Baby Mouthing: The Reasons Why Your Baby is Mouthing (including thumb sucking and mouthing toys)

Wondering why do babies put everything in their mouth? If you are concerned about your baby mouthing everything, including sucking fingers, sucking fists, sucking thumbs and sucking toys then this video is for you! In this video I am going to cover all the reasons your baby is mouthing their hands/fingers or toys and when to be concerned.
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Intro: 00:00 - 00:45
#1 Hungry: 00:46 - 00:57
#2 To Calm and Soothe: 00:58 - 02:24
#3 Explore and Play: 02:25 - 03:45
#4 Teething: 03:46 - 04:37
Summary: 04:38 - 05:15
#babymouthing #babydevelopment #emmahubbard
Disclaimer:
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• Baby Mouthing: The Rea...

[@chenaebohm7005]

This was really informative. Hunger I knew but I didn’t know about the soothing and stress relief!

[@aleenrazak]

This explains soo much, thanks emma ❤️ love from malaysia 🥰❤️

[@EmmaHubbard]

Thanks for watching! Let me know why your baby is mouthing! Don't forget to get your free 0 - 12 months old developmental milestone chart here: brightestbeginning.com/12monthmilestones/ 😊

[@taoliu5673]

Thank you! My baby doesn’t mouth anything, is that normal? Thanks again

[@beckybillingham9102]

My baby is 10 weeks and sucks her hand and thumb quite a lot, worried we could be overstimulating her? She does have a tooth coming through at the top which we’ve been told could be a really slow grower but could that be the reason? I guess it’s a guessing game 🤣

[@EmmaHubbard]

Hi @tao Liu how old is your little one?

[@KC-rx5eu]

My almost 3 month old is definitely exploring with his hands and putting it in his mouth! Thank you for explaining this! Also, what are your thoughts on floor seats such as Bumbo versus Upseat?

[@EmmaHubbard]

Hi @KC so pleased to hear that this video was helpful. I created a video on floor seats which you might find helpful kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJeUfqWglLyLeKs . If you want to buy a floor seat I would say the upseat is a better model because the hips are not tilted backwards like they are in the bumbo.

[@MASKTERTV]

Thank you for the tip... Very helpful ... Watching from Philippines

[@gremlinjerky8462]

You make amazing videos. I can’t express how grateful I am for your channel

[@EmmaHubbard]

So pleased you find them helpful

[@AyanAli-cv7xd]

Thanks you have explained everything i was concerned about my baby

[@YaYa-lz1zt]

My daughter loved a slightly frozen washcloth to munch on for teething pain.

[@EmmaHubbard]

Thanks for sharing this tip!

[@mommygloryfortuno7691]

Im a new fan! All your vids are really helpful specially as i have a 3mos old baby thank you so much Emma! God Bless you

[@EmmaHubbard]

Your welcome

[@sunshineyellow5762]

Really enjoy your videos, i find them to be very informative and i get the notifications to my phone perfectly timed somehow. My little one is 4.5mo and has been putting her hands to her mouth for 3 weeks now and at first i thought she was hungry. Another one of your videos helped me understand not to move her hand away bc she is self soothing and this video explains it even better. Thank you for all you do to help us. Knowledge is power 😊

[@rachellamb2564]

One thing my dentist said is that if you're prone to cavities, do not put baby's pacifier in your mouth to clean it. This can spread the cavity bacteria to them and cause cavities later. As a germaphobe, this sounds gross anyway.

[@EmmaHubbard]

Thanks for sharing this great information! Definitely something to stay away from.

[@joannakim4646]

Thank you!!!

[@lixwang5754]

Hi Emma! Many thanks for sharing these extreme helpful information. My little one is currently having a lot of difficult from breastfeed into bottle feeding. Do you have any advice that makes the transition easier?

[@ellenzheng6997]

Hi Emma! Thanks for all the informative videos, super helpful! Could you please do one on choosing mugs when babies learn to drink? My little one is 5 months old and I'm about to start solids.

