There is a time when babies put anything in their mouth, whether it's food, toys, or even furniture. You, of course, are worried about this because you might be able to cause children to get sick (diarrhea for example). Yes, objects that enter the baby's mouth may contain germs that can cause diarrhea. Then, how do you stop the baby from putting things in their mouth?
At what age does the baby begin to like stuffing into the mouth?
Inserting objects into the mouth is normal for babies. This is even a sign that babies are interested in studying the environment around them. Babies learn to understand the world around them by seeing, touching, hearing, smelling, and feeling. This usually occurs when the baby starts to age seven months to one year.
When a baby puts things in his mouth, he is actually learning a lot of things. For example, learning to coordinate hand movements with his eyes when taking objects or food, learning to recognize shapes, textures, and flavors when packing objects in his mouth, and so on.
In addition, the biting habit of objects around it is also much associated with baby teeth that begin to grow. The baby's first tooth growth makes him not feel comfortable and by biting something may give him comfort.
Then, what should be done when the baby likes to bite objects nearby?
Although it is good for baby's development, the habit of packing objects around it is certainly not a good habit. This can cause the baby to choke or the baby to get diarrhea because the germs that attach to the object licked. Not only that, this might also cause baby poisoning because licked objects contain certain dangerous chemicals.
For that, you should always keep an eye on the baby. Some of the things you have to do are:
- Keep dangerous objects out of reach of babies. When he can move by crawling or propagating, it is easier for him to take objects and put them in the mouth. At this time, you have to put dangerous objects out of the reach of babies, such as drugs, air freshener, and so on.
- Make sure your baby's hands and feet are always clean. In addition to items, usually babies also put their hands or feet into their mouths. So, by guaranteeing the cleanliness of the baby's hands and feet, the germs that cause disease do not enter the baby's body.
- Divert baby's attention. If the baby starts biting or stuffing into his mouth, divert the baby's attention to other things. For example, ask your baby to play together, get the baby out, etc.
- Offer baby food when the baby starts to look biting, licking, or inserting anything into his mouth. This will certainly be better. You can offer easy-to-hold baby food, such as apples, melons, steamed carrots, steamed broccoli, cucumbers, and so on. It can also help babies recognize the taste, shape, and texture of each food.