Bring things to mouth

You may notice that whatever Your Child can grab will end up in the mouth. This is all part of healthy development, as it helps to build Your Child’s immune system.

Infant mouthing was traditionally explained as a source of gratification and exploration — babies put things in their mouth to self-soothe or because they are curious about what eating could feel like.

How to support this development
Obviously, not all things are safe for you little munching machine. Watch out for things that can cause choking hazards, such as small toys or pieces of food that are too large. Also, be mindful of sharp objects, household chemicals, and things that can cause suffocation and strangulation hazards, such as plastic bags and strings.

Create a safe space for Your Child to explore by vacuuming and scanning the room for objects on the floor that babies can pick up. In case of emergency, be sure to have all necessary phone numbers saved and accessible to anyone else looking after your little one.

Note: All children develop differently and at their own pace. For children born preterm, the referred timeframe for achieving the various developmental milestones might be incorrect.

Sources: The information and graphs about when children reach specific milestones are taken from various sources, including the United States Center for Disease Control (CDC), the Denver Developmental Screening Test, and the State Institute of Early Childhood Research, Germany (IFP).