[@EmmaHubbard]

Great idea. Hopefully I can make this in the next 2-3 weeks and it can be helpful for you.

[@soumyajinson]

Thank u so much my baby is 81/2 months really helpful

[@PopVogueTrivia]

Hi Emma, I recently saw your video on best high chair. We would love to buy this stokke tripp trapp high chair but it's really very expensive for us to get. Please can you suggest an exact alternative to this high chair on a budget or best budget high chairs. It would be really helpful for us. 😊Thanks

[@ManasiNehete-Matkar]

How do you recommend washing the baby toys? The soft cloth toys in the washer with or without baby detergent? Plastic toys (i.e. teeters, gym toys, etc)? Warm water with dish soap? Will sanitizing wipes work?

[@justinepetrus9446]

Thanks Emma.

[@EmmaHubbard]

Your welcome

[@siyap117]

Much awaited video..thanx Emma❤my baby is 5 mnth n always put her palm in mouth..this is helpful

[@EmmaHubbard]

Hi @Siya p so glad you found it helpful. Mouthing is totally normal and expected at this age. Towards the end of 5 months you will notice she will start to put toys in her mouth too. As an OT this is a really exciting time as they start to use their hands and the fun begins!

[@dhaliabatuyong9163]

Thank you.This is a very helpful video. Watching from Phillipines💖

[@EmmaHubbard]

You’re welcome 😊

[@BuddhaChrist33]

Hello Emma, thank you for your videos. They are great. I want to tell you that the pdf with the Developmental Milestones is not dowloading, looks like the link is not redirecting to the optinpage. kind reagrds, Andra

[@janemaryjose3153]

Good video.could u please do a video on how to desensitize the increased gag reflex in kids?thankyou

[@EmmaHubbard]

Great idea

[@suhasiniagdari837]

First comment before the channel grows too fast...always waiting for ur videos,please make a video on month wise solids that can be given to the babies

[@EmmaHubbard]

Hi @Suhasini Agdari thanks so much for your comment. Might be a while before I get to this topic but this is a great resource I use at work which covers what food to give babies at 6 -12 months. health.act.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-05/From%20Milk%20to%20More.pdf hopefully it is helpful.

[@owolabitaiwo815]

Thanks for the information. Does sucking of the finger affect the size of the finger suck.

[@jessicaumali]

This came at the right time in my feed!! Thank you SO MUCH for this very helpful video. I ask my 11 week old baby why he’s doing this to his fists since two weeks ago every time even when he’s had a full feeding. I started questioning myself if he’s still hungry but I guess it’s for self soothing. Can I ask why baby would be stressed during these moments and if there’s anything else I can do to soothe him so he doesn’t eat his hands? Also is there a gentle way of weaning him off sucking his hands? I’m a first time mom. Thank you again for the great informative video!

[@sattysaint8081]

Informative thank you

[@EmmaHubbard]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mariagodfrey4049]

Like most others that have comments, this is perfectly timed for us as well. Our 3 month old little has recently started putting her hand in her mouth. Sometimes it's just her thumb but other times it's like she's trying to get her whole fist in. When it's the fist she likes to move it or her head side to side, which makes me think she's starting to teeth. So far she only likes her hands but I think it's because she's still learning to grip and put other stuff in her mouth properly.

[@EmmaHubbard]

Hi @maria Godfrey you are totally correct. At 3 months holding toys or objects in her hands would be really difficult - she might be able to hold things for a few seconds. Sounds like she has found her hands and is working out how to control them. By 5 months you will notice toys will be going in her mouth.

[@dafysenal5969]

Same is true with my baby who'll be turning 4 months. He can hold toys.for fee seconds but prefer to put his fingers even fost in his mouth ..

[@rabbitgear]

This was a really informative video! In the future, could you do a Do's and Don'ts video about bottle feeding or bottle aversions?

