My 5 five year old son has recently started chewing on the neck of his shirt. I'm constantly having to tell him to stop he is actually putting small holes in his shirts. Any ideas as to why he may be doing this or how to stop it would be greatful.
I had a boy living down the street who did this (they moved). His mother was told by the pediatrician it was due to stress. She said when she wrote down all the events the boy had to go to (including driving his sister around and sitting around and waiting for her dance class and other stuff) it was a lot of stuff.
The dr. believed that the boy was over scheduled and that easing up all the commitments would help and it did.
M.
Hello. My 7 year old son does this also. He doesn't appear to be stressed or anything, so I think it's something he'll grow out of. I wouldn't worry too much about it. I think its a pretty common thing.
A.
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It's not all that uncommon. My son did it at that age and he has ADHD, but I think that it's also common for "normal" kids to do that, or chew on their sleeves, hair (girls) etc. I don't think it necessarily means he's anxious, although that could be it too. We did a sticker chart thing where he could get rewards if he came home without signs of chewing on his shirt. We also tried different options for manipulatives he could handle in school to keep his hands/mind busy, like little squeeze toys and other things that his teacher OKd.
There are even child chew necklaces you can buy - google search for chewable necklaces, chew tubes, things like that. Here's a couple of links. (and I wish I had known about these products myself back then!)
http://nationalautismresources.com/chewable-jewelry.html
http://www.amazon.com/Chewlery-ChewEase/dp/B001JHZQDY/ref...
http://www.amazon.com/AKU-SENSORY-RINGS/dp/B00178YC76/ref...
Not uncommon at all. My son did that for years to the collar of his shirts. I think it was at least 2, maybe 3 yrs. He finally recently stopped. He does not have any stress--though personally I think he could use some. He is a very good student also. Whenever I saw him do it I would tell him to stop. He has reponded that he didn't even notice, even once saying he was bored. One of my girls used to chew on the sleeves of her shirts. I think they were both around the age of 5 or 6 yrs when it started, and they no longer do this now at 10 yrs. I have also heard from other moms that their children have done this for different periods of time. I guess it is in the same line as nail biting.
