Oral fixation in toddlers lasts until the end of their toddler years and usually until around 3 to 4 years old.
Some kids may continue to have an oral fixation into their childhood and adulthood.
It's very normal for toddlers to have an oral fixation and many outgrow the oral fixation by the time they are no longer toddlers.
Oral Fixation is triggered by unmet oral needs in early childhood.
Oral fixation can appear as nail-biting, smoking, overeating, or excessive gum chewing.
These behaviors are not merely physical habits but are intertwined with emotional states, serving as a form of self-soothing during times of stress or insecurity.
An oral fixation is an obsessive, unhealthy behavior that involves the mouth, such as smoking, gum chewing/candy eating, nail-biting, and even excessive drinking.
Freud felt if a child had unmet needs during the oral stage of development, they would adopt an oral fixation as an adult.
In Freudian psychoanalysis, the term oral stage or hemitaxia denotes the first psychosexual development stage wherein the mouth of the infant is their primary erogenous zone.
Oral fixation is defined as an oral condition involving a person who has an unconscious obsession with their mouth.
The mouth obsession promotes the need to constantly suck or chew on something.
The incessant desire to keep the mouth busy is an outlet to release nervous energy and to self-soothe.
People with ADHD or Autism often also have an oral fixation but you can have an oral fixation without ADHD or Autism.
People with ADHD often feel a strong compulsion or urge towards oral chewing or stimulation, such as biting the inside of your cheeks or biting your finger nails.
Chewing behavior acts as a coping mechanism and a way to calm anxiety or channel excess energy, as well helping with focus.
The link between oral fixation and autism is prevalent and can be lifelong.
But you can manage oral stimming to make it safer and promote a beneficial situation.
Oral fixation and stimming don't have to be embarrassing or frustrating.