NCDR: Eating crayons

freezorburn

DS loves to eat his crayons. And anything else that makes marks. He's obsessed with pens. I try to supervise him when he has them, but this morning he managed to chew on one the moment I turned away and it exploded everywhere. I tried the Crayola markers that only color on special paper, and he chewed the tips off all but one of those, so I've taken those away for now.

How do I get him to stop eating his crayons and colored pencils and markers? He does seem to be interested in drawing but he seems to think eating them is a part of it.

TJ1979

Mobile - how old is he?

kjsmith9

DD started to be interested in crayons around 13 months, but has gotten a lot more into it since 16 months.  She wanted to eat them ALL THE TIME too - we immediately took them away and said "crayons aren't food," and she didn't get them back for awhile (at least an hour).  She's 18 months now and I haven't seen her put a crayon in her mouth in at least 2 weeks... she either grew out of it or she knows I'm going to take them away if she does it.  

My main concern is the dog stealing crayons off her play table and going to chew them apart... because why wouldn't he?? Ugh.

freezorburn

He just turned 2. Thankfully the dog has not shown any interest in the crayons!

Into+the+Kitty

I would also take them away immediately. He's old enough to understand actions causing consequences.

Also, my husband's dog eats crayons and it's awesome. He has this bizarre habit of cleaning his teeth off on his wrist, so the telltale sign he's been eating crayons is when his white fur turns purple.

freezorburn

Yeah I've been taking them away but that just means drawing sessions last less then a minute. If I'm not fast enough, little fragments of crayon show up in his poo. Thank goodness they're non-toxic.

bumpuser5078523

I tell Logan not to put them in his mouth. He knows what that means. I give him a few chances and then take them away.

unaveragejane

Yes, DS has a few crayon/marker "rules" like he has to keep them at his table, and they are only to use on paper (not the wall or his mouth, etc). If he forgets a rule, I remind him a couple of times. I also try to phrase it in a "do this" statement instead of "don't do that" b/c it lets him know exactly what is expected. If he persists b/c he thinks it's funny or he's aiming for attention, I put them up.

Does he have any other similar things that he is allowed to mouth/chew on? Sometimes kids just like a particular texture in their mouths. I vividly remember loving to chew on wet wash cloths when I was little. If he has something that is okay to chew on, you can offer it as a replacement. "Chew the ___. Color with crayons."

freezorburn

Everything goes in his mouth. Doesn't matter if it is a crayon, colored pencil, ballpoint pen or marker. The only reason he hasn't managed to ink up his own face yet is that I usually have his neck and cheeks lubed up with eczema lotion, so everything has wiped off easily. And I've only given him those Crayola markers that will only mark on special paper.

We spent some time coloring today. Every time a crayon went towards his mouth I either took it from him or covered his mouth with my hand. He thought it was hilarious.

I can't wait until he stops doing this so I can be more of a passive observer when he is coloring. It's exhausting to have to be so vigilant all the time.

ComeMai

Have you tried the water wow books? They're paint with water & you can use them over & over again. They sometimes go in my 15 month old's mouth, but it is only water.

freezorburn

@ComeMai‌ I was thinking about trying those. I have a watercolour brush with a reservoir that is similar, and I have let him play with that with a mat that we have that changes color when wet. But then he started chewing on the brush and I didn't want him to ruin it so I took it away. Plus it could have some paint residue in it that is probably not safe for him to ingest. Are the water wow pens pretty durable? He chewed the tips off of his Crayola markers in a matter of seconds. Maybe he's just not ready for them?

zaraceligon

I remove the crayon and explain to him the is not ok to eat them. He steel does sometime but I just need to tell him not to do it. I also got him the organic crayons because of the eating thing. In case the he eat it, and I don't notice I don't feel bad.