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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Hands In Mouth...Yuk!
hope 11:07 AM 02-15-2013
How do i stop 2 year olds from putting their hands in their mouth?

I think by the age of 2 this is a habit that should be broken. I have one DCG that puts 8 fingers in her mouth at once n just leaves them there. It really grosses me out. I tell her nicely to take her hands out of her mouth n then wipe them and then she puts them right back in. When my son was 2 he would pick his nose a lot n every timje he did I told him to wash his hands. He spent almost two whole days washing his hands till it broke the habit. Should I do this with DCG?
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itlw8 11:11 AM 02-15-2013
Is she getting the 2 yr molars in ?
When does she do this? when she is tired ? so like thumb sucking.

Do the parents want it stopped ?

It is not abnormal for a 2 yr old to put things in their mouth. I think the constant handwashing at this age would be up to the parents not a provider.
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Scout 11:19 AM 02-15-2013
I am constantly washing hands here and taking toys that are by mouths too! My hands are cracking, peeling, etc! IT HURTS!!
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coolconfidentme 11:25 AM 02-15-2013
Originally Posted by Scout:
I am constantly washing hands here and taking toys that are by mouths too! My hands are cracking, peeling, etc! IT HURTS!!
MINE TOO!!!! I have two bottles of healing lotion sitting next to the check in station.
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dEHmom 11:30 AM 02-15-2013
I have a 2 and 3 yr old that put everything in their mouth, fingers, toys, books etc.

1 of them picks her nose constantly. ugh! gross! Barf!

I'm all in on this one for advice! Lemme know! I thought about putting something that tastes gross on all the toys to try break the sucking habit of toys, but i can't think of anything that wouldn't burn the eyes too.
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hope 05:06 PM 02-15-2013
The DCG puts one hand over the other n then sticks all 8 fingers in her mouth...very far in. It is a habit like thumb sucking and creates a chapped face from her face constantly being wet with saliva. Her parents know about this n don't find anything wrong with it. It is worse than sticking things in her mouth bc her hands r dripping in saliva n she touches everything n everyone. It is hard for me to have her participat in anything that involves her hands like painting, holding a book or games bc she doesn't want to take her hands out of her mouth. I ask her to n she grabs the book, paintbrush or game piece unwillingly n covers it in saliva. She is very delayed in speech bc her mouth is always too full to talk. I thought about the constant hand washing or maybe band aids on a few finger tips to remind her. It is hard to do either without parents willingness to see the problem.
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MNMommy2 05:09 PM 02-15-2013
Mine do that, too. I have a few right around the same age. I just keep saying over, and over, and over... "don't put your hands in your mouth, it spreads germs." (inner sigh) "Germs make our friends sick."

Today one of them said it back to me today and didn't put her hands in her mouth all day. It's the small successes.
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MarinaVanessa 05:22 PM 02-15-2013
I stopped a DCK's thumbsucking by sending her to wash her hands EVERY time I caught her with her thumb in her mouth. At first it was 15-20 times a day until she got tired of having to stop washing her hands. Sometimes she'd be walking out the bathroom door from having washed her hands and she'd already have her thumb in her mouth and I'd turn her right around and sent her right back in.
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mrsp'slilpeeps 08:59 PM 02-15-2013
I have a 2 yr old DCG like that too. 4 fingers in her face, mom hates it, I hate it, So we both pull her hand out and firmly say hand out of your mouth.

She pulls a face of how dare you? I tell her tough beans, keep em out or NO!!

Seems to be working.
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Tags:bad habits, gross, hygiene
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