Why Does My Baby Put Everything in Their Mouth?
If you've noticed that your baby seems to put everything in their mouth, you’re not alone! Mouthing is a completely natural and important part of infant development. From around 3 months old, babies begin bringing their hands to their mouth, and as they grow, they start exploring toys the same way. While it might seem like an unhealthy habit, it’s actually a crucial step in their sensory and motor development.
Why Do Babies Mouth Objects?
Exploring and Learning Through Sensory Input
Our mouths contain the highest number of sensory receptors in the body, making them an excellent tool for gathering information about the world. By mouthing objects, babies learn about the size, shape, and texture of different items, helping them understand their environment in a meaningful way.Reduces Their Gag Reflex
One of the first developmental milestones you’ll notice around 3 months is your baby placing their hands in their mouth. This behavior helps to gradually desensitize their gag reflex. Initially, the gag reflex is positioned further forward in the mouth, but as babies continue mouthing their hands and toys, it moves farther back. This natural progression is essential in preparing them for safely eating solid foods.Preparation for Self-Feeding
Mouthing toys helps infants refine their motor skills, particularly eye-hand coordination, which is essential for self-feeding. As they grasp and bring objects to their mouth, they are strengthening the muscles and coordination needed for eating independently later on.Building the Foundation for Speech
When babies mouth their fingers and toys, they are also developing tongue mobility, which plays a vital role in both safe eating and later speech development. The tongue and oral muscles need to practice different movements in order to efficiently manage solid foods and eventually produce speech sounds.
Encouraging Safe and Beneficial Mouthing
Since mouthing is such an important developmental process, providing safe, appropriate objects for exploration is key. Here are some great toy options to encourage healthy mouthing and exploration:
Lightweight, easy-to-grasp toys – such as linking rings, small rattles, or an Oball.
Teethers with different shapes and textures – “P” shaped teethers are great for reaching different areas of the mouth.
Crinkle books – soft books with different textures and sounds offer a sensory-rich experience.
Variety of textures – offering different materials (plastic, fabric, silicone, smooth, bumpy, etc.) helps expand sensory exploration.
Key Take Aways
Rather than discouraging your baby from putting objects in their mouth, embrace it as an essential part of their development. By providing safe and engaging toys, you’re promoting curiosity, building feeding skills, and supporting the foundation for speech and language development.
So, the next time you see your baby chewing on a teether or gumming a crinkle book, know that they’re doing exactly what they should be—learning, growing, and preparing for their next big milestones!
When to Contact Us
Baby’s hands are fisted most of the time after 3 months
Baby isn’t putting their hands in their mouth by 3.5 months
Baby isn’t grasping toys by 4 months
Baby is gagging excessively