Hi,
I posted yesterday about concerns I have with my daughter. I forgot to add her complete obsession with putting things in her mouth! As a baby, she chewed up her crib, as a toddler, she chewed up her bed and window sill. As a 5 year old, she still wants to chew! She chews her nails and skin around her nails (although she is getting better). She chews her hair. She puts things in her mouth all the time! She also has to touch EVERYTHING... we joke that she has velcro hands... Average five year old behavior?
Thanks,
Laura
Laura,
My son does the same thing..everyday when I pick him up from school I notice his shirt wet, and chewed on..normally when Cody chews his shirt he has had a bad day, and it is a dealing method on overstimulation..it also maybe a habit...I would look to see if there is a pattern (if she does it when she is said, not in control, stressed, bored....and so one) I noticed it is a coping method for mine....
Good Luck and God Bless
Steph
Wow! I have a chewer as well. He does not seem to be ADHD as he is only 5 next month. He loves gum but the sugar or red dye is really bad and most sugar free gum has asparatame, even worse than sugar. Anybody know of a sugar free, red dye free gum sweetened with xylitol or stevia? Many adults do too .. they chew at the end of pencils and pens. It's quite common. Keeps us focused. Trying buying a rubber tubing (used in fish tanks). Attached a coil to it (make a tiny hole in tubing) and have your child wear it around his/her neck. You can buy these coils at a dollar store. Usually they're attached to a key hook to be worn either around the wrist or neck for keys. You can also use the coil itself. They last fairly long. I wouldn't recommend too much gum. It's bad for the teeth and all the aspartame/sugar that's added .. not good. lol. im guilty o fchewing on tops of pens and pencils and zippers ect. to helpHi,
I posted yesterday about concerns I have with my daughter. I forgot to add her complete obsession with putting things in her mouth! As a baby, she chewed up her crib, as a toddler, she chewed up her bed and window sill. As a 5 year old, she still wants to chew! She chews her nails and skin around her nails (although she is getting better). She chews her hair. She puts things in her mouth all the time! She also has to touch EVERYTHING... we joke that she has velcro hands... Average five year old behavior?
Thanks,
Laura
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Wow. I just posted about this with my son on another thread I answered (about destructive behavior) and this post could have been written about my son to a T. He has been a chewer since he was about 2 yrs old. At the time we thought it was due to his molars coming in, but he is 8 1/2 yrs old now and still constantly chew on objects. Sleeves on winter coats, gone. The V part by the neck on the coats are chewed on so much the fluff comes out, the straps on his back packs are frayed 6" because of his chewing. His finger nails are gone, which in turn exposes more skin for him to pick/pull on (he pulls skin off till it bleeds but he doesn't seem phased by it). Rubber bands, legos, dryer fluffs... anything he can get his hands on, he will have in his mouth. I've bought him sugarless gum to see if that would help curb his chewing habits, but it doesn't work.
Anxious, nerves, boredem seem to bring on more chewing for him.
One word ... GUM. Lots of GUM.Thanks ladies,
It's so nice to hear that other people understand what I'm saying. I looked into the symptoms of sensory integrative dysfunction and A LOT of what I read could apply to Sophia. I'm not trying to diagnosis her, just trying to be familiar with what's out there. I was surprised to read about the licking... Sophia is a licker (eewww). I don't nag her anymore about it because, frankly, that doesn't work. The only time my head spins is when she puts objects in her mouth that I haven't paid for! Oh the looks I get when we go to the store...
Thanks again,
Laura
It's actually pretty common in kids with ADHD -- I read a study they did (of kids with ADHD) and they let them chew on a pencil while taking a test -- they scored much higher when able to chew. It stimulates a part of the brain (as teacher2006 stated) that helps them think. I am constantly telling my 4 year old to take stuff out of his mouth.Yep. The chewing stimulating the brain has been documented well. This is the reason why schools often allow kids to chew sugarless gum when taking state-mandated tests. My son is 16 and he used to chew his shirt collars when he was younger. Now he rolls up pieces of paper and chews it. I have also read that chewing helps to calm and organize the brain. The thing that bothers me is that he leaves his little "wads" anywhere and everywhere. Its a little gross....so now I buy him gum...It could be related to sensory integration disorder (SID) or it could be related to anxiety. I'd recommend a thorough evaluation by a neuropsychologist, found at children's and university hospitals. SID frequently accompanies autism spectrum disorders.
My child was terrible with putting things in her mouth and still does chew on things. She did the shirt thing and does still on and off the big thing now is the hair chewing. As for how to stop it I gently pass her and take her hair out of her mouth and do not always say something when I do so. When she was younger we would tell her "no mouth" all the time. So try the gentle approach the nagging may make it worse coming from a nail bitter.I had an occupational person tell me it chewing is very important and helps the brain oragnize itself. She went to a conference on it. IT was all about the importance of the mouth and chewing. Let her chew all she wants. That's why people bite their nails and stuff. Chewing is very good for her and will help her calm down. At least look into it.teacher200638945.6824305556