Help! I can't get my 9 month old to stop eating paper! We can't leave ANYTHING within her reach. She bites at mail, magazines, receipts! She even tears at the tags of her clothes. When I try to dig shreds of paper out of her mouth, she clamps shut and swallows whatever is in there! I'm worried about her little stomach and the effects of ink/print. Has anyone else had this problem?
I'm not sure how safe it is either, but by baby boy (now is 13 months) used to eat paper all of the time. I could usually get it out, but I have to admit that I did see paper in his diaper on more than one occasion!! Yikes! Anyway, he has already grown out of it.
I hope your little one grows out of it soon, too!
I had the same problem with my baby girl around the same age. She ate everything in sight that was made of paper. Even to this day there are chunks of her favorite board books missing. I never had any problems with her stomach. She would eat it and be fine. So I wouldn't worry about it. But you could ask her pediatrician.
Most paper is printed with soy ink so you don't have to worry so much about the ink. The paper is made from wood pulp which to my thinking, can't be too good for her little system.
Sounds like she's teething, have you tried using numbing creams like Oragel or even tylenol?
My middle one went through a similiar phase of putting everything in his mouth so we just gave him a cold wet washrag and some tylenol and when his teeth broke through, he stopped putting things in his mouth.
Best of luck to you and your family.
My baby is nearly 6 months old and she's starting the same thing. I think they like the way it crinkles and I know she'll eat anything because she's teething. From what I've read it's a natural stage and a little paper/germs only makes them stronger!
P., I don't know if it bad for them our kids or not, but my little man went through the same thing. I think it had something to do with his teeth itching as they came in.
I just figured that there was a whole lot worse he could be eating (like the dog food, but that's another story), and eventually he refocused his munching habit (that'd be to the dog food!).
Good luck - maybe someone will write in and tell us if it's safe or not :)
It is completely normal for babies to put things in their mouth. Its how they figure out what things are. Perhaps right now you could just steer her in other directions and keep the paper around her to a minimum......
