It’s critical that babies go through months of exploring toys and teethers with their mouths. Learn why and how, how to help them if they’re not, and what the consequence could be if they don’t learn how.
Is it weird that my baby won’t put toys in their mouth?
It’s a question I’ve been asked many times, and as odd it may seem to you, it doesn’t at all seem too odd to me. And, if you’ve noticed, give yourself a pat on the back because a lot of parents miss it.
It’s actually REALLY important that babies put toys, their hands, and teethers into their mouth at any early age and continue to do so for months. It’s so important, that years later when I’m helping a picky eater, I always ask the question, “Did they put toys in their mouth as a baby?” Because, if they didn’t, it indicates to me where at least some of the feeding troubles began!
So, I’m glad you’re here because there’s a lot to learn about why babies should be putting toys in their mouth, why it’s so important, and how you can help them begin to do this beneficial development skill.
Why It’s So Important for Babies and Toddlers to Put Toys in Their Mouth
More times than I can count, I sat across from a mom and dad that were worried and overwhelmed because their baby and toddler had not begun to eat real foods. And, as I asked them about their child putting toys into their mouth, they would say, “No, they don’t do that, and we thought it was a good thing because we didn’t have to worry about them putting something unsafe into their mouth.”
Well, that’s true.
It is utterly nerve racking making sure your baby isn’t eating lint, dog food, or the remote control.
Initially, it may seem like a gift, one less thing you have to worry about. But, the truth is that babies mouth on those toys and random objects for a reason. It’s like they have an internal drive to explore with their mouth. They were literally designed to!
That motivation is important because it prepares babies, and then toddlers, for eating. When a baby is mouthing on their hands or a toy, they’re getting a ton of benefits like:
- Experiencing different textures, which helps them accept a range of textures of food
- Desensitizes the very sensitive gag reflex that babies are born with, which helps them move food around in their mouth better
- Builds strength in their jaw, tongue, and cheeks (aka oral motor skills) as they give those muscles a work out, which is critical for eating
- Practice chewing, which is the first step to teaching them how to chew their foods
You can see that babies mouthing on toys and teethers is crucial for learning to eat table foods. Without going through this stage, many babies refuse or gag and spit out table foods when they’re introduced.
What It Means If Your Baby Is NOT Putting Toys in Their Mouth
At this point, you’re probably freaking out if your baby isn’t putting toys in their mouth or never did, but hang on a second, we’re going to get to some strategies to help your baby or toddler.
First though, you’re probably wondering why your baby never showed that motivation many other babies do to explore their world with their mouth. Well, there’s a few different reasons:
- Sensory sensitivity – Which simply means that a child may not want to experience the way a toy feels in their mouth. This has to do with the way their brain is perceiving sensations, and this is highly unique. The good news is that this can be worked through. And, when this is the culprit, your child will often push your hands away if you try to put anything in their mouth for them. Learn more about sensory sensitivity.
- Difficulty bringing toys to their mouth – Some kids have some muscle or coordination weakness that make it physically hard for them to bring toys to their mouth. In this case, you’ll usually see your child try a few times before giving up.
- Difficulty chewing on toys – In the same way, some kids have muscle or coordination weakness in the muscles in their mouth. So, when they bring the toy to their mouth, it’s too exhausting to chew on it. You’ll often see babies that are not motivated to bring things to their mouth, if this is the cause.
- Not interested – And for a variety of reasons, some babies seem to lack that natural interest in bringing toys to their mouth, and while there may not be any reason for that initially, with the lack of exposure, it can cause feeding issues in the near future.
Truly any baby can be faced with any of these challenges with no good explanation. But, we do see kids that have been born prematurely or have developmental delays that have a high frequency of not mouthing on toys.
How to Help Your Baby Learn to Explore With Their Mouth
Whether your baby is 6 months old or you have a toddler that is 18 months old, if they aren’t or didn’t mouth on toys, it’s extremely likely that they’re feeding skills are affected. So it’s important to show them how to start bringing items to their mouth, even if they’re a toddler, this is still appropriate as it will help them transition to table foods, since so many of these kiddos are stuck on milk or baby food.
