My son 8+ years has habit of putting everything in mouth, howsoever dirty it may be. inspite of telling ,explaining consequences but all in vain.

hi Tripat Preet! it has become a habit and old habits die hard. so it might take lot of patience and perseverance from your end to get rid of this habit. we need to understand that child is not doing it intentionally. it just happens as he has got used to it. so calmly remind him, that he is putting things in his mouth. whenever u feel he is going to put a thing in his mouth, gently replace that thing with a chewable or munching food item or divert his attention. doing this again and again would make him realize that he should not do it. also you could share with him the long term impact of doing so ,such as unaligned teeth, infections, and even damage to gums . please observe when does this mouthing behavior occur more frequently, when he is free, or anxious or while sleeping or no particular time. if it happens when he is free and getting bored, keep him occupied with some activities. if it's due to anxiety , work on it and make him calm down . talk to him and help him spell out whats causing it. offer him solutions how he can handle it and let him know , u r with him no matter what. avoid scolding him as that would further make it worse. if it happens during sleep, give him a washed cotton cloth toy which is safe and he can cuddle it. I am sure Tripat with your love and support he would soon overcome it. hope this helps!

Thanks Shikha. My son usually puts things in mouth usually while watching television. Felt something serious when I saw him putting his full socks n his shirt collar, anything on mouth A child may suffer from what anxiety while watching TV

hi again! Tripat it's difficult to say exactly what thoughts goes on in your child's mind without observing him , getting details about family background and other considering other factors but we can say for sure while watching TV he gets sensory stimulations so to soothe himself he does that. Having said that, u could offer him alternatives , a detour. but before that u need to let him know that he is into such a habit without embarrassing him. discuss with him what urge make him do that, how does he feel when he does that. suggest him alterative methods as mentioned earlier. to add to that could give him a toy which he can manoveure such as Rubik's cube or a squeezy ball or a ring which he can rotate or adjust. u could even after reminding him calmly that he's doing it , switch off TV and take him to a quiet room or for a walk. help him break this nervous habit by offering him alternatives. I am sure this would work over a period of time. u need to be patient and supportive in helping him get rid of it!