Pickle baby number four, Quatro, is well and truly mobile these days. Commando crawling at a surprising pace he no longer stays where you put him for more than a fleeting moment. Among an uncanny interest in the bathroom his main aim in life seems to be to eat things…. things other than food.
A leaf, a handful of sand, an odd sock, a rock, and yes, that photo above is my baby, chomping on a shoe.
When the girls were little they also put all manner of crazy things in their mouths and I would quickly dash over and relieve them of their disgusting non-food choice.
When Muski was this age I wasn’t quite so vigilant but I only once knowingly let him eat a piece of old toast he found under the couch.
But poor old Number Four Noey…. I let him chow down on all kinds of things without even flinching. If he’s not going to choke on it or get some terrible disease it’s fair game. If it’s keeping him happy and entertained and not off wrecking one of Muski’s duplo constructions then I all but encourage him to have a little taste of a book or the leg of a chair here or there.
The other day I plonked him down at my feet while I hung out the washing. A few moments later I wondered why he hadn’t crawled away yet and looked down to see him lunching on a handful of grass. I thought about taking the grass out of his mouth and trying to wrench the second course out of his slobbery little fist, but then I figured ‘what the heck’. He was happy. I got to hang out the washing. Surely a mouthful of grass here and there is ok. I mean, cows eat it, and they are ok.
So that’s my burning question…
Do you let your baby eat stuff?
Do you think a handful of grass is going to do any harm?
Where do you draw the line on what is and isn’t ok to gum?
Sif says
I’ve always let my kids eat things… I have a photo of Erik aged four months where he’s pulled himself to the edge of the blanket and was chowing down on grass – so grass is a yes here (I don’t mind the odd juicy straw of grass myself…).
Luey’s first “official” food was a sultana… box. Yes, the box Erik’s sultanas had just come out of…
I’d probably draw the line anything with a large amount of unknown residue on it, or anything sharp (both Bryn and Ari have a penchant for our – luckily very dull – fruit and bread knives). If a shoe looks like it might have some sort of poo on it, that’s definitely a no-no…
Martine says
Well obviously I am answering this question differently with child number 4 than I would number 1, however I have always been fairly relaxed with what they put in their mouth. I once read that kids in the country have greater immune systems as they are used to eating all manner of outdoor grub! So I pretty much took that and ran with it allowing whatever….within reason. Sure I have drawn the line at any manner of faeces, although I cant guarantee this didint occur when one child painted the cot brown! As I am always advocating building up the psychological resilience of children on my blog, I guess it makes sense for me to build up their physical resilience as well!
Megan at Writing Out Loud says
OK, bad mother alert here. I’ve been known to sit back and shrug as my daughter grabs a spoon and eats dirt (when camping). I’ve also seen her eat a worm (that was gross – but she was at the other end of the yard and I couldn’t reach her in time. Hubby was near her, but he just laughed.)
And she’s my first! How bad am I?!
What I hated when she was crawling was cigarette butts on the ground, at playgrounds and things. THAT was way too far and I’d race to get those out of her mouth.
katef says
oh yes you bad bad mother…
Truth be told my girls use to suck baby spew off each others fingers when they were tiny and I pretended I didn’t notice because they were happy. I just wasn’t game to admit how slack I was with my firsts as well as my fourth LOL
Kasey says
My son ate grass for the first time tonight ( hes 9months) and I didnt know if it was good or not until I read this. make sense!
Caz says
I think, as you said, it’s all a matter of timing. The firstborn never eats anything bar food, the second not so much, but after that anythings goes. I’ve got 3 – and don’t think I’ll be trying for 4 or they’d probably be eating dead flies off the floor :O)
Deb G says
Yes and no. Yes to innocuous stuff like grass, dirt, shoes, … in small quantities of course. No to dirt/grass near dog poo, and no to the actual dog poo of course.
Basic rule: will it choke? will it make them ill?
Super Sarah says
Timely post considering Stella possibly swallowed a 10c piece yesterday!
katef says
oh a ten cent piece… that will surely come out the other end without many probs yes?
Noey almost swallowed a polly pocket shoe the other day… but they are tiny rubbery things so I figure it wouldn’t do much harm either!
Glowless says
As long as it doesn’t have copious amounts of dog poo or other such treasures on it, I let Tricky eat anything. I have the possibly misguided idea that it is good for his immune system to have such adventurous tastes. He’s my first born so I wonder what my forth will be eating???
