Hello,

I am not sure what to think about this. My 2.5 years old like to bite the inside of her mouth. She will wake up with some blood on her pillow and around her mouth.

She is not anxious or something, I believe she likes the taste of the blood. She began that last year after a bad cut on her lips.

Should I stop her? And how? If I see her doing it and I tell her, she is doing it more. And since she does it when sleeping....

It is so crazy what kids will come up with! I can't say that I have any experience with this. However, my advice would be to google it, and see if it is common, and then talk to her doctor about it. My little one used to grind her teeth and it drove me crazy. But her Dr. said that any sort of scolding would just make it worse. So I let it go and she grew out of it after a week or so. The other thing you can try is to talk to her and explain why it isn't good to do. But if she is just doing it in her sleep she might not be able to control it. I would try talking to her about it first though. Good luck.

Take her to a doctor.

She is not sick... If I bring her to the doctor at every weird little thing she does, I'll spend my time there...

Maybe someone had that experience and could share with me?

Yeah I know, but doctors have perspective, they've seen more kids than probably all of us on the forum combined and they'll know what to do, even if they say "there's nothing to worry about". In my opinion, she's drawing blood on a sustained basis, it sounds like a behavioural problem that should be dealt with earlier rather than later. Having said that, I know nothing which is why I heartily recommend taking her to a doctor.

That's Quebeckers for you...

Anyway, my wife suggests that you should have her checked for anaemia.

She hasn't got any medical qualifications, but she's very clever.

Ha! Good point. When I was a kid I had a friend who was addicted to kitkats. Seriously addicted. Then it was discovered she was iron deficient, went on medication for it and hasn't eaten chocolate since (20 years).

Do you think she could be teething again? Most toddlers get their final milk teeth in sometime around 2 to 3 years (or later I think, not really an expert on it) but I know this summer I was puzzled when my toddler started chewing on every random thing (including his fingers) which he had not done for quite a few months, and dribbling, until sister in law pointed out he must be teething. A week later he had stopped but you could see a new little tooth right at the back.

This doesn't help you with getting her to stop but if it is teething, hopefully it will only be temporary.

If you are visiting the dentist in the next few weeks, you could also ask them?

Puzzling.

My Uncle tells me he used to know someone who used to indulge in compulsive nail-chewing until his father told him to stop raiding the toolbox.

THrush? teething sensitivity? Swollen inner gums that just get in the way? Is it a definite biting, or is she actually sucking those cheeks in between her teeth, so that the biting is incidental to the sucking?

I am thinking along the lines of anaemia too because I too was biting my mouth when I was also undiagnosed anaemic. As far as being anxious goes, if she is doing it at night maybe she is a bit upset with the fact that you are pregnant and biting herself to comfort herself. I know that could be a bit daunting. Maybe try spending more time talking to her about the baby etc and then also research on anaemia and change her diet. Perhaps if she goes to sleep in a very settled environment she could reduce any possible anxiety aswell as at the same time changing diet to help with possible anaemia. I would be reluctant to go to a doctor because putting her on medication can be very strong on her body, Iron in pills is very abbrasive to the stomach and also makes you nauseas, and Iron infusions need to go IV which could be scary for her. Furthermore, If your doctor says that she is anxious then you could end up in a very expensive and useless "familly" counselling session -.-

So just try to nip it in the bud by yourself and then see what happens if things don't clear up after a month!

Plus she will make you sleep on the couch if you dont say so :P


Sorry couldnt resist


Anyway on topic. I would give her a week or so to see if she stops by herself and then give a call to the doctor. Can it be possible that is a sign of stress for something?

She hasn't begun to - you know, sparkle - I hope?

Seriously, iron levels/anemia would be my first thought. One of my little cousins used to make his nose bleed on purpose and then lick his fingers. Disgusting but a few weeks of broccoli and red meat every day sorted him out. As far as I know they never did take him to the doc (grandma was a nurse though, and the red meat thing was her idea.)

Could also be just odd kid behavior though!

Are you sure it from inside the mouth...it could be still from bad cut on her lip... Did u see the bruise inside the mouth ? I feel...it is really hard to bite...and enjoy that ...it is painful....and inner cheeks don't come between the teeth so easily ...unless she forces it using hand ....

I agree that you should see the pediatrician. Children can have many motivations for doing things like this, but at 2.5 years of age, one thing is for sure: she is not aware of her motivation or why she's doing it. The doctor will be able to help you with that without putting pressure on your daughter, making her feel ashamed, or inadvertantly making it worse. You can say to her "Sweetheart, it worries me that you bite yourself when you're sleeping so I'm going to make an appointment to go see Dr X. We'll see what s/he has to say." Say that as a statement, not a question. Avoid saying "okay?" or "how does that sound to you?" or anything like that. It's subtle, but that puts the responsibility back on her and she's too young to make decisions! When parents or caregivers make a firm and loving statement, it makes children feel safe and secure. So do that, make a doctor's appointment and then see what the doctor says. If it happens again in the meantime that she bites herself, you can say that you're glad you're going to the doctor or something simple along those lines.

It sounds behavioral, but going to the doctor is good because then you can rule out the possibility that there is something inside her mouth that's bothering her which she's biting at. Good luck!!

It is definitely her cheeks she is biting. And she does it on and off since she cut her lip last spring.

After the incident, she began to suck her cut and when the cut healed, she began to bit the cheeks. It comes in phases.

When she began that, I wasn't pregnant nor that we were even thinking of it. She is sleeping well at night and has a nice relax and enjoyable night time routine.

She doesn't show any sign of stress toward the belly nor the baby's bed. She is actually excited to point out what goes to the baby and loves to give attention to the babies we meet.

She has 16 teeth, only the last big ones to come, no sign of them, no swelling nor redness.

Then she is probably just being a wierdo kid. Kids are wierd its normal

The only possibilities I can see is:

1- She is a vampire,
2- She needs iron,
3- She is at an early stage of OCD.

I'll get a doctor's appointment.

Do that and let us know in case we need to start bulk buying garlic :P

Maybe she got it from me.....