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Home › Articles › Toddler Safety › Everything in Baby's Mouth

Everything in Baby's Mouth

Staying Safe and Sane During This Phase of Development

By Kelly Burgess

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  • Watch for chewing motions. If Baby seems to be chewing on something and you know you haven't given him anything, investigate and remove the item, if necessary.
  • Watch Baby's reach. Kostelc says parents often underestimate how far a baby can reach, especially when Baby is in a highchair at the table. There are often many unsafe objects on a dinner table – edible and not – so be sure the baby can't reach anything harmful.
  • Invest in crib rails. Dr. Daniel Noor, a New York based dentist, says that parents should invest in crib rails because while mouthing and chewing aren't necessarily dangerous, chewing on the crib rails can damage the crib and may be painful for the gums and emerging teeth.
  • Be vigilant. Kostelc points out that there's no substitute for vigilance. When you think you may be distracted, use Brigitte Rudman's solution as an example. Rudman, of Ramsey, N.J., says she puts her 11-month-old daughter, Addi, in an octagonal play yard that she fills with toys she knows are safe. That gives her a little breathing room when she has something else she also needs to deal with.

    The only time a parent should be concerned about mouthing is when the baby seems to be eating – and enjoying or craving – inappropriate items, such as dirt, paint chips, sand or other non-food items. This is called pica, and may indicate an underlying condition. In that case, contact your baby's pediatrician.

    Other than that, you can expect your child to continue to taste test everything from birth to about age 2 or 3. It's a normal part of development – if a stressful one for the parents. Soon enough, your baby will develop enough physically and cognitively to be able to use her sense of touch, sight, reasoning and, eventually, Google, to figure out the mysteries of her world.

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