Why do babies put everything in their mouth? It can seem like one of the great mysteries of parenthood. In this post I share with you the reasons why everything that your baby grasps goes straight to their mouth and suggest a product that will help you manage this time of crazy sensory exploration.
Boo (7 months) is mobile, I repeat, Boo is now mobile!
It seems that everywhere I turn she is attempting to pick up and eat something either dangerous or disgusting. I’m very much feeling like a helicopter mum these days and it’s super tiring. I know you know what I’m talking about.
I have to remind myself that this mouthing stage is all part of Boo’s development and a new way of her learning about the world. You see young babies struggle to use their hands and fingers up until about 6 months of age and so exploring textures by poking, stroking, squeezing is close to impossible for them. They do, however, have the ability to control their lips and tongue and so that’s why they use their mouth to learn about their environment.
Your baby has the most nerve endings in their mouth than any other part of their body! Amazing, right? So once they have mastered their ability to grasp an object, they will put it into their mouth to explore it and learn more about what it feels like, its texture etc.
One of my beautiful friends has started up a business that taps into this whole stage of baby development and created stunning, high quality, safe silicone jewellery pieces that babies can’t seem to keep out of their mouths. Her business is called Texture & Co.
There is to much that I love about her pieces.
Just to highlight a few –
- Safe for baby
- High quality
- Vibrant colours and combinations to suit everyones personal style
- Safety release mechanism on cord
- Discrete (they don’t look like a baby chew toy hangin’ around your neck )
- Complimentary wash bag included
- Texture & Co donate a portion of proceeds to Cancer Council of Australia
In the above picture I am wearing the ‘Olive’ necklace in black. It suits my whole wardrobe and the one I grab for when I need a little something to boost my mummy clothing.
Some of the other pieces in her collection are these brightly coloured and part of her ‘Signature’ range, which you see Boo enjoying in the picture above. They are again made from safe silicone beads and come in a variety of colours to suit any outfit or mood. Alex from Texture & Co can also custom design you a necklace if you had something specific in mind.
The above image is my signature necklace in ‘rainbow’ which is a particular favourite of Boo’s.
So for me, to manage Boo putting everything in her mouth, I now try to embrace this stage and encourage it in a safe way. Aside from providing her with a safe environment to play and explore, I’m wearing these beautiful pieces during the day for her to chew and play with when I have her close. She just loves it and I know that I’m helping to provide her with a extra opportunity to learn, all at the same time.
Texture & Co are giving 2 readers a chance to win one beautiful necklace each.
TO ENTER – All you have to do is visit the> Texture & Co website <then comment below telling me –
COMPETITION NOW CLOSED. Thank you to all those who have entered. x
Which Texture & Co necklace and colour would you like to win and why?
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I just sent ten minutes deciding LOL! Gorgeous stuff. And my baby is nearing 6 months so totally getting to this stage eek!! I’ll go with the red gradient because I wear a lot of navy and white so I think the red would help give my outfit a bit of pop 😉 Thanks for this post, I just LOVE teething jewellery!!
What a fantastic product! I really love the signature green beads as they remind me of outdoors and are still very stylish. I work with babies every day in my role as a family day care educator and haven’t been able to wear jewelry for years while I work. These gorgeous pieces would be the perfect solution. I will certainly be telling my daycare parents about them!
As a family day care educator I can only imagine the multi-tasking you need to do Jodie. One of these necklaces would be perfect for any babies in your care. They are so easy to clean and come with their own wash bag. Thank you kindly for helping spread the word about them. I wish you the best of luck and thanks for entering the competition. 🙂
How utterly gorgeous! Such a clever idea. When my kids were babes, I used to give them my car keys to chew on. It’s a wonder I didn’t poison them! Now they are older, the only thing they chew on is food, but I would love to win some of these for our new Granddaughter Alice. She is staying with us over Christmas and they would make a perfect little gift for her Mum. I would choose a rainbow set because Alice brings a little sunshine and rainbows to all of us each and every day. x
How wonderful Caro! I’m sure your granddaughter would really love one of these necklaces to chew and play with and for your daughter to receive it as a gift would be extra special. All the best and thanks for entering the competition.
My bub is a bit older, but also still very much in the ‘everything in the mouth’ phase! And when he is teething a necklace like these is so helpful! I really love the green, it is my favourite colour 🙂
I actually bought myself one of the green signature necklaces because I loved it so much. It’s so lovely to wear with bright and darker colours. Thanks so much for your entry. Best of luck to you.
I would love to win a signature rainbow necklace for my son of 4 months chewing everything in arms reach. Who doesn’t need a bit more of colour splashed into their life?!
Exactly Chris! A little extra colour can really brighten an outfit. These necklaces would be perfect for your son. Thank you so kindly for your entry. Best of luck.
Love these necklaces! Can’t go past the Signature Rainbow necklace. So happy and would brighten up any outfit. This product is on my top 10 for new parents because it’s so practical and pretty!! Win-win!
I love that Kelly. It would be a fabulous gift to give a new mum. They are totally practical and pretty, well described.
Thanks so much for your entry.
I would be soooo grateful if I could win THE HEXAGON in BLACK as I think this could be worn with my entire warerobe whilst being super stylish yet practical. Thankyou
I completely agree. No one would know that is suitable for a baby to chew on. Stunning!
Thanks so much for your entry 🙂
My children are older now and have moved past the chewing on everything phase. I wish I knew about these necklaces when they were babies. I love the Trio in black 🙂
Oh Melissa I really like that necklace too. So stylish and can be worn by anyone! Thanks for your entry. 🙂
Oh my!! I’ve wanted a nursing necklace like this with each of my babes and have never taken the plunge and bought one… so it’s been the scratchy pinchy feed times… one of these would be perfect!
I loooooove the signature R A I N B O W!! Because the hippy dippy side of me L O V E S to wear rainbows!! 🙂 And my kiddies love them too! x
Rainbows make everyone so happy, don’t they Bekka? Oh and I know the scratchy, pinchy feeds well. Thanks for entering. Best of luck.
These are stunning! I would pick the Signature Yellow Pop Grey – it reminds me of the sunning peeking through the clouds on a rainy day and of being positive (which is a lovely reminder on those rough days!)
The Signature Yellow Pop Grey is gorgeous and lovely and bright. A little ray of sunshine.
Thanks for your entry Rachel.
ENTRY FOR LEANNE –
My youngest is only 6 weeks old but is already trying to mouth and chew (and slobber!) on almost anything! I would love the sky shades necklace so he will have something a bit nicer to chew on rather than a top with his spew on it! Lol! (And it gives me something nice and colourful to wear!)
This is a perfect gift to my best friend, she will be a mom after two weeks! It is stylish and most important safe for the baby. My husband and I are planning to have our third baby, this necklace will be on my top list too. Brilliant!
Thank you so kindly. I’m thrilled to hear that you think it would be suitable. 🙂