Mouthing is a common baby behavior attributed to teething, but it’s not quite teething. Your baby learns about their surroundings through their senses, and bringing things to their mouth is one of the biggest ways they gain sensory feedback (not to mention refines their hand-eye coordination!)
Child development experts celebrate mouthing (safely, of course) as an essential part of baby’s development, but it’s normal if your knee-jerk reaction as a parent is to say “no” and try to redirect them. However, it’s best to help them mouth safely rather than try to stop it.
Mouthing typically emerges around 3-4 months, but by 6 months, it might be even more noticeable as your baby will take in more information through their mouth than any other sense. They are gathering input on things like texture, shape, density, taste, and temperature.
Other reasons babies go through a mouthing stage:
Comfort:Babies naturally find sucking on their fingers, toys, or clothing soothing, which can help them manage stress or overstimulation.
Oral skills:Even before babies start eating solid foods, mouthing is thought to help them develop the oral skills needed for later speech and eating.
Teething:Of course, teething does lead to increased mouthing. The pressure of gums on objects can offer relief from teething discomfort.
This is why it’s important to offer safe things to mouth, such as non-toxic teethers with varied textures. Remove any choking hazards and place hazardous household substances out of reach from your curious explorer.
Many families love to give clean, cold, damp washcloths for babies to mouth because it offers an engaging sensory experience and can alleviate teething pain.