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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

3 1/2 month old baby always putting her hand in her mouth

14 replies

Natheen · 04/02/2010 14:30

My baby is always putting her hand in her mouth and sucking on it, she'll try to put all 10 fingers into her mouth sometimes. I think she might be too small for teething and plus I don't see anything in her gum. She has not been drinking much lately. Any advice. I tried pacifier, she takes it out and put her hands in her mouth. She sometimes makes herself throw up like that.

OP posts:

flowerybeanbag · 04/02/2010 14:35

She could be teething, some begin really early and I think some babies are even born with teeth.

fluffyanimal · 04/02/2010 14:35

Teething symptoms can start that early and go on for months before teeth break through. Or she could just have found her hand and be exploring it. If it makes her gag she'll take it out. It's surely not doing any harm so I'd say don't worry about it unless she seems to be in discomfort. Try a cooling teething ring or some teething gel to see if she seems more comfortable.

arolf · 04/02/2010 19:33

think it's just a developmental stage - every other baby I know has been doing this between 3 and 4 months!

YouLukaAmazing · 04/02/2010 19:35

Message withdrawn

Adamsmam · 04/02/2010 23:05

I agree with the last two posts. We have the exact same hand-eating going on here at 11 weeks - usually accompanied by singing!

Original poster

Natheen · 04/02/2010 23:21

My baby is drooling and also is being cranky, wants me to hold her all the time. She is refusing to drink her milk too.

OP posts:

madwomanintheattic · 04/02/2010 23:29

it's brilliant that she's putting her hands in her mouth, honestly . and very normal to be both dribbly and cranky

is it just this feed she doesn't want, n?

as long as she isn't hot and isn't dehydrated, it's probably nothing to worry about. (are you getting plenty of wet nappies?)

have you got her on something for the reflux? sometimes they do get a bit off their milk if they associate it with pain?

you could also check her mouth for any signs of thrush, just to make sure?

i don't think i put ds1 down until he was about 7 mos tbh. some babies are just needier than others!

Original poster

Natheen · 05/02/2010 00:21

It's been about a week now where she is refusing to drink her milk and i kinda have to push her. Maybe its the reflux causing anxiety or perhaps teething.

OP posts:

Original poster

Natheen · 05/02/2010 00:23

she drinks about 20 oz a day and is on medication for reflux. She does not look to be dehydrated as she has salvia in her mouth and has tears.

OP posts:

madwomanintheattic · 05/02/2010 03:12

as long as you are getting wet nappies there's enough getting in

i've no idea on quantities tbh, but if dcs are not dehydrated and are continuing to put on weight then that's good enough for me!

are you feeding her to a schedule, or on demand? is she feeding every 2 hours day and night? only one of mine was ff at that age, and she was such a toad that some days she would only have 8oz in total, but i spent most of the time at the doctor's in tears. they were terrified of her and referred us straight to the hospital every time we turned up.

i think one of the benefits of bfing is that you don't actually know how much they are getting, so you can't worry about it - but tbh we all find something to worry about anyway. it's such a huge shock to have a tiny baby totally dependent on you that it's only natural to worry.

with dd1 the refluxy stuff stopped when she started solids. it took longer with dd2, but i think that was because of her other issues tbh.

have you got a local baby group that you could go to? it might reassure you a little?

tortoiseonthehalfshell · 05/02/2010 03:51

My daughter made herself throw up by shoving her hands in her mouth at that age, too. They're really just...not too bright, frankly, at that age.

Given that you saw the GP yesterday and he's not worried, I think you maybe just need to relax a bit more. I know it's hard, when they're tiny, but at 3 1/2 months just concentrate on the wet diapers and it'll probably be fine!

BertieBotts · 05/02/2010 04:32

I agree that it is developmental. She is just beginning to explore the world, mainly through her mouth at this stage. She has just noticed her hands and realised she can control them and wants to know what they feel/taste like - the next stage is her thinking "Finally, I worked out what these handy fingery things are for, they are for getting things to my mouth for exploring!" and putting EVERYTHING in her mouth. A few months later (at 8-9 months or so) she will realise that some things are food and some aren't and although she will still put most things in her mouth to try them, she will be exploring more with her hands instead.

BertieBotts · 05/02/2010 04:39

Have you heard of Treasure Baskets/Heuristic Play by the way? It sounds as though it might be a good time to start collecting things to put one together for her.

old thread with info here

GreenMonkies · 06/02/2010 10:54

DD2 had her hands in her mouth almost constantly, even before she was born, se had her fingers in her mouth at her 20 week scan! She has always been a very hand-to-mouth baby, she used to try to put her fingers in her mouth when she was feeding (very painful if there was any growth at all on her finger nails! ) and still has a tendency to chew/suck mouth things now, aged 3½. Some babies are very "oral" like this, others aren't. DD2 took spectacularly to BLW, I've never had to feed her as she has always been incredibly proficient at stuffing things in her mouth, where as DD1 wasn't very orally fixated and often had to be encouraged to eat or fed.

It's partly developmental and partly personality.

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