# baby putting hands in other people's mouths



## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

i think it's gross. i wouldn't let someone's baby put their hands in _my_ mouth. it is unsanitary. human mouths have a lot of germs. i guess people don't think about it but it really bothers me. i don't want my baby picking up some illness







i don't say anything because i don't want to seem neurotic and i don't want to hurt their feelings. i guess i just hope my baby won't get sick. what do you all think? do people you know do this with your baby? would you say something if they did? am i just being paranoid?


----------



## neverdoingitagain (Mar 30, 2005)

Wait, what? Do you mean, people are putting the baby's hands in their mouth or that the baby is trying to stick its hands in other peoples mouth?
If people are sticking the baby's hands in their mouth, then tell them to stop. Explain how you feel and remove baby when necessary.
If its other way around, I can't really help you. My children try to stick their hands in my mouth sometimes and the only thing I can do is put them down or run away


----------



## firewoman (Feb 2, 2008)

Most people I know wouldn't want to let a baby put his/her hands in their mouth. I let my OWN baby put her hands in my mouth which she often likes to do while nursing but I haven't ever seen her and I don't remember my other children attempting to put their hands in anyone else's mouth. I think it is cute that your baby wants to. It seems like it is your baby's way of getting to know someone. Is everyone the baby does this to allowing him/her to put hands in their mouths? If you don't like it and want to say something I would just make it sound like the baby might have germs on her hands to deter the person from allowing it. Say something like, "EWWW, I wouldn't let her do that because she was just crawling around on the floor", or say she was touching something that wouldn't be sanitary for them to be putting in their mouths. That way they won't be offended that you think their mouth is gross because you are making it seem like your baby is the gross one! The end result is the same!


----------



## beckyand3littlemonsters (Sep 16, 2006)

I'd probably say over protective rather than paranoid, i think providing the persons whose mouth your lo is trying to shove her hand in doesn't have something contagious then i'm sure your lo would be fine.
Babies hands can be pretty grubby sometimes especially when they get to the stage of grabbing as soon as the nappy comes off maybe this would be a good way of stopping people letting your lo put their hands into their mouth.


----------



## kitteh (Jun 25, 2009)

Ela loves to try to shove her hands in people's mouths--she starts off resting her hands on your cheeks and then starts grabbing on to lips. I think it's cute but it can HURT. She mostly does it to me and daddy, but I've seen her go for other peoples' lips too, though I've never seen her actually get her hands in. She also loves to grab people's hands and shove them into her own mouth. Babies sure are gross









I figure it's harmless, as long as no one involved is sick. From the beginning of time babies have been putting everything they can get their hands on in their mouths, and probably shoving their hands into some grubby places before hand. I try to keep it to a minimum, but I figure she'll be fine even if I can't stop her every time.


----------



## CookAMH (Jun 2, 2008)

My 13mo DS really likes feeling men's beards or goatees at church, which I usually allow. He's never been sick (that doesn't mean he couldn't get sick). I figure, there are worse things to protect him from and he enjoys it, and it's not anywhere excessive.


----------



## lifeguard (May 12, 2008)

Personally doesn't bother me.


----------



## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

I wouldn't really worry about it. Yeah, seems odd that others would be okay with that - but are we really talking about strangers? Grandparents around here are OK with all the face pulling, but that's about the only that DS would go that far with.

I don't like the grandparents sticking THEIR hands into DS's mouth! Yes he's teething and grabs their hands and wants to suck on them, but Yuck! Go wash your hands first, please!!


----------



## Ray69 (Apr 9, 2014)

Wow, I thought my baby was the only one with that kind of problem, because all of my friends say they have never heard of anything like that before. What a relief to know that there are others too. Well, my son is 18 months old and approximately from the age of 4-5 months he puts his hand in other people mouths. For comfort, as it appears. Mainly it happens when you put a pacifier in his mouth. One of my friends even jokingly suggested to buy another pacifier for myself, so that the baby cannot reach my mouth. Lol.

Anyway, I think he will outgrow it, but before he does that, you should do something. It is really discomforting, especially when somebody is waking you up in the middle of the night by putting his hand in your mouth. Sometimes it appears that the baby is really obsessed with that, but if you look closely, he's not. Try to keep the baby far away enough so that he cannot reach your face, when nursing (baby carriage for example) and sing, talk to him, tell fairy tales, even if he's too young to understand, anything that can attract his attention.

Oh, and also. Wash his hands more often. This is really important.

And wait for him to outgrow this habit.


----------



## bayosgirl87 (Dec 6, 2010)

My eight month old likes to stick his fingers in my mouth also. I never thought to try and stop him. I'm not a germaphobe.


----------



## farmermomma (Oct 30, 2012)

Yep my little one does this. I figure he'll be a dentist.


----------



## Viola (Feb 1, 2002)

I generally try and discourage it by closing my mouth when I realize that's how it's going, because I figure a baby will put his fingers in my mouth, then in his mouth, and I feel like I have a lot of bacteria that he doesn't need...I'm sure he'll get it eventually, but, you know, why rush it.


----------



## NiteNicole (May 19, 2003)

I think it's gross and an EXCELLENT way to spread illness.

As with anything I was trying to teach my daughter not to do (pulling hair, playing with glasses), I would just reach over and remove her hands while saying, "We are trying to teach her not to do this," and let that be the end of it. It would drive me nuts when people would let her play with their glasses because a. I'm not paying for them if she drops and breaks them and b. I don't want her playing with mine. I see this as kind of the same, but with the added bonus of potential illness. Yay.


----------



## farmermomma (Oct 30, 2012)

I just saw this in a movie. Seems like a bonding thing.


----------



## anyalily (Oct 23, 2008)

It is not a great thing because the bacteria that causes cavities is contagious.


----------

