food.) Try finding things that are appropriate for her to put in her mouth to refocus what is her and keep her away from plungers.

Just ideas! Good luck finding the right solution for your family!

K.,
Sounds about right for a two year old. Time to lock doors to the bathrooms and such so she can't enter without your knowledge. She's exploring and checking out her senses. Just keep things out of reach that you don't want her putting in her mouth. Make sure she can't get to dangerous items. The rest...just relax, this too shall pass. You may try giving her something that she CAN chew on and keep something on hand for her for a while.