Why should I encourage mouthing on toys?

While it can be frustrating (and unsanitary!) at times, mouthing toys is important for baby's development for many reasons.  Babies typically begin to explore fingers and toys ⁠in their mouth around 4-5 months of age. This mouthing behavior tends to peak midway through the second half of baby's first year and fades gradually over time.⁠⁠

Through mouthing, baby is leaning about:⁠

Properties of objects: size, texture, shape⁠, taste⁠

• Oral-motor skills: chewing (jaw strength), tongue movement side-to-side⁠.

• Strengthening and refining movements for eating and later speech sound development⁠

• Oral desensitization: Texture, pressure and movement in a controlled way to prep for transition to foods

• ⁠Calming and self-soothing⁠

When looking for a good teething/mouthing toy, look for these characteristics:

• ⁠Lightweight and easy for baby to manipulate⁠

• Large enough to not be a choking hazard⁠

• Small protrusion that can easily be placed farther back in the mouth for chewing practice at the molar area (not just front and center)⁠Variety of smooth and bumpy textures and firmness

• ⁠Easily washable and durable for when teeth come in⁠

Keep in Mind

When babies are in a mouthing phase (and beyond) it is so very important to ensure your home is free of items small enough to choke on. My favorite rule of thumb- if it can fit through a TP roll, it's too small for baby to have access to.⁠ Accidental poisoning is also a concern, so now is the perfect time to add child locks to your cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom and get those chemicals up away from baby’s reach. We like these locks here.

Mouthing can seem like it lasts forever, but before you know it, baby will have moved on to using their hands to explore and manipulate toys in so many different ways. Like all things in motherhood, it will seem long in the moment, but a blip in time once you’re through it. Encourage baby to mouth on safe, non-toxic toys and their fingers and watch those mouth skills blossom. 

Check out our wooden toys specially designed for kids from 0-12 months. Just like Pocotoys wooden toys, non-toxic. There is no safety hazard for children's chewing toys during the oral period.