1. What I like to do first is simply start by interacting with your child and playing some “games” where you touch their cheeks, lips, or mouth. With a baby or toddler, this is pretty easy. They can be sitting on your lap or across from you on the floor. Think about singing a simple nursery rhyme or counting as you touch them briefly around their mouth.
I know it sounds a little strange, but if your child doesn’t bring anything to their mouth, they may be a little sensitive and this type of play helps get them ready to tolerate actual objects near their mouth.
I also like to give kisses and squish their cheeks often. And, I have to mention that if your child is eating baby food, to allow them to get messy as possible. Read why letting babies and toddlers get messy is important. Then, when it’s time to clean them up, use a wet wash cloth to firmly wipe their cheeks off.
2. Get a variety of different types of teethers out and have them available. Sometimes when our child has refused them a few times, we simply don’t pull them back out again. Your baby might be interested now and pick one up on their own.
I also like to hand them a teether when they’re sitting in their high chair. They can’t go anywhere and may be more likely to at least bring it to their mouth!
3. It’s time to show them how to bring the teether to their mouth. Make sure you have good eye contact and show them how you touch it to your lips. Hand them a teether and show them a few more times – will they imitate?
Be patient with this because most babies and toddlers need to see something many times, so this could take a few days. Persistence is key here. Just keep trying over and over again! You may need to put this time on the schedule for 3 times a day for just a few minutes each time. As soon as they start to copy you, then move onto demonstrating how to put it in your mouth and bite on it!
4. If you’re child is still not mimicking what you’re doing in a few days, then you’ll want to take the teether to their mouth for them. See if they’ll hold it and let you guide their hand to their mouth. After the modeling that you’ve been doing and frequent touching of their face, your baby might be ready for this, but others may bat your hand away as soon as it gets close to their mouth, that’s okay.
It just may take some practice. So, again, you’ll want to continue 3-4 times a day of just trying to offer these teethers. And, I’d still continue to demonstrate for them as well.
It’s important to offer a couple of different types of teethers with different textures as your child may gravitate towards one. However, once they are bringing a teether to their mouth, you’ll want to encourage them to do the same with different ones and other toys so they’re getting a variety of textures and sensations in their mouth.
This whole process can take a couple of weeks, and in some cases longer.
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My Favorite Teething Toys to Ultimately Help Babies Eat
While there really isn’t a “wrong” teether to use, there are some that can be particularly helpful and that I like to use as a feeding therapist. So if you’re looking to grab some new ones, these are my top picks:
- Zoli bunny teether – I love this teether because it’s easy for babies to handle, to clean, and those two bunny ear heads can get far enough back on the gums so they can get some good chewing practice and make that gag reflex less sensitive.
- Vibrating teething star – When your baby bites down, this teether vibrates! This is incredible sensory input for their mouth, plus it gives them a powerful cause and effect connection so they keep biting more. Some babies will be sensitive to vibration, at least at first.
Beyond Toys, Using Some Other Clever Tools…
Besides toys and teethers, there are some other objects that you can encourage your baby or toddler to put in their mouth, like their hands! This is how babies usually start to explore with their mouth around 3-4 months old.
Their hands will be much less obtrusive because it’s part of them, they have full control. So you can think about playing a game where you model tapping your lips, putting a finger in your mouth, and then all your fingers. You can make it quick so it’s fun, and if your baby likes baby food, just dip their finger in a little bit of baby food and help them get their finger to their mouth!
Perfect way to spend a few minutes while they’re in their highchair.
Another tool to use is a toothbrush, many parents don’t start brushing teeth until a year old or even older. That’s usually not an issue, but getting a toothbrush or a baby gum massager (the thing you slide over your finger) can also help them get used to having something foreign in their mouth!
Baby Struggling With Table Foods?
