Anyone elses 2 yr. old still eat crayons, etc?

[~*Nicole*~]

DD likes to color...for about ten seconds. Then she seems to get bored and has the urge to chomp down. Every single time! She asks to color, but then gives up and eats them. She also ends up eating playdough or chalk. Anything like that. It drives me mad!

I usually take them away, but she doesn't seem to care. She isn't very good with fine motor stuff, but is capable of drawing scribbles and whatnot. I LOVE coloring and drawing. I have no skill, but find it to be very calming, creative, and therapeutic. Is it just something that is better when she is older or is she just strange?

[anna*]

I guess there's two parts to your question - one is about the chewing, the other is about not liking colouring/drawing.

Chewing - no. Stan stopped putting things in his mouth I guess at about 15-16 months, doesn't really ever do so now (even when I want him to ie at dinner )

Drawing - he used to have no interest at all. He loved to watch ME draw for him - washing machines, helicopters, planes, boys, but would be doing well if he scribbled for 20 seconds before he got bored and found something else to do. It's only in about the last 2-3 months, since his fine motor skills have gained a bit, that he will enjoy sitting and 'making' something - he's learning to use scissors and well spend AGES on his cutting and sticking, and can now draw (planes, and 'dragon wearing skis') enough to hold his attention.

[~*Nicole*~]

Chewing - no. Stan stopped putting things in his mouth I guess at about 15-16 months, doesn't really ever do so now (even when I want him to ie at dinner Wink )

When you said this it made me realize that she puts tons of things in her mouth, so I shouldn't be too surprised about her chewing the crayons. She chewed on and broke her pretend princess earrings she got for her birthday, one of those glow necklace/bracelets, and a variety of other things. So, I guess she's just super oral (as this happens even without teething being an issue).

She does like to watch me draw and if I draw seems to want to try more than if I am not participating. Although our pictures are cats, dogs, rainbows, flowers, caterpillars, stars, and not so much washing machines or helicopters LOL. I suppose then that her interest will pick up when she has more control with her fine motor skills, etc. I guess I just find it strange that she ASKS to do these activities and then doesn't seem to really want to do them. But then again, she is 2 and changing her mind and not really knowing exactly what she wants to do is par for the course, eh?

[clazzat]

E still chews everything - at the moment her favourite is the toy coins that came with the cash register.   M was nearly 3 before she stopped putting everything in her mouth - they have both always been really oral, so I think it's just a nature thing.

They're not desperately interested in colouring/drawing either.  M will do a bit more than she used to, but even now she gets bored very quickly.  She has fairly good fine motor skills - she can write her name, for example - but doesn't choose to draw.  E will scribble a bit and then start colouring her hands.    Contrast to my friend's dd who will spend hours drawing and colouring on her own and has done since she was about 18 months - again, just seems to be the way they are.

[anna*]

She does like to watch me draw and if I draw seems to want to try more than if I am not participating. Although our pictures are cats, dogs, rainbows, flowers, caterpillars, stars, and not so much washing machines or helicopters LOL.

I think it's a boy thing  Wow I must have drawn HUNDREDS of washing machines. Front loaders.

Stan used to ask to do drawing too. I think they like the idea of it, but get frustrated pretty quickly if the motor skills aren't 'good enough' to get satisfaction from it.

[Mashi]

PMSL at the washing machine Anna! All DS ever wants us to draw is a picture of daddy (if it's me drawing) or me (if it's DH drawing). 

Nicole, we have the same issue here. DS likes to eat crayons.  In fact he likes to put anything and everything in his mouth. Except his dinner.  He's the same with colouring as you describe Ava - he wants to make one line with each crayon and then eat the crayons.  But asks - begs - to colour every day. 

[anna*]

Mashi, the second sign he ever did (after milk) was washing machine. But they were really just a gateway to helicopters.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

We have the same issue with Spencer...I let them use washable crayons in the tub the other day, she ate the purple one and I didn't get it all out, there was purple slobber all over her bedsheets the next morning.  She is super oral too, especially with cardboard/wood toys.

[~*Nicole*~]

So interesting about how some really get into it while others do not!

she ate the purple one and I didn't get it all out, there was purple slobber all over her bedsheets the next morning.

PMSL It's so hard to get all of the chewed up bits of crayon out!

I think my fav. thing is that if I decide to draw something, she "draws" the very same thing at that instant. Goes sort of like this:

I like your rainbow, mommy!
I gonna draw a rainbow, too!

I like your star, mommy!
I gonna draw a star, too!

etc. etc. LOL

[~inbalance~]

I have no advice, but did enjoy hearing about your LOs who are close in age to T.  It is interesting - T stopped putting anything in his mouth after a year and I really don't have to worry about it.  He did try to eat a crayon for the first time maybe last week or so, and probably the last time.     But nothing goes in his mouth really, which is a relief because it makes me worry less about choking hazards (still have to be careful though as DH is TERRIBLE for leaving small things lying around, i.e. coins).

As for the colouring, T is not big on it either, but he prefers to draw with a pen over crayons.  But like Clare said E does, he draws for a minute then moves onto his hands.     So I have to watch him.

The other day though we were in the dollar store and they had these star shaped soaps, and he grabbed one and took a bite out of it!     You can imagine his face when he realized it wasn't a cookie!

[MLK]

Both of mine pretty much stopped putting everything in their mouths after they turned 1 - but both are/were big thumbsuckers at that age. Maybe they get their oral gratification by thumb-sucking?

My DS2 is 2y3 months and he's just got into drawing and colpouring -  but only with textas/highlighters, not crayons. (Of course *I'D* rather he used crayons but he's always getting into his brother's stuff!) He finds the crayons too difficult to use.

[clazzat]

Both of mine pretty much stopped putting everything in their mouths after they turned 1 - but both are/were big thumbsuckers at that age. Maybe they get their oral gratification by thumb-sucking?

Mine are big thumb-suckers too - apparently not enough for them!

[*Becky*]

Henry also puts everything in his mouth and it drives me crazy.....the handle to the toilet brush, crayons, chalk, mud. It's gross.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Both of mine pretty much stopped putting everything in their mouths after they turned 1 - but both are/were big thumbsuckers at that age. Maybe they get their oral gratification by thumb-sucking?

Spencer's a thumbsucker too..but only with her blanky in hand. Perhaps I should relax my rule on where blanky can go and she would suck her thumb more and other things less!

[~*Nicole*~]

Ava is not a thumbsucker but will suck and gnaw on her fingers when teething. That's her go to "teether". Her fingers. She actually has a chapped area at the corner of her mouth where the drool has been constantly dripping on the one side from sucking on her fingers there so much. It's gross. I have to put ointment on it when it cracks open!