Why do children love to chew things?

As we all know, it is a common phenomenon for children to bite things, and the things they bite are even more bizarre. Not long ago, an American photographer even took a photo of the things his child had bitten. The things in the photo were really strange, from the open ring of a can to a toothpaste cap, from a pen cap to a small button. Why do children love to chew things? And what should we do when children like to bite things? Let’s find out.

1. In terms of body elements: Children’s love of biting things may be due to the lack of certain elements. It is a sign that children are restless and easily moved, and it is a sign that certain important elements are lacking in the body. In this case, zinc deficiency should be ruled out. Also rule out any psychological problems. According to clinical observation and physical examination, these children often suffer from anemia (iron deficiency anemia), such as chronic iron deficiency anemia caused by malnutrition. After these children take iron supplements, the symptoms can disappear on their own.

2. Emotional catharsis: Children’s biting behavior is indeed a “habitual action when nervous”, or as we say, it is called “emotional catharsis”. Biting ribbons, belts, gloves, braids, etc. is a very common phenomenon among six-year-old children and usually disappears naturally when the child grows to seven or eight years old. She kept sucking her thumb and the blanket, so it seemed that this was undoubtedly the child's way of venting her tension. Seriously, sometimes you might as well try replacing chewing clothes with various snacks. Whenever you see her chewing on something, give her something yummy, like raisins, carrot sticks, popcorn, or something to keep her mouth busy for a while. At this stage, you need to give full play to your creativity and exercise your patience with your child, while also trying not to put your child in situations that are likely to make her nervous.

3. In terms of physical development: children’s “bad habits” should be moderately “indulged”, because children’s love of chewing things is beneficial to the development of their teeth. Babies like to put things in their mouths to chew because the child's mouth is a very sensitive organ of touch. Children in infancy and childhood are in the oral stage and need a lot of tactile stimulation and oral satisfaction, so they like to bite all kinds of things. However, we cannot over-indulge this behavior, as it may cause the child to ingest too much gas, resulting in vomiting and abdominal bloating. Long-term bad habits will affect the growth and development of the child's oral and maxillofacial system, because when the child sucks on a pacifier or sucks his fingers, foreign objects are placed on the upper and lower front teeth, which will affect the normal eruption of the teeth. When the child closes his mouth, a circular gap will appear between the upper and lower front teeth. Because the sucking action lasts for a long time, the air pressure in the mouth decreases, and the pressure of the cheek muscles may cause the dental arch to narrow and the upper front teeth to protrude, resulting in open lips and exposed teeth.

Now everyone has a basic understanding of why children like to bite things, and what we should do when children bite things. It can be seen that, in many aspects, it is not a bad thing for children to bite things. It is both a "warning sound" of a lack of certain elements in the body and a necessity for psychological and physical development. These behaviors are normal nerve reflexes and physiological activities, and will gradually disappear as the child grows older. But if there is no change at the age of five or six, then you should go to the relevant hospital for a detailed examination. Here, I wish you all good health and happiness every day you spend with your children.