Now you know why your baby isn’t putting toys and teething toys into their mouth, this isn’t just a quirk! It’s a sign actually, to let you know they need some help with this stage.
But, there’s a lot more you can do to help get them eating table foods. To help get you started, I’ve got a free Learn to Eat Table Foods printable pack for you. All you need to do is click the link below and I’ll send it right over to your inbox. Easy peasy!
Click here for the free Learn to Eat Table Foods Printable
And, if you’ve got any questions about your babe, just ask them in the comments below! I love hearing from YOU:)
More on Babies/Toddlers and Table Foods
Pocketing Food Strategies and Causes in Kids
6 Tips to Get Babies and Toddlers to Stop Throwing Food!
5 Myths About Babies and Toddlers that Won’t Eat Table Foods
Transitioning Your Baby (or Toddler) to Table Foods
Alisha Grogan is a licensed occupational therapist and founder of Your Kid’s Table. She has over 14 years experience with expertise in sensory processing and feeding development in babies, toddlers, and children. Alisha also has 3 boys of her own at home. Learn more about her here.
Hi my son is 20 mos old, born at 35 weeks. Never mouthed anything except ont finger, only has 4 lwr teeth and 3 upper teeth so far. I am a dental hygienist and realized he has an upper lip tie because he holds that lip very tightly closed and screams like I am torturing him when I try to brush up there. I have a Z Vibe. He hates it. He hates anything touching his upper lip, doesn’t like it much in his cheeks either, i have tried to get him to like it by playing with it on his face and tickling him with it which he laughs but once I put it on his lips or in his mouth he loses it. He doesn’t chew well because I notice his food in his diaper pretty much while like peas, carrots, beans etc. I try to get him to play with tethers and he just screams I notice every once in awhile he will hold a smooth ball up to his mouth and lick it or try to bite it but it’s too big, also have seen him do this with the baby bassinet bar. He will not put food in his mouth only if it is on a spoon or fork. Will not bite fruit or anything large in strips or whatever, I have tried it all. He doesn’t want it coming to his mouth. What should I try next? Is it ok if I force him to use the zvibe just so he can get the muscles working? He drinks through a straw fine. If he is never going to practice on his own, then how will he ever learn?
Hi Tara! Sorry to hear that it’s been a struggle- keep trying! Definitely don’t force anything though, don’t force him to use the zvibe if he doesn’t want it, this can lead to a negative experience. Here is a blog post with more oral motor exercises you can try!
Best,
Kalyn
My son will be 10mos next week. He will eat or at least try just about anything we offer him, but doesn’t show any interest in feeding himself and takes absolutely forever to chew a single bite. (I spent years working a day care and he’s the slowest baby I’ve ever fed).
He’s got pincher grasp, but will pick up a piece of food, the spoon, etc and drop it off the tray. He rarely puts toys in his mouth. He DOES have a tongue tie but it didn’t seem to affect his eating when he was born. Our pediatrician doesn’t seem to be concerned about the tie. We’ve tried showing him how to do bring food to his mouth. He sits with us during mealtime and shows interest in food, just not doing it himself. He also will not bite a large piece of food (teething cracker, etc).
He’s crawling, pulling up, etc without any difficulty.
Any advice?
Hi Courtney! Thanks for reaching out! To help with his chewing skills, try some oral motor exercises- brushing his gums, offering toys/teethers, crunchy meltable puffs, or foods he can mouth (whole, peeled carrot or a long stalk of celery). I wouldn’t worry too much about him not feeding himself yet! For the average toddler, we see the skill of self feeding emerge usually around 15 months. In the meantime, keep modeling and practicing with self feeding- allowing him to touch/feel/play with his food and utensils. Try pre-loading a spoon and handing it to him, even guiding his hand holding the spoon to his mouth. We have a blog post that gives more tips for self feeding- check it out here! In terms of him not taking bites of a large piece of food, that might not happen until 11-14 months of age. Even though he may be able to take bites, there will likely be many foods that will need to be cut up in bite sized pieces for the next 3-6 months still. Keep practicing and offering! Hope this helps!