[@EmmaHubbard]

Hi @rabbitgear so pleased to hear this video was helpful. Great idea for a video unfortunately I just don’t know enough about this topic- it is an area speech pathologists at my work help with. Sorry

[@rabbitgear]

@@EmmaHubbard Thank you, I understand. I appreciate your work. I use your videos and others like it for guidance because I can't get this kind of information from my pediatrician. He's really great but I don't speak the local language too well and most hospitals here don't have access to specialized pediatric therapists.

[@chrisgustafson9342]

My 18 wk old granddaughter constantly grabs her tongue & sometimes chokes on her finger. She has eczema & often has a very red rash on her left (dominant?) hand. We use mitts at night but a pediatric psychiatrist friend of ours told us mitts impede language development. Do you know of any safe products that can prevent this rash (from salivary enzymes?)

[@100sweetz]

Can you do a video about introducing bottle feeding to a breastfed baby

[@lulu12345575]

Are you watching me secretly? Haha this is an extremely untimely video thank you!

[@EmmaHubbard]

Hehe. Glad it was great timing for you. Hope it is helpful!

[@mariadaniels2036]

Can we please get a video on how to teach a baby to walk and also your opinion on those push walkers? 🙏

[@EmmaHubbard]

Hi @Maria Daniels great idea. I really like the push walkers (I am assuming your referring to the baby trolleys where the bub pushes the trolley in front of them while they walk?). These push walkers are great for helping little ones learn to walk independently. I really like the wooden ones with the tray at the front (which I put a bag of rice in to weigh it down and ensure it doesn't run away on the bub). I briefly talk about the trolley in my video on toys for 9 -12 months which might be helpful.

[@navyareddy5335]

What about if this leads to severe calluses forming on the thumb or bleeding?

[@nnbnbnn]

hi thank you for educating people and teaching about babies! a quick friendly suggestion, i think your monstera needs more sunlight :) and maybe less watering

[@EmmaHubbard]

Thanks so much for the helpful advice no will try more sunlight and less water.

[@aikaterinivithoulkas1003]

I love your video. A question:what does it mean when a toddler start spitting out?

[@alondra5273]

I want to know the same my 2 month baby started spitting and making bubbles

[@noreenaishtiaq7322]

Thank you soo much for explaining soo well. And sharing the reaource.

[@EmmaHubbard]

Your welcome.

[@dayrospetalethal]

Thank you Emma❤ you are one of my saviour in my life❤

[@faunaeverywhere]

Thank you. My daughter is now 3 months old. She’s doing it😅

[@EmmaHubbard]

That's great!

[@billykoech7812]

Hi, what causes baby to keep sucking mouth instead of fingers and thumb?

[@ezeonuchommy5199]

Hi Emma, I really enjoy all your channel and I always stay up to date with watching it. Please I have a question, although its different from today's topic. My baby is 5months old but doesn't sleep on her back. She always enjoy sleeping on her tummy. Even when she is fast asleep and you put her to bed on her back, she wakes up immediately. How do I go about this to get her to start sleeping on her back?

[@emmahubbard6675]

Hi @Ezeonu Chommy thanks for your lovely comment. Glad you find these videos helpful. In regards to your question about your little one preferring to sleep on her tummy. Given her age I am assuming that she might be rolling onto her tummy after you put her to bed on her back? If she is independently rolling onto her tummy then you don’t need to worry about rolling her back onto her back for sleep. Just make sure she is sleeping in a cot without toys, pillows and loose blankets (follow the safe sleep guidelines). Also make sure if she is sleeping in a sleeping bag her arms are out (so no longer a swaddle). Hope that makes sense

[@irinaandrievschi1041]

My baby is the same age and does the same thing. Since she discovered the sleep on the tummy, she is only sleeping this way and she sleeps a lot better. I am not concerned, I only take out the tiny improvised pillow, if she turns on her tummy and she cand sleep like this all night long.

[@EmmaHubbard]

My little ones started to roll onto their tummy for sleep (after I put them to bed on their back) at around 5 months. I also found once they did this they started linking their sleep cycles (so sleeping for longer) and were able to self settle.

