10 Week Old Sucking/Chewing Hand

[CinnamonHamster]

Hi all, I just wondered if anyone had experience with a little one really ferociously sucking/chewing on their hand or arm? I know it can be a hunger cue but DS had just finished 5 ounce bottle of EBM and been burped. He does this quite often and ends up leaving bruises (hickeys) on his arms. Any advice? Is it a reflux thing maybe? TIA 🥰

Have you tried offering more milk when he does it?

Babys have a really strong need to suck, if baby is breastfed on the breast then this need can be satisfied without a dummy. It’s generally recommended that baby’s who are formula fed have a dummy so if your DS is only fed using bottles then it’s worth trying a dummy too.

He may also be doing it because he’s learnt that he can!

@PinkPlantCase he is breast fed mainly and has some EBM bottles when out and about and overnight so his dad can do some feeds. I have offered more milk - he never refuses milk or time on the breast but ends up bringing it back up (like it went down so not even curdled). He does also use a dummy but sometimes spits it out to put his hand in instead! Xx

Some babies just find chewing their hands soothing! Nothing to worry about if you have a happy baby.

It's a baby thing. I remember with DC1 that the second he could put his hand to his mouth, he was always sucking it. Then when he could put something into his mouth, he was always doing that.

He is 9YO now and still chews everything.

My DS does this (11 weeks) I think it's a comfort thing as he only does it when he's in a mood. He never took a dummy so think this is his replacement.

It's a normal developmental stage and can be a sign of teething as well

My ds does this a lot too. He's 9 weeks old. He does it whether he's happy, sad, hungry or full. He used to just do it as a hunger cue but now because he does it all the time it's a bit harder to tell if he's hungry or not 😅
I just assumed he's doing it because he's learning more about his hands and it's his way of exploring them.

Very normal phase all babies go through, generally self soothing. However could be a sign of teething so I'd be inclined to give him some calpol and see if the pain relief means he does it less. And id try a few different sorts of teething toys in case you can convince him to switch and give his hand a rest!

Thank you alll! That's calmed my worries about that!