After three or four months, babies begin to put their hands in their mouths because they learn to make the gesture and because the mouth is the area of the body that gives them more information about their surroundings. First is the hand and when they already know how to take things by hand, then they put everything they catch.
When they crawl and start to stand or kneel, the desire to explore is so incredible that the dangers grow exponentially. Before they came to almost nothing and there were not too many risks, but suddenly they come to many things that decide to take and suck. It can happen, usually happens, that the plants attract their attention and end up putting their hands in the ground, that the sand of the parks motivates them to try to eat it or that, when they are on the beach, do the same. Then we see them chewing with disgust, with their mouths full of dirt and their hands alike and we ask ourselves: What I do?
Is it bad to eat land?
To know if something needs to be done urgently or it is not enough to answer the question Is it bad to eat land? The answer is no. It's not really bad, but we can't say it's good or recommended either. That is, if you find your child in the situation described, eating dirt, because the ideal is to clean him and try to get what you can from his mouth. Then clean your hand and mouth and try to try to play with the earth in another way (preventing it from being brought to your mouth, basically). If you are still in your thirteen wanting to eat it, it is better to take the child and take it to another place where there is no or do some activity or game where you do not have to take land.
It's not bad, but let's not let him do it
I repeat, if you find it with the earth or sand already in your mouth, it is clean and ready. But we must try to avoid eating it because the earth is not always "clean". If we talk about plant soil and put some product it could be dangerous. If we talk about parkland and dogs have passed through there (they shouldn't, but it is already known that not every owner follows the rules) could be infected with some diseases or parasites. If there are remains of other things on earth, such as when you go to the beach and find cigarette butts, remains of wrappers, food, etc., it could also be dangerous.
So before leaving the child in an area where there is dirt or sand we must be clear that there is no risk that he is sitting there playing, watching him so that he does not eat what he should not eat and, if he is tempted to do so, avoid it, do not tell him it's poop and propose an alternative More fun.
