like alot of babies/toddlers my son likes to bite things especially when teething, but he has destroyed his crb. he has scraped off the varnish with his teeth on the foot board and the rails (yes the rails he turns his head sideways to do this) and on the head board he had even managed to bite a whole in the wood. he is our first child and we wanted to use this crib again when we have another one, but at this point it is not looking likely. what can I do to break him of this habit.
I should mention it started when he woke up in the morning but now he mostly does it when he is in time out....giving him something to chew on would defeat the purpose. he is only in there for a minute to 2 but can do alot of damage
Have you tried tabasco sauce. I heard it was great for stopping thumb sucking so chewing would also work. Just put a light coat on it.
He's bored, or he needs the sensory stimulation, or both, is my thinking. I would first make sure the child wasn't being left in the crib longer than necessary when he's awake, like right before or right after sleeping and no more, except for short-term safety concerns. Then, I would find something he liked that he COULD chew, and let him go at it. Some of my friends gave their "mouth stimulated" babies/toddlers "nursing necklaces", you can google it. Lots to chew and slobber on and totally safe.
Ugg my son did the same thing... we had to buy "crib tape"(babies r us) and tape all around his crib it's clear and it's not very expensive. we bought 2 boxes...
Toni
I don't know about humans, but when horses chew on their stalls, it is because they are lacking certain minerals. When our horses do this, we usually have to supplement with their diet. We also have to put a spray on their stalls that helps prevent them from chewing.
I know it is normal for babies to chew on cribs at times, but, this sounds overly obsessive so I would talk to his pediatrician. Maybe his body is not absorbing something properly?
If it is not that, try to distract him with something else he could chew on! This can't be good for his teeth either! :)
He needs something else to chew on, for heaven's sake.
I had a friend who's kid did that too and I would have been worried about the safety of what he might ingest.
Give him something else to chomp on if he just can't help himself.
You can always sand the crib down later, but try to get him to chew on something else.
My friend's son chomped his crib up pretty well, and he's fine. But try to offer something else safe.
Best wishes.
Have you talked to your pediatrician about this? It seems extreme. I would be more worried about his a.) compulsion to chew and b.) him ingesting varnish and wood than with the state of the crib for the next child!
My daughter did that to her crib. I put those rubber teething guards on it. My son is now in the same crib. He hasn't done any damage to it, because of the guards!
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My daughter did that to her crib. I put those rubber teething guards on it. My son is now in the same crib. He hasn't done any damage to it, because of the guards!
You can get the stuff you put on thumbs to discourage sucking. It tastes bitter.
I'm glad my son isn't the only one - I used to get him up from his naps and he'd be covered in saw dust! We tried the rubber teething rails but he would chew around them or pull them off. We had to get 2 different things to get him to stop.
First, we got a breathable crib bumper from One Step Ahead. That kept him from chewing on the side rails. Second, I had to make a crib rail cover from a pattern I got on etsy, and the texture of the fleece made him finally stop chewing! Here is the one I used, it doesn't require any sewing skills! http://www.etsy.com/listing/57391913/no-sew-tied-quilted-...
When we were looking for a crib I had the bright idea to look on Craigslist and buy a used one. Went to look at one and my husband and I were horrified to see that the kid who had used it had chewed on the rail. We thought "what kind of kid does that?!?!" Needless to say we didn't buy it. Fast forward a year and our own child was chewing up the brand new crib we ended up buying. We got a laugh out of that. I guess all or most kids do it. Who knew.
I found a crib organizer and put it on my daughters crib. It has pockets and you could put a few teething rings and other items for chewing.
My dd has done the same thing...biting into the wood through the varnish and into the light wood underneath. Of course, she chewed EVERYTHING. LOL. Lately, she has taken to just chewing on her fingers. Bad thing is that she is 22 months and has 16 teeth. I am just thankful that she hasn't used them on me :-) My dd got bored with the chewing on the crib after a while. I didn't make a big deal out of it. I had to take pics though. LOL. Good luck on your lil one.
buy him a peice of dowel rod to teeth with make it thick enough he cant snap it and small enough to get it in him mouth. about a 5/8 inch.
