# Help! 2 year old has suddenly started putting EVERYTHING in her mouth...



## leomom (Aug 6, 2004)

This is not your typical "kid puts everything in their mouth phase." She went through that while teething from 6 months-15 months. Around 18 months, I no longer had to worry about choking hazards and such b/c she stopped putting things in her mouth that weren't supposed to be there.

But for the last month or so, she puts EVERYTHING in her mouth and it drives me nuts!







I worry about it for choking reasons, sanitary ones, and simply b/c there seems to be something going on.

Can anyone tell me if there is a reason I am not thinking of?

In 2 weeks, we are having a baby, so I want to try to figure this out before baby comes....

BTW, she does know that it annoys me, so it could just be a way for her to get attetion....

In any case, any advice would be most helpful.


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## teacup (Nov 12, 2005)

My kid is Freud's oral-fixation dream. She's been that way from the start and we have gone from "Not for your mouth" to more specifically, "Food goes in your mouth" and simply not negotiating when she puts something nonfood (or at least, nonfood, not my boob, not medicine we give her, and not her own fingers/toes) in her mouth. No more, "If I see that again, I'll have to take it." She knows the score.

But we.are.still.working.on.it. Oy. Perhaps your wee one is feeling insecure and/or getting her molars?

PS Congratulations on your upcoming baby!


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## sbgrace (Sep 22, 2004)

Well, these are my possible thoughts:
1. Could be molars (2 year ones)
2. Could be that she is testing limits/knows it annoys you. You'd know this because if this is the case she would only be doing it when she knows you are watching.
3. She could be an oral kiddo as the pp said (I have one of those) though I wouldn't think it would have stopped for 6 months.
4. Some kids have mineral deficiencies that cause this. I mention that because one of my sons started it up again about two years old after outgrowing the phase. We had some tests unrelated and it turned out he had low iron. Not connecting them we started treating that and the mouthing stopped quickly. Mouthing started again this fall, I had him tested, iron was low again. Supplement and it stopped. I have since learned that Iron or Zinc deficiences (either one) can cause mouthing.


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## AmyC (Jul 3, 2005)

I don't know exactly how old your two-year-old is, but mine is almost 34 months old. So, nearing three. She cooled off with the constant mouthing and was fine for awhile, then went through teething her two-year molars and was obviously working that through, then finally seemed to be over the need to mouth things. So much so that I let her have a bunch of the Haba tins of food (the tiny ones that I'd been holding back) and gave her back some Melissa & Doug foods (the paint scrapes off on those and I wouldn't let her have them while she was chewing on everything.)

Then she went back into near-compulsive biting/chewing again. I don't get it. I thought the molars were pretty well set (and they did take a long time.) She is biting at the front of her mouth, with her front teeth.

The mineral deficiency is an interesting thought. Hmmm.

Mostly just wanted to say that we, too, seemed to have passed through this phase, only to have it crop up again. She can listen and adjust her behavior (and I do give her other things that are appropriate for biting if she seems to NEED it), but it's definitely this THING that grabs hold of her. I've noticed it has slacked off again, lately.

I don't really worry about choking, much (she's mainly just biting something, not taking anything and everything and cramming it in her mouth) but it definitely has me wondering what is UP?


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