Best,
Kalyn
I will try some of your suggestions. You described my 2 1/2 year old with respect to not putting anything in his mouth when he was a baby. Right now he only takes a bottle with formula and will snack on crackers. That is his diet. When he was a baby, he did eat baby food usually if we distracted him with a cartoon video. We do have an occupational therapist working with him but is making very little progress. While I am introducing some of your suggestions, my question is this:
Until he starts to eat people food, is he getting enough nutrition from just the formula. I am concerned that he may be deficient in vitamins and minerals which could impact his growth and health. I am also interested in any recommendations you may have. Thank you.
Hey Gail,
Thanks for reaching out! Generally speaking the toddler formulas out there on the market now are generally pretty well rounded in terms of nutrition. If your kiddo is currently on a really limited diet but getting enough calories, then slowly expanding his diet is the way to go! You can start introducing new types of crackers (start with the most similar to what he’s currently eating). I’d recommend our free picky eating workshop for some great ideas to help you as well! It sounds like it would be the perfect fit. You can save your seat HERE. Let us know if you have any questions!
Best,
Andrea
My 10 month old won’t bring foo to his mouth. He gets upset and pushes back when I attempt to guide his loaded hand to his mouth. He does chew on his fingers constantly. He also allows me to feed him baby food. He’s not big on table food, I think he grows tired of chewing or impatient if the extra time it takes to chew and fill up his belly.
Also, while he does put his fingers and hands in his mouth, he does not bring toys to his mouth… ever. Again, when I try to guide a teething toy in his hand to his mouth he strongly resists.
I wonder if he simply doesn’t like me controlling his arms. But I’m getting very concerned about his development.
Hey Erika,
We know that can be stressful! We’d definitely suggest reaching out to his pediatrician if you have any concerns about his development. We’d also suggest our free Table Foods Workshop. It’s geared towards little ones to have trouble transitioning from baby food to table foods. I think it would be the perfect fit! You can save your seat HERE.
Best,
Andrea
Hi Erika, I hope you don’t mind me messaging you but I found your comment and you have exactly described my 9mo son. Can you please let me know how you have got on nearly 2 years later? Did your son learn to self feed? If so, when? Thanks v much in advance.
My baby is almost 7 months old. I realized she never put anything into her mouth. I bought her so many teethers but she never bites them even when teething. She put her fingers into her mouth but not toys. I started to introduce solid to her but she seems very serious every time i put spoon to her mouth. Sometimes she vomits if she swallows some food. Same thing when she went to to get vaccines, she did not cry even after getting 4 shots, but cried and threw up when doctor drops something into her mouth. I’m not sure what did i do to make her so scare. Please help.
Hey Kim,
Thanks so much for reaching out, we understand how hard this can be. I’d first be trying to help her with touching the food, this is a really helpful step towards eating. As well as providing her with a spoon, so that she can play with it and explore as well. We do have a free workshop that providies other strategies as well for transitioning to table foods. You can save your seat here
Best,
Desiree
Hi my son is 10 months old he will hold anything at all including finger foods toys. I have seen a gp they are not concerned has he grabs and smacks things and plays with activity tablea can crawl and pull him self up and twist ect. It is just getting him to hold things and put things to his mouth . He will only chew his fingers. They seem to think it is possibly he doesnt like the feel of things. Can you please give me any advice you can to help. Thank you!
Hi Amy,
Thanks for reaching out! That is wonderful that your son is crawling and pulling himself up! You might try imitating the behavior that you want him to do, such as showing him how to pick up a toy and move it your own mouth. Sometimes that can be helpful! You also could try to gently use your hands over his to show him how to hold onto toys to play with and to bring it to his mouth. We also have a post dedicated to Sensory Issues in Toddlers. It might be helpful for you to check it out to see if that might be what’s going on! I hope that helps get you started!
