My son is almost 18 months and he is eating his crib he bites the wood, there is paint missing and gouges where his teeth have been. What do I do!
I just wanted to thank everyone for your advice I wish it were the crib rail he were chewing on but its the sides of the sleigh crib that he is eating. I will try the teething toys and motrin. Thank you all
When my son was about 16 mos he did the same thing. I was convinced he would poison himself by eating the wood-stain! After about two months I ended up putting him in a double bed with plastic rails (because I was pregnant and needed the crib anyway.) Voila! I don't know if this is reasonable for you to do, but from experience I can tell you that 18mos is definitely old enough to move him out of the crib if you need to.
I am not sure what you have ruled out?
Is he still hungry?
Something change in his diet?
Is he upset or frustrated?
Have you tried to put one rail down? Is it a saftey issue with him?
Does he want to sleep with you? Has something changed?
Hi there....
My son did the same thing..... they have something at Babies R Us (and maybe even Target or baby Depot now) which is a long teething strip which you place over the crib rails so that they can bite but w/out harming their teeth and w/out swalling anything dangerous (splinters, paint, etc.) They do grow out of this....
Good luck!
my now 18 month old did the same exact thing at 16 months. i didnt know those gaurds exsisted so i put him in a big boy bed. from the first night he didnt even get out once. i though he was ready when he started being destructive to the crib, but i didnt know it would be so easy. if you cannot find the gaurd, i would try a toddler bed. good luck
Hi K.-
You may want to purchase one of these. It is just pieces of plastic that go over the crib rails.
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=233226...
They sell crib rail guards, but it may be too late for that. You also have to watch out for PICA. Tell your doctor what has been happening and ask for some advice there.
if he doesnt get over it
try PacknPlay Bed- it is still big enough so that they can not get out. There is nothing for them to eat or knaw off. When my daughter turned 2 we switched her to a toddler mattress on the floor (I was scared she would fall out of her toddler bed)
For teething-I loved Humprey's 3!!! You can get it at the drug store. Ingredients are on the back of the bottle and are not harmful.
Good luck
My son did the same thing. The guards work wonders! There really isn't anything that you can do. He will grow out of it!
The best thing to do is to get a teething guard for the rails. They sell them at Babies R Us - here is a link - http://www.toysrus.ca/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDi...
My first child's crib had manufacturer guards on it but my twins' cribs didn't have them. My son didn't really bother with it but my daughter chewed on the crib constantly...it's normal. :)
well to be honest get your son some teething toys there not too much and u should buy that plastic clear thing that goes over the rails to the crib and if this dont work maybe he is ready for a big boy bed my son was in one about this age or couple of months before it would be hard for a couple of days till they get used to not getting out see my son would cry in the middle of the nite cause he wonted to be in the same room as me and his father so my lil sis took over his room and now he is fine he just turned 2 and pottie trained
Hello K.,
I found this online;
Baby crib teething guards : If you have painted baby cribs it is advisable to buy plastic teething guards for the crib.
These baby crib guards are made to prevent baby from swallowing paint chips, ingesting harmful varnish, or chewing on them, or injuries from bumps and falls on hard edges..
Baby crib guards helps protects baby's teeth and also soothes gums.
Ensure the baby crib guard if FDA approved, non-toxic & made from soft plastic.
It should easily slips over your crib rail to protect your baby's new teeth.
Target carries one for 9.99
It sounds like he might be teething so see if there are any teething toys he will try. A little tylenol before bed might help too because he won't need to chew to relieve the pressure. If the guards others have recommned don't help, you could try putting him in a toddler bed. My daughter went into one at 12 months because she always hated her crib. You would need to get some rails on the bed and might want to consider a baby gate across his door.
GEEZ, mine did the same thing, i cannot believe i am hearing it again! funny enough, i didn't know about the strips, but grab them while you can. also be sure to run eating the chipped paint by the dr.
One thing i learned was that this particular child in our family had very tough times transitioning into bedtime routine no matter what we did. he also had huge separation issues....as a result, emotionally he prob struggled. sucking, biting is part of exploration and soothing to children...and maybe he is asking for that while in his crib? give him a blankie or stuffed animal...and he will probably end up biting those to sleep or to soothe himself. ours still bites and chews his stuffed animal at bedtime and he is almost 3.
try putting something on the rails like mustard or pepper something that wont taste good when he tries to bite...
It is normal for the baby to knaw on the crib rail. They have guards to put over them for this very reason.
