Still putting things in mouth at 3 1/2!

[Anonymous]

My son is just about 3 1/2 and still puts things in his mouth to chew on. Every night at bedtime I give him his toothbrush to start brushing his teeth and instead he chews the rubber off the side. During the day, he'll chew on his plastic play boats, little car tires and just about anything he can fit in his mouth and can chew. He had GERD as a baby and toddler and had feeding issues because of it. He liked to put things in his mouth that were non-food items because he knew he wouldn't have to swallow them. I just thought he would outgrow it, but has not. I think it's very developmentally inappropriate and don't know what to do about. Anyone else with this issue with their 3 year old?

[Anonymous]

Hey, we still have that issue with a 5 year old. She chews her fingers, on her shirt, etc. Interesting that you mention GERD, because she had it very severely as a baby (no weight gain - failure to thrive, etc.) and still has it today. But I didn't find her excessively "oral" as a baby. Nor do I find it too odd now, although it drives her dad bonkers.