Oral Fixation

Aiden likes to eat things he shouldn't.  I'm just going to preface with that.

I don't know how often I have walked into a room to find Aiden standing there guiltily with his mouth shut, but obviously full of something.  Since I know he hasn't had anything to eat for hours, I question his behavior.

"Aiden, what's in your mouth?"

Mouth stays shut and he gives his head a little shake.

"Aiden!  Open your mouth!  Spit it out!"  I immediately stick my open palm under his chin. 

"Cat food?!  Gross Aiden!!  That is gross!  Do not eat cat food!  What will they eat if you eat all their food?"

He's now got chewed cat food/slobber smeared across his chin.  Seriously.  It's gross.  This cat food routine happens at least once a week.  It must not be half bad if he keeps going back to it.  I should try it.  I might get back to you on that.

The other night I heard Aiden get his 'piggy' bank off the shelf (its actually a monkey head) when he was supposed to be in bed, so I go in to take it away and tell him its night-night time.  He's got the guilty, mouth-is-full-but-shut face on. 

"Aiden, what's in your mouth?"

Denial routine again.

"Aiden! Open your mouth! Spit it out!" I immediately stick my open palm under his chin.

He spits out the plug to his 'piggy' bank.  It's huge.  It's larger than a quarter.  Maybe the size of a silver dollar.

"GROSS.  Seriously kid, you've got to stop putting random items in your mouth.  Now go to bed."

There's this new thing he's been doing.  It'll be a good 30 minutes after we've eaten a meal or snack and I'll realize he has something in his mouth.  I go over, assuming it will be some random item, and tell him to open his mouth. 

It's food.  He has been sucking on his last bite for THIRTY MINUTES.  Sometimes it's a piece of broccoli.  Sometimes it's mushy cracker.  Sometimes it's yogurt.  How he keeps that stuff in his mouth for so long without gagging is beyond me.  I mean, yogurt?  COM'ON.

Now when he says he's ready to get down from the table, we have to wash his hands AND check his mouth for that last bite.  "Swallow your food" is becoming a common phrase in my vocabulary.  And I thought that was a given.