Ghee Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 My oldest two kids have the worst chewing fixations. Dd may be the worst because she chews in things like hair clippies (and then I get mad when I grab a slobbery clippie), she also chews her hair. ODS used to be much worse and would chew on cuffs and collars. Now he limits himself more. Now he chews on things like headphone cords and straws. I've read about people making pencil toppers out of refrigerator tubing, but doesn't that get spit everywhere? Also if you have 2 who chew - how do you keep their chewies from getting mixed up? How do you clean them and how often? I think it's so bizzare that my youngest, who is a sensory seeker, doesn't chew and the other two do. It's like they had to make sure they had something to deal with lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honeymommy4 Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Can't you just give them gum? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 My neuro-typical child is like this. I've replaced more shirts for him (he chews sleeves and necks). I almost wish we had chewies for him (gum, etc. won't work it has to be something on him all the time because he won't carry anything around). Pediatric psychologist thought it was more a factor of his active personality. He channels the activity into chewing and behaves appropriately indoors/in groups/focusing on something/etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghee Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 Can't you just give them gum? Well not really. I don't like all the junk in gum. Plus they pull it out of their mouths, which is nasty, and they want a new piece whenever the flavor starts to wear off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eoffg Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Ghee, something that I would ask, is if when doing things with their hands, does their mouth move at the same time? Their is a neo-natal reflex called the Palmomental Reflex. Where retention of this can be associated with obsessive chewing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mooooom Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 she chewed up all the boys' lego wheels. I bought some of those silicon baby bottle nipples (very durable) and she liked to chew on those. She did outgrow it - but she was not special needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 My boys used chewytubes. I used to hang them around their necks whenever they were at home. I washed them..... a couple of times a week maybe? I reasoned that if they weren't chewing on those, they would be chewing something much less hygienic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto4kings Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 How about these things? https://www.nacdbookstore.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=30189 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 Ditto to the suggestion of chewytubes. Textiles are also a safe thing to chew so maybe a similar texture as the sleeve cuffs. I do think you need to be careful because chewing up toys and stuff like that can be a risk for stuff in plastics and also for lead poisoning. Some parents also report that zinc supplements are helpful in reducing the behavior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted July 26, 2012 Share Posted July 26, 2012 (edited) DS chews (lots of torn shirt collars here in the past). He likes the chewelry necklaces I got him from http://www.nationalautismresources.com/chewelry.html (they have several to choose from - we got the first one pictured on this page for $7.95). Since you need them for two kids, you could get them in different colors so the kids can tell them apart. As for washing, you just wash them with soap and water as needed (I wash them every other day or so). Made a big difference here! ;) Edited July 26, 2012 by Dandelion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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