17mo still putting EVERYTHING in mouth

[leaves]

When my DS was a baby, I let him put most anything in his mouth if it couldn't hurt him, because I figured he was learning and this was a way he was just discovering the world around him. Now he is 17 months old and still puts anything and everything in his mouth. I even had a scare once when I was cleaning the bathroom and he put the cleaner in his mouth and sprayed the nozzle. He didn't get much at all in his mouth, probably just a little dribble since the nozzle was hard to squeeze, but when I took it away from him, he cried and wanted it back. Other examples are coins, fuzz, paper, he's like a puppy! Today we visited with some new friends and he was walking around putting ALL of their daughter's toys in his mouth, slobbering all over them, and refusing to stop chewing on them. He also likes to lick things, and suck on anything that's wet. For instance, tonight he spilled a cup of water so I took off his wet socks and tossed them aside, and a few minutes later he was walking around sucking on them. Gross! It happens at least a couple times a day, where I find him with something in his mouth (other than a toy).

I wasn't really concerned until a friend posted on Facebook that her 2yo DD is still doing things this and she was asking about Pica. I've known about the disorder for a long time but it never occurred to me that this may be a case of Pica. All my friend's babies at this age have stopped putting every little thing in their mouth. Is this still developmentally appropriate for him to be eating/licking/chewing random things like this? I don't want to exaggerate, it's not like he's got his mouth full of something ALL the time, kwim? But it's enough to make me concerned (and annoyed) I guess. He also loves loves loves ice. I started giving him ice as a baby when he was teething and he never stopped loving it.He could eat it all day, no matter what the temperature is outside, and his hands get bright red from the cold. I know this is a sign of anemia in adults, but could it be a sign in a toddler as well? What should I do to discourage him from putting every little thing in his mouth? 

[chel]

my 11m is the same way.  even down to te wet clothing.  she will scramble to get clothes out of the washer to chew on.  i think it might be a teething issue as well.

i'm not too worried, dd1 had a preschool friend that was very "mouthy".  dd1 was never like that.  don't recall her ever putting stuff in her mouth.  i was startled at a first time mom, but now see it as typical, maybe above average, but not too alarming.

might be a teething issue for you. i've heard lots of dc like ice when teething,  my dd2 for some reason never liked ice at all

[Courtney-Ostaff]

I wouldn't worry too much about it, but perhaps give them something else, acceptable to put in their mouth. This is, after all, why parents like pacifiers, right?  Not that I'm advocating a pacifier, but perhaps something to teeth on?  

Ice however, is a big dental no-no.  The tooth can get cold enough to crack and split and then you're really in for it!

[marge234]

Excessive mouthing can be a sign of a sensory issue.  As I understand it, if there's a mild deficit with feeling things through touch a kid might compensate/adapt by continuing to rely on his or her mouth to learn about the world.  Might be worth ruling it out as it's easier to address when kids are little.  There are ways to wake up the tactile system and as it happens the mouthing decreases.  

Whatever is or is not going on, I'm sure it has zero to do with your being lenient about what he put in his mouth.  

[sbgrace]

He's still really young and some kids are just "mouthers" longer than others. Sometimes it can be a sign of a deficiency--most commonly either iron or zinc. You could get a ferritin level and see if iron is an issue. I believe zinc is harder to test generally.

My son was a deficiency issue but he was actually ingesting stuff. He would eat things.

[BabyFireFly]

Our daughter (will be 17m) puts everything in her mouth as well, however she also ditched her pacifier when she was under a year and has no want of one and does not suck her thumb....habits that alot of people deal with well into the toddler years and beyond. If your son eats a well balanced diet, is strong and healthy and is progressing through milestones at an acceptable rate, I wouldn't worry about it too much - at least I don't. I call my daughter "the seagull" because she can spot a shiny object, or the smallest "treasure" from a mile away. Once she has collected said "treasure" it immediately goes straight into the mouth - and she WILL bite you when you are prying it out, and then usually laughs about it. Same things....fuzz, coins, bits of paper....I am constantly reminding my husband that he needs to empty his pockets of change and deposit them in the coin can when he takes off his pants at night to avoid them spilling onto the floor where she can get them. I don't think this is in any way a sensory thing - she "examines" everything using all her senses....she studies objects carefully by turning them over in her hands, scratching them with her fingertips, holding them up to her face to smell....and then tossing them in her mouth. If I didn't immediately throw wet clothes into the hamper, she would probably do the same thing that your son does. And don't feel bad about visiting your friends and having your child slobber on their toys....my daughter's favorite thing to do when she visits her great-grandmother is to go immediately to her dog's box of toys and start chewing on them....squeaky toys, rope tug toys and even marrow bones....YUCK!

[Asiago]

From what I understand one aspect of this practice is also called 'sampling the environment'. One purpose is to sample the foreign material of the environment along wiht it's microbes. This primes the immune system to differeniate self from non-self.  From this it develops antibodies to defend the body as baby becomes more mobile and therefore exposed to more microbes. It may start out with sampling moms fingers or nose when baby is very young and then proceeds to sampling dirt as baby digs in the earth, licking the supermarket cart, and all of those other seemingly strange actions. A baby that is deterred from doing so early on will develop fewer antibodies to it's environment. I would imagine that this practice varies in time frame from indivudal to individual relative to immune system function and stage of mobility since there is such a wide range.

[BabyFireFly]

Originally Posted by Asiago 

From what I understand one aspect of this practice is also called 'sampling the environment'. One purpose is to sample the foreign material of the environment along wiht it's microbes. This primes the immune system to differeniate self from non-self.  From this it develops antibodies to defend the body as baby becomes more mobile and therefore exposed to more microbes. It may start out with sampling moms fingers or nose when baby is very young and then proceeds to sampling dirt as baby digs in the earth, licking the supermarket cart, and all of those other seemingly strange actions. A baby that is deterred from doing so early on will develop fewer antibodies to it's environment. I would imagine that this practice varies in time frame from indivudal to individual relative to immune system function and stage of mobility since there is such a wide range.

Excellent point! "Sampling the environment" ....I call it "grazing" haha. I have noticed that my friends who are constantly freaking out about their kids putting things in their mouths, playing in the mud and then hosing them down with hand sanitizers are always the ones complaining that their kids are sick! Mine got her first cold just last week - I'm pretty sure DH brought it home and then gave it to me and we both shared it with her. While we were sicks for days and days....she blew through her sickness in just 2! Maybe mud pies are in order for tonight's dessert!