Best,
Andrea
Your Kids Table Team
Hi
My son is 5 years now and i am still struggling with food… as baby he refused breast feeding from day 1 then he refused to put any thing in his mouth except pacifier.
At 6th month i started solid and it was fine but at age 1.5 year he got sick and vomited alot and since then he refuses eating much , he chews food extremly slowly, he can keep food in his mouth for an hour without swallowing it, he never said he is hungry or asked for food, he never asks to get chips or chocolate or any kind of junk food, i tried starving him and he never asked for food.
I still feed him myself and sometimes i force him to eat by himself.. he spends 4 hours to finish half plate!!
Oh goodness, that sounds so tough for you! We know it can be scary when kiddos refuse to eat! You might reach out to his doctor and let them know how concerned you are about this! Pocketing food can be really common if kids are struggling with feeding either because they have a difficult time chewing or because of sensory needs. This article might be a helpful place to start.
Best,
Andrea
Hi…i am mother of 3 year old twin girl and one of my twin did not put any toy or table food in her mouth she started crying whenever i tried.i went to many ot as well but did not get benefit .could you please help me how could i do exercises with her?
Hi Saad! Check out this post for a list of oral motor exercises that may be helpful 🙂
Best,
Kalyn
My son was very similar we just couldn’t do baby led weening as he would choke. We had him on baby food until a year and slowly introduced chunkier jars/food get a baby blender try the food if baby rejects it because it’s chunky blend it a bit more. Xx
My baby is 8 months old and has never really put any toys in her mouth. Sometimes her own hand but not really toys, as she likes to explore these with her hands instead. We have started her on solid foods but noticed she doesn’t seem to understand or have any interest in picking food up and putting it to her mouth. She will eat food I give her on a spoon (mostly porridge, baby rice, some smoothly mashed foods) and sometimes tiny bits of banana or egg from my fingers but never ever picks up food and doesn’t like solid things like melty puffs. She has also vomited after coughing/gagging a couple of times when a piece of bread has been a little bit bigger than a tiny piece. I’m now really worried after reading your article and would love to know what I can do to help her. Thanks!
Hey Steph,
I’d make sure to be modeling for her placing the items in her mouth and overexaggerating it, so she can see and eventually copy you. As for the other suggestions if you haven’t seen our free workshop, I’d make sure to check that out, it’s full of great information for transitioning to table foods. Save your seat here
Best,
Desiree
My 9 month old daughter cries when I try to feed her solids… Sometimes I force feed her even when she is crying… What to do??? I am really worried about her. Not at all opening her mouth to eat. Please help.
So glad you reached out! We’d recommend trying to work on getting her to just play and touch the food, without forcing anything. Touching can be a really good first step to eating. We do have a free workshop as well that provides some tips and strategies for what to do since your child is not wanting to eat solids and which foods to start with. You can save your seat here
Best,
Desiree
My son was born at 36 and 3 days. He will be 1 in 4 days.
He sometimes gnawed or put some toys in his mouth. He prefers solids and finger or tables foods opposed to the puréed food. Sometimes he will gag on stuff depending on the texture which I think is normal.
He will move his head to the food or bring my hand to his mouth to get the food. But he will NOT feed him self and gets mad if I try to put food in his hand and bring it to his own mouth. If I put any food on his tray he will sometimes pick it up and feel it but most the time play and throw it.
I’m so so worried he isn’t feeding himself. I kind of want to say it’s a little lazy but I’m worried it could be developmental.
Hey Sarah,
Thanks for reaching out! It’s great that he is at least touching the food, this is a really good first step. So I would make sure that you continue to provide opportunities for him to continue touching it. I would also be modeling and overexaggerating you picking up a piece and eating it and making it fun with some silly noises to get him interested as well. We do have an article on self feeding that you can check out as it walks you through some other steps. Check it out here
Best,
Desiree
Hi. This sounds exactly the same as my 1 year old!
What’s happening with your son now? Do you have progress?