[@emmanuelhappiness3352]

@@EmmaHubbard what advice will u give to a mum whose baby has been sleeping on his tummy right from birth because he sleeps very briefly when placed on his back and this interrupt his sleep alots. This is so bad that when his back touches the bed he cries and only sleeps long when he sleeps on his tummy...what tips will u give to the mama if she intends trying to make the baby sleeps on his back. Please kindly note the baby is now 5month and has been sleeping on his tummy since birth .

[@ezeonuchommy5199]

@@emmahubbard6675 thanks for responding. This is quite reassuring. Waiting for more videos from you😊

[@hazrenatalib7640]

Hi Emma! This is very informative. My daughter is 1yrs old now, but she still mouthing her toys whenever her play time, should i be concern about that?

[@EmmaHubbard]

Glad it was helpful! I wouldn't necessarily be concerned, particularly if she can point with a finger and pick up food using her thumb and pointer finger.

[@marycakegarcia4667]

Hi I would like to ask some help for my baby . He is now 1year and 3mknths old however he cannot sit by his own yet cannot stand up straight . Hope you can help me i don't know what to do😭

[@rashn2065]

This was great! Your videos always come at the right time for me, lol. Lately my LO has started hitting/touching her head and grabbing her own hair. I don't know if that's something I should be worried about or not

[@EmmaHubbard]

Hi @Rash N how old is your little one? Babies have a grasp reflex from birth until around 4 months which means that whenever their hand touch something it closes automatically. This often results in them accidentally grabbing their hair. They also have limited control of the arms in the beginning. I honestly feel it isn’t until 5 months they are more accurate with this hand movements and less likely to accidentally hit their face or head.

[@rashn2065]

@@EmmaHubbard thanks Emma. My LO is 6months old in a few days. Maybe she still has some of that grasp reflex?

[@shevoneesaunders6768]

My daughter is 6 weeks old is it okie for her to do it?

[@mentrinh]

Hi Emma, my son is 5 months and he is extremly like sucking thumbs. About recent 3weeks, it's very hard to feed him because he just wants to suck his hand or whatever within his reach out, but definitely not the bottle. He keeps pushing away the bottle with both hand. We're very worried because it decreases the amount of milk with he drinks a lot, some day just 600ml and he's 6.8kg, everything else is normal. What should we do with him???

[@reshmavipin1749]

Thank you mam..... Its very hepfull to me.... My baby is started suking his fingers......

[@EmmaHubbard]

Glad you found it helpful

[@s.mohammad2360]

Thanks for this! My 8 month old does this! She will inspect her toy usually then stick it in her mouth for awhile, inspect it again and go find a new toy 😂

[@dafysenal5969]

Sigh😌 what a relief .. Thank you for this video Emma!

[@stephaniesunshine6523]

My baby is 3 months and he does this his dad always tries to take his hands out his mouth but I just let him at his fingers as long as there clean. He is alittle violent with his hands haha tries to stick his whole hand in there

[@woteverism]

My son 2 n a half month old gets frustrated as he can’t put his thumb in and even if he does, then he pokes his eyes with the rest of the fingers and ends up crying. How can I help him?

[@joharra]

My baby right now.

[@EmmaHubbard]

Hopefully knowing that it is all normal behaviour makes it less stressful for you.

[@selenaflack8391]

Thanks so much for this video! My baby girl (5 months) has started doing this and is actually making herself gag! She’s definitely not hungry when doing it, as it’s usually after I have fed her. Should I be concerned about this?

[@EmmaHubbard]

I wouldn’t be concerned. It is very common that they activate their gag reflex when they start mouthing their hands and toys. It’s close to the front of their mouth and will further back with time.

