If you have a baby about seven months old, then it is a common scene to find him very happy on the floor and grabbing any object and putting in his mouth.  As a mother, you must be worried that he is doing something that is bad for his health and your urge may be to curb mouthing. From TV remotes to toys, pens, car keys anything that lies in your baby’s path will most probably end up in his mouth. All your efforts will be in vain and you simply can’t stop him from mouthing the things before him.

Research has stated that infants are actually born with an instinct to do this as part of their  survival. They discovered that parts of their brain are responsible for the movements of the hands and the mouth. But a little baby often lacks the fine motor control that is needed with fingers. Without hands, a baby often resorts to their next sensor that is the tongue. The toy is just something that provides your child with new sensory information about the texture, weight, shape and size. Mouthing objects offer some benefits to the baby and here are some reasons why he puts everything into his mouth first.

1. Babies often have the curiosity to explore different items and since he has not mastered his hand movements like grabbing, reaching and swatting, he is unable to use his fingers. So to investigate more about the object, the baby often puts it in his mouth that helps him to utilize his senses to experience new things that includes the taste of the object.
2. Mouthing often provides the baby with a workout for the oral skill control. Biting and chewing things is how they learn to use their tongue, cheeks, lips and jaw and coordinate with each other. This is also a good means that helps to strengthen the mouth muscles and prepares the baby for eating food and produce sounds and develop speech when they are older.
3. Babies often put different objects in their mouth so that they can experience the different textures and sensations that help the baby to start solid foods some time later. Mouthing helps a baby to learn what feels good and tastes good and what doesn’t. So it is normal that your child will mouth different items during his growing days.
4. Mouthing is a natural stage of early childhood development and it is also a means for babies to calm and self soothe.

Once your baby can crawl and move from place to place, you need to be more careful about the toys that he plays with and especially if the toy contains some small parts. Small objects that fit into your baby’s mouth can often cause him to choke. Your baby’s mouthing habit will keep you busy as it means that you have to keep a constant eye on him. Although mouthing is definitely a positive experience for your little baby, but it is important to ensure his safety and reduce the risk of choking or getting sick from bacteria and viruses. So, here are some safety precautions that you can adopt during the mouthing phase.

Remove things that are dangerous: Babies are not aware of what is safe and what is not. Everything that is bright and beautiful will attract them and they will try to taste and feel it. So put everything that is potentially dangerous or poisonous out of their sight and reach.

Teach the meaning of no: Your baby may at times play the mischief and pick up objects that he should not. Explain him the meaning of “NO” in the way that he is able to understand and stop him for putting it into his mouth. It is true that he may not listen to you each time, but make him understand this by repeating the word NO.

Do not shout or scold: It is a natural activity that your baby will put everything in his mouth because of curiosity. Scolding or shouting will only discourage him from putting things into his mouth and at the same time it will also dampen the spirit of learning, so make sure to keep safe things around him so that he can explore them.

Why not buy some teether:  Sometimes your baby may put things into his mouth just because he is teething. It is a good idea to get a few teethers that can soothe his aching gums. This will surely help

Get rid of germs: Though it is not possible to keep everything germ free, but it is important to make sure that your kid doesn’t fall sick from bacteria and viruses.  Make sure that he doesn’t share toys with the child who is sick, as germs can pass very easily. It is good to wash hands and toys frequently to protect your child.

As a mother, you have to accept the fact that your baby will mouth things whatever you do. But make a good effort to keep the toys and things clean and prevent him from doing anything that could make him fall sick.