My daughter has had those problems since she was a baby and she still does. Shes 10 now. She was delayed on picking up toys and no one helped with nothing. It takes her hrs to eat. But it went beyond the eating and toys. She was delayed on all her mother skills I would tell the Dr they’d said that’s fine still get there. Now shes really struggling in school. She got diagnosed with delayed motor skills last yr. If ur kid is delayed on there motor skills see a OT I wish someone told me that. I was actually searching y my daughter keeps putting everything in her mouth. The only thing she sucked on was a pacifier that she’d cry everytime it fell every 10 min so when I took her pacifier off of her she found her thumb and still sucks that to this day. But she started putting everything in her mouth about a yr ago. I tell her get that out of her mouth u didn’t even do that when u were a baby and now ur to old to be doing that.
Hi Jill! Thanks for reaching out! Sounds like it’s been quite a journey with your daughter! We have a free sensory workshop that may help offer additional tips and support for you and her– save your seat here!
Best,
Kalyn
My baby is going to be 8 months old next week. He doesn’t like to put things on his mouth. Not toys, food, teether nothing at all. But when I spoon feeding, he love it. No reject.
Any tips?
My son is 10 months old now and we’re struggling to give him finger foods. He will eat purées thickened with rice cereal and puffs just fine but once we give him softened finger foods, he will make a disgusted face, grab the food and squish it in his hands. He will not put it towards his mouth. I started to do more research and discovered this site and realized that he doesn’t put much toys in his mouth. On occasion, he’ll put a teething toy but not for long. He loves putting his burp cloth in his mouth. I’m worried that this has affected his dislike for foods. I feel like he should have more interest in food by this age. Any tips is greatly appreciated. Thank you
Hey Melissa,
We understand your worry and love that you are giving him puffs to practice those chewing skills. I’d try tp provide some other meltables such as baby mum mums or townhouse crackers (these melt in your mouth without chewing) to get more variety with the meltables. I’d also try to engage in play with him in the mirror to try to get him to put the teething toys in his mouth and modeling them for him. We do have a free workshop that helps walk you through the transitioning to table foods. You can save your seat HERE
Best,
Desiree
Hey, Thanks for reaching out!
I’d try to provide opportunities for your baby to just touch and play with the food and toys with no pressure to put to his lips. But also you can model some placing of the toys to your lips to see if he will imitate. If you are having trouble transitioning to table foods, you can learn where to start in our Free Workshop save your seat now!
Best,
Desiree
Hi my daughter is 7 months now . She does not put her hand , toys or teether in her mouth not even when she was teething. She does not open her mouth for spoon feed, she is also not having finger foods. What should I do?
Thanks for reaching out! I would start with the steps in the article. Working on getting her accepting of you touching her cheeks, lips, mouth are a great place to start. And modeling placement of the teething toys in your mouth to get her to imitate is helpful as well.
Best,
Desiree
Hi Chaitali,
I just want to ask if you found a solution for your baby yet. My baby is having a same issue and she is 9 months. Not taking solid at all. If you knows what to do, please let me know how thank you.
My son is doing exactly this at 10 months. How did you help your child?
Hey, Thanks for reaching out!
I’d try to provide opportunities for your baby to just touch and play with the food and toys with no pressure to put to his lips. But also you can model some placing of the toys to your lips to see if he will imitate. If you are having trouble transitioning to table foods, you can learn where to start in our Free Workshop save your seat now!
Best,
Kalyn
Hey there! My daughter is 6 months next week and she also doesn’t not bring toys to her mouth. It’s as if she wants to but can’t get it there. Same with food she will grab it or a spoon and try to get it to her mouth and get frustrated and quit. It seems as though maybe it is a muscle issue? But the weird thing is she sucks on her hands all the time!! Any tips?
Hey Chelsea,
At that age I’d keep trying. You can bring objects up to her mouth for her and see if she can bring her hands up to then hold is after it gets there. I’d also make sure to be offering toys in all different placements to have her start working on reaching in a variety of directions. If she continues to have a hard time, you can reach out to your doctor and see about getting an early intervention evaluation (if in the US) as they can provide specific suggestions to help her along!
