Butter Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Ever since I had my surgery Adrian (7) has been chewing on the necks of his shirts. He's done that every so often his whole life when he is feeling anxious. He's down to two t-shirts and one of them is really too small for him. We've tried gum to keep his mouth occupied (which is a big deal because we do not usually allow the little two to chew gum and the big two can only have it if they keep it well hidden), but he is of the opinion that gum should be chewed only until the flavor is gone and no longer. Mostly he's been going around topless, but that's definitely not a permanent solution. I obviously made it through surgery just fine and am already doing better than I was before surgery, but chewing has become a habit (this kid has always been one to chew on anything and everything). I'm going to go get some t-shirts from the thrift store today since he'll surely ruin a few more while we are trying to get him to stop. So does anyone have any ideas on how to break this habit yet again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bambam Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Chewelry necklaces - http://www.sensorykidstore.com/talking-chewy-things-chewelryis one source. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink and Green Mom Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 My oldest did that for a while - would chew a hole right through the neck or near the cuff on long sleeved shirts. I got him one of these chewie sticks http://www.nukbrush.com/nukbrush/chewy-tubes-oral-motor-tool. I also started charging him for the shirts he ruined. I think a few dollar a shirt, and it took only a few times to break the habit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcmommy Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I would not charge my kid for a compulsion. Its a very common anxiety response for kids at that age. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Don't you hate it when they do that?! I had one shirt chewer. I always bought shirts second hand (get cheap ones you don't care about) and whenever I caught him chewing, I would tell him to go change his shirt. Never anything more than that. Just go change. He stopped chewing. I don't know if it was the fact that he started paying attention to what he was doing, or he didn't like stopping and going to change shirts, but he did stop. I don't think his was anxiety, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 We're going through the same thing here! I went on Fun and Function's site and found a bunch of different chewy things. We're ordering the rock necklace, just to get us all through this phase (though I suspect it's to do with molars teething at nearly 6yo) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 My son is 17 and has been doing this off and on since he was 6. It's much worse when he is anxious. The holidays are especially bad for him. We've stopped trying to figure out how to stop it. He's already on medications for anxiety and we haven't been able to redirect the behaviour to something less destructive. If that's what he does when he is anxious or stressed, so be it. His main everyday shirts are fruit of the loom pocket tee shirts that we buy cheaply at Walmart or Target. If he is dressed nicely for something he changes back into his tees asap. I would estimate that I spend about $125 a year on tees for him, so when i thought of it that way I let it go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Chewelry, an infinity-type scarf (easy to make out of old shirts if you can sew even the slightest), gum, and treat the underlying anxiety. This book http://www.amazon.com/What-When-You-Worry-Much/dp/1591473144/is helpful. If anxiety appears in other situations, it would be worth seeing a professional who specializes in child anxiety. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 They outgrow it. I had a couple of shirt chewers. Chewing gum as a substitute helps break the habit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsWeasley Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I think keeping him topless, offering a substitute, investing in cheap shirts in the meantime are great solutions. I have a very anxious child, and recent life circumstances have exasperated it. I've really found The Opposite of Worry by Lawrence J. Cohen a very useful book in helping us work through some of the underlying cause. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Poor kiddo...Would V-neck t-shirts lesson the chewing? A big pack of white ones wouldn't be expensive. It's easier for some to break a nervous habit by changing to another outlet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I have one who does this, who is a teenager these days. We redirected to other things. When he was younger we bought rubbery dog chew toys (I didn't know about chewelry then) because they held up. We made a point to pick ones that looked alot like baby teething toys. Then as he got older we redirected to gum, which still works well to this day. We also have some chewelry on hand if he doesn't want gum or is distracted and doesn't notice to go get piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busymama7 Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I had one who did this and we never really fixed it she just outgrew it. But later on I read that it can be a sign of a mineral deficiency. I thought that was interesting as she has some other concerning things and is on a supplement now but she is long past the chewing stage. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 chewlry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 chewlry. This is what we do. Search "chewelry" on Amazon and lots of options come up. If the child needs to chew give them something to chew. Gum might be another option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My4arrows Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 We also use the chewy jelewlry and it works well. My DS loves his Lego shaped one and he has kryptonite pencil toppers to chew. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Rather than breaking the chewing habit, I would give him something that he is allowed to chew. At various points, both my boys had chewy tubes that hung around their necks. They weren't allowed to take them out of the house, but they used them when they needed to at home. In the end they grew out of the habit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twolittleboys Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 I would just wait it out. My son used to chew through his shirts for quite a while (we have pics from Disney World and on every picture the top of his shirt is soaked - poor Cinderella!). Now he chews on fingers/toes when nervous/bored - wish I could go back to shirts as that is much worse! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LifeLovePassion Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 Another couple of oral sensory input ideas are: Suck up an applesauce or pudding cup, smoothie or yogurt with a straw. You'll want a wide straw for the thicker ones. Blow a cotton ball across the table with a straw Brush teeth with an electric toothbrush Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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