Everything in your mouth! The secret of why and benefits of the oral phase

On many occasions we have wondered about the need that babies have to put everything they see in their mouths. In the first months of life, babies' vision and hearing abilities are not fully developed, That is why when they see an object it is not enough for them to look at it, they need to put it in their mouth to be able to know it. It is an instinctive act that helps develop coordination of the jaw, tongue and lips, favoring the chewing and language process.


Babies have the sucking instinct since they are in the mother's womb, at that stage they already suck their thumb, it is something that is part of their intellectual development. The oral phase begins from birth and usually lasts until 18 months, which is why much of the physical and emotional energy is found in the baby's mouth.
It is a natural, necessary and very intuitive stage, in which they discover everything that is around them, connecting with their outside world and their body. All this integration gives them security and makes them feel calmer. Thanks to this innate impulse, the curiosity to explore begins.

At approximately three months, they discover their body, their feet, their hands and they really want to put them in their mouths. Surely you have observed his ability to put his entire fist in his mouth, he may be hungry or restless and that calms him down. These actions also prepare them to be able to suck and feed better. ANDThis behavior is not only related to the act of feeding, the mouth allows them to explore and distinguish the different flavors, textures, temperatures and, little by little, they also learn the functionality of each object. They usually recognize objects in their environment first by observing them, then they put them in their mouths, taste them and bite them with their gums and this whole process gives them peace of mind.

Now that we know that this behavior is an important part of their development, we must avoid prohibiting them from carrying it out., we will only be very attentive to everything that you put in your mouth and, if at any time you put something in your mouth that you shouldn't, we will explain it to you by trying to replace it with another object. This stage is essential, so it is better not to limit them since, doing so, we could delay certain vocalizations and learning.

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