Best,
Desiree
Hi, when do children typically stop putting things in there mouth? If a two year old is still putting things in their mouth a lot, should a parent talk to an OT about getting a special chewie or something.
Hey Kate,
Thanks for reaching out! At 2 years old, it sounds like he could be seeking some oral input. You can start to replace what he’s picking up and chewing with something more appropriate and so he learns to seek out that item. Also providing with oral input throughout the day can help in decreasing putting items in their mouth. Here is our article on Oral Inout that will be really helpful in putting this all together.
Best,
Desiree
Thank you, is it common for toddlers ages 24-30 months to still be putting things in their mouths a lot?
They can still mouth things, but if they are doing it with everything, they are probably looking for input, so replacing can help.
Best,
Desiree
Hi!
I would really love and appreciate some advice as my child’s doctor has been absolutely no help whatsoever with my concerns. My daughter is a year old. She has never and still never puts toys or any objects in her mouth. She will put her hands in her mouth, her binky, and once in a blue moon her Sophie Giraffe teether. She crawls around like crazy and picks up and plays with anything she finds but doesn’t bring it to her mouth. This was recently brought to my attention by my husband’s sister. She came to stay with us for a few days recently and she is very concerned that my daughter is not bringing things to her mouth. My sister in law also has a good friend that’s an OT and apparently she said as well that she’s very concerned. Obviously this frightens me to hear that people are concerned about my daughter’s development. Now, after reading your article, things are starting to make sense to me. My daughter does NOT eat table food yet. And again, she is a year old. Just turned one on January 5th of this year. She is still ONLY eating baby food purées, (veggie and fruit purées, can’t get her to eat any that have meat in them) and stony field yobaby yogurt. That’s all, we can’t get her to eat anything else. She HATES when we touch her mouth, even wiping her mouth and hands after she eats her baby food is a challenge, she gets absolutely hysterical. We cannot put food to her mouth or she will get hysterical, if I “trick her” by putting a food with a different texture on the spoon (such as cottage cheese) instead of a purée once it hits her tongue she flips out. Won’t open her mouth again for a few minutes and doesn’t trust me for a few minutes when I try to give her her baby food back. We’ve tried puffs, bananas, avocados, pasta, etc. she will either pick the foods up and play with them in her hands and almost have this look of disgust on her face and then try to get the food off of her hands so she doesn’t have to touch it anymore. Or she will just take one finger and scoot the food around on her tray. She has never liked when we touch her hands either. She’s so behind with milestones. She’s not clapping yet, (won’t let me touch her hands and put them together to show her how) not waving or pointing, speaking, or standing or walking. This is all just so much for me right now and the fact that I feel she isn’t getting proper nutrition just makes it a thousand times worse. Her doctor at her one year appointment told me she needs to be completely off of formula now that she’s a year old or she’ll get malnourished because the formula no longer has the proper nutrition. I understand that and I could see getting a baby off of formula if they are eating table food and getting all of the necessary nutrition and protein and calories and everything then I can see how whole milk and table food would be enough. But my daughter is only eating purées and yogurt. I tried explaining this to her doctor and she still said to get her off of formula and transition her to cows milk only. So currently we are in the process of the transition. She is currently having four 8 oz bottles a day (4 oz milk 4 oz formula) and 4 pouches & a yogurt a day. I’m very nervous to take her off the formula. I just really need some guidance and I feel I am not getting any from her doctor. What do I do? How can I help my daughter? How can I get her to eat table food? Should I ask my doctor for a referral to an OT? Should I wait and try some activities to help her eat before rushing to the doctors office? Her next appointment won’t be until her 15 month appointment in April. Thank you so much for your time I look forward to hearing back from you.