[@selenaflack8391]

@@EmmaHubbard thank you for explaining 😊 I was a bit worried, but you have reassured me 😉 many thanks ☺️

[@selenaflack8391]

@You Tube hey, all good now. She still shoves things in her mouth all day long, but she’s not gagging as much, which I guess is good in a way. It means her gag reflex is further back now. Sorry to hear your little one is doing it and making himself vomit. It’s not nice when they do it, but he should grow out of it. All the best xo

[@musicloversnl7291]

my 2mos bb boy does like it.i worry coz his nail frequently touches gums..

[@user-su8yc6xs6n]

Im worried because my baby vomits a lot when he is mouthing. Is it still ok?

[@justaey]

😍

[@EmmaHubbard]

Glad you liked this video.

[@nehadubey7826]

Mam, my daughter is 6 month old and she use to scream out loud at times and continues it for long, why she do that??

[@thefacebookhasser]

my daughter does it ALL THE TIME, does that mean she's always stressed?

[@9fabian8mariela10]

My oldest son is 6 years old and still sucks on his thumb when he sleeps.. i cant get him to stop

[@teacherthais]

Don't understand why people still take mouthing in a negative way

[@newt1834]

I like when my babies bite themselves and are first shocked and startled, then cry.

[@sabeenaa3711]

Actually I was in trouble with my baby's mouthing.. Whenever she does mouthing then it leads to vomiting. What do i do.

[@EmmaHubbard]

I am guessing it is just the gag reflex. But good to see the doctor if you are concerned.

[@shannie4184]

My 2 month old does this While babaling she also sucks her tongue

[@creationsbykaf3221]

My 5 months old keeps sucking on his fingers and he is drooling alot... Dont know why.. my pediatrician says that this is his habbit nothing more but i am really worried about this

[@EmmaHubbard]

Hi @Kainat Ateeq I would try not to stress. Babies at this age tend to suck their hands and toys as this is the way the explore/play and also help soothe themselves. You will nice your baby drools a lot because his hand because the motor receptors in the mouth are telling the brain to produce saliva. Over the next 6-7 months he will stop mouthing toys and get more control of the saliva and stop mouth and drooling.

[@creationsbykaf3221]

Thank You so much

[@madihasaeed6283]

My baby girl is 4.5 months Nd she is mouthing her hand all the time N i became to knw tht she is teething now Tht is why she is having irritation in her gums She always puts her hand in mouth nd every thing she gets. .....

[@ssm090]

My baby’s mouthing tends to keep my baby awake rather than soothe him to sleep. He will be awake for such a long time with his hand in his mouth and when I go in and pull his hand out of his mouth he falls asleep within minutes. It’s annoying lol

[@EmmaHubbard]

That sounds very annoying. If your little one is under 3 months I do find that the mouthing tends to keep them awake because it activates the rooting reflex. I find swaddling with arms down help them fall asleep quicker if they are under 4 months and not close to rolling.

[@ssm090]

@@EmmaHubbard he’s almost 6 months and rolls around a lot. I did swaddle him in his younger months and it definitely helped but now I can’t control him anymore haha. He might be teething but he must not be in much pain if he falls asleep in seconds after I pin his hands down. He’s still sleeps really good after that initial falling asleep period though. Hopefully he just grows out of it.

[@salihsaq]

My 7 month old granddaughter has been sucking her bottom lips and she is not keen on drinking breast milk

[@dotdot_8003]

My 2 month old refuses her bottles and her pacifier. She only want to suck on her fist and laugh. Even when sleeping she throws one arm over her eyes and start sucking on her wrist.

[@elizabethdonley3910]

my son sucks his whole closed fist. is that ok?

[@EmmaHubbard]

Yep that is totally fine!

[@asianeyes1006]

My daughter started sucking her thumb at 6 weeks. We are now 2 months from her turning 5 and can’t get her to stop 😩. It has even made a gap in her top and bottom teeth from her thumb. Helppppp

[@EmmaHubbard]

Oh that sounds so challenging. It would be best to talk to your daughters doctor who can give you some tailored strategies to use with your daughter. Sorry I can’t be of more help.