Bec @ Bad Mummy says
lmao! I actually have a photo of Abi eating grass, I only took it out of her mouth because she was starting to choke. So I guess the answer to your question is, yes, I do let Abi eat stuff. I figure it’s good for her immune system.
Nanny B says
Maybe he gets it from me!!! I love that grass called Sour sop with the yellow flowers – often pick some whilst walking but do wait til I get home and wash it and rose petals…yummmm.
Francesca says
I am at this exact stage with my 3rd. He’s just started both sitting and eating solids and EVERYTHING seems to make it into this mouth. I admit today I let him chew my thongs. Not the bottom (well, in the time I was watching) but the top bits must have felt great on this gums. What can I say? Pick your battles…..
mott says
Def. big no-no for first timer moms.
once you hit no.3 to infinity.. anything goes. i’d draw the line, on poor puppies/baby animals. They are too cute and defenseless..
katef says
ha ha ha I reckon my boy would happily chow down on a puppy given half the chance. Lucky we don’t have one really!
Christie-Childhood 101 says
Hehehehehehe! Cows eat it, love it ;)
katef says
It was actually the three year old that told me it was fine for his brother to eat grass because “look the cows are doing it and they even make milk!” LOL
Kat says
I let Felix eat dirt when he was a baby, and apart from a rough weigh gain start (whihc has nothing to do with his diet of dirt), he has the most bouyant immune system of anyone I know..he gets a cold and bingo its over in a few days..
I would have been worried about the shape or choking hazard than what the material was, obviously checking that is important, but hey babies apparently sense the world through their mouths and if that means a clod of dirt and grass..be my guest..
katef says
I am hoping that the boost to the immune system thing works in our favour too. None of my kids have ever lived in a pristine, sterile environment but with our history of lung problems I reckon their immune systems need all the help they can get!
CRAP Mamma says
Well with our first, I’d pull everything out of his mouth that wasn’t fresh and food-related. With number 2 and 3, if it’s within reach and won’t poison or choke them then it’s fair game. Our third boy is always chomping on a shoe, thong or gumboot. When people come to visit and take their shoes off at the door we have to get them to put them out of reach. They think it’s because of our labrador puppy but it’s really because of the 13month old two-legged termite!!!
As far as I’m concerned grass is green and is natural so it’s got to be good for them right??
Amanda says
I’ve left a half a cat biscuit in my little boy’s mouth because he didn’t want to give it back to me. And he’s my first. Grass? No problem I say!
keepcatebusy (Cate) says
anything is pretty much fair game in our family (you know, within reason) – my only two exceptions to the 5 sec rule are in a hospital or at the zoo!
xxxCate
katef says
ah yes my 3 year old looked at me quizzically when I told him he couldn’t eat the biscuits he dropped on the floor at the hospital… “but Mum you always let me eat stuff when I drop it?”
Deb says
It’s never worried me that much. The big girl liked having rocks in her mouth, ‘spit it out!’ would sometimes produce 20 pebbles. I didn’t like them because of the choking hazard but I didn’t mind other stuff.
The little girl we ended up having to stop the dirt eating. She was eating so much it caused digestive problems and was scratching her bum! She was obsessed with it, going outside she had to be constantly watched and would hoe in with a spoon or shovel. But general stuff off the floor didn’t worry me.
katef says
wow 20 pebbles!?!? that is impressive!
My middle boy had a problem with eating sand causing him to be constipated… but wow that must have been fun with the dirt thing! Though she grew out of it and is perfectly fine now right?
Deb says
Yeah she’s fine. I did spend some time looking up pica, but the definition is eating things other than food ‘and not age-appropriate.’ So obviously there are a few out there who chow down on the dirt!
umatji says
oh totally! I think mr 2 had his major nutritional needs for a few months there met by grazing under the kitchen table – which I personally vouch had food from, oh, probably at least a week. Debris snacking we call it. All good and immunity raising in my book. Love a good chew on something that is interesting. apparetnly babies mouths are where they learn about texture and shape and all that sort of thing so if they want to find out about something they put it in their mouth – so basically we just aren’t depriving our children of a natural learning opportunity – yay for us! great blog!
katef says
oh ‘debris snacking’ I LOVE that term!
bek says
Hee hee XD To answer your questions, yes, no and when it’s poo, cigarette butts or sharp :)