Hey Sara,
First of all YOU are doing GREAT!! You are reading the cues for your child and giving her what she needs! And you are looking for resources to help, so keep up the great work mom! Secondly as far as her mouth and eating, I would try to start doing some play around her mouth, using her favorite blanket or stuffed animal to start getting her more comfortable with you touching her face, as you can then work up to be more inside her mouth. But do this outside of mealtimes so she can relate. Other tips in the post would be great too for different items for her to chew on when you can get there. We do have a free workshop on transitioning to table foods that I do think you would find helpful in steps to take, what to offer, how to offer, etc. It will be a great resource for you! Let us know if you have questions after watching! You can always reach out for a feeding evaluation and if you are in the US you can look into Early Intervention, you can read about Feeding Therapy here. Save your seat for the workshop HERE
Best,
Desiree
My six month old is constantly sucking on his hands but doesn’t seem to have much interest in brining toys to his mouth. He has started to bit down on different toys/teethers I will put in his mouth for him but will not bring a toy to his mouth to “explore” yet. We just started solids and I’m not sure if he is actually getting any of the food or just pushing it out. Any suggestions?
Hey Sarah,
It’s great that you are being aware of this now! It is a great sign that your son is accepting of the teethers that you are putting in his mouth and enjoying them. I’d try to have different textured ones and sitting down with him to show him to put them on his cheeks and lips and modeling for him to see if you can peak his interest with your modeling. This may take a little while, but will help with different textures and transfer over to foods later.
Best,
Desiree
Thanks for this article. My daughter is almost 10 months now. She never really put toys in her mouth, though when she was around 3-5 months, she would put her fingers and fist in her mouth. I did buy her one of those teething mittens but she always tried to shake it out and wanted to suck on her fingers directly. Nowadays she does not put anything else in her mouth except food that I spoon feed her, or food that I feed her by my hand (not hers). She doesn’t seem to want to self-feed (i.e., pick food up and put it in her mouth). Even if I try to hold her hand to do it, she rather drops the food than eat it. She does like touching things and differnt textures (grass, dirt, foil, sand etc), especially with her pointer finger. When I let her play with food, she will intensely examine it with her fingers, turn it around a few times with both hands, tear them apart, throw them on the floor, but never put it in her mouth, even if it is food she likes (mum mum crackers, baby gourmet mushies, etc.) I feel she does eat fine (when I feed her), should I still be worried about potential fussy eating in the future?
Hey Amelia,
Sounds like you are doing a great job at recognizing things that your daughter likes/doesn’t like. I’d recommend trying to get her to play with some of those textures that she is more hesitant with. This will help with her touching foods in the future to self-feed. Here are some IDEAS that you can pick from that may be appropriate for your daughter.
Best,
Desiree
Thank you so much for sharing! The situation with my 10 1/2 month old girl is a bit complicated. I couldn’t say that she “never” puts toys in her mouth, because she sometimes does, but for the most part, she does not. She is also not self-feeding yet, which is odd because in the past, she has picked up food and put it to her mouth (for example she picked up a piece of steak and sucked on it once). Despite this, she hasn’t really moved passed picking up food, looking at it, squishing it, and throwing it. Do I need to be concerned about a sensory processing issue and seeing an occupational therapist? Or is it possible she just isn’t that interested in putting things in her mouth, and if so, should I still be concerned? Thank you in advance.
Hey Natalie!
So happy that you found our article! I can understand the confusion with your little one as they do all follow their own paths. Always feel free to reach out to receive an occupational therapy evaluation even if it is only for the eval they will be able to provide specific suggestions for your child. I would try to have her work on doing some play with food outside of mealtimes to see how she interacts and if she will play and touch it! I think that this post may be helpful for you if you are having any questions on if there is a sensory issue! Red Flags
Best!
Desiree
Your Kids Table Team Member
Great article Alisha! My 3.5 years old never mouthed toys. He only eats pizza and fish fingers at the moment. Is this course available for older kids too?
Thanks Fay. The course mainly focuses on kids from 8 – 20 months. I have another course that is geared toward older kids (15 months and up) called Mealtime Works. You can read more about it here.