Chewing

[Cariad]

T has now started chewing EVERYTHING, a few days back he came back from school having chewed the back arms of his glasses off! Also chewing his collars, his socks *blergh* and sponges and anything plastic!

 

It's all new behaviour but it's becoming very destructive.. The only thing I can tie it in with is he says he is hungry all of the time even though he is on ritalin. He's never had much of an appetite but now he will eat and eat when he gets in from school, just junk not anything of nutritional value

 

Anyone experiencing the same thing?

Edited June 12, 2008 by Cariad

[morgan and alexandra]

Oh yes, we've had this and still do to a certain extent although no where near as bad as it used to be. Our DD used to chew on her shoes, clothes and raw meat!!! At the moment it is paper and the remote control, she has completely wrecked it.

 

Nothing we have tried has worked, she isn't on medication but always says she is hungry but like yours, she doesnt want nutritional food just junk. I keep treats to a minimum in the house as she would steal it. The other thing she would do is to gorge until she is sick. It's like she doesn't have the switch button to tell her she is full. It's not all the time so it is bearable.

 

Sorry can't be any help and ill read the answers you get on here with interest to see if anyone else has any ideas.

 

Good luck

 

Helen

[NobbyNobbs]

i used to chew everything. mostly it was the collars of my clothes, or my fingers, or objects such as small toys. it was a sense thing. i'm very picky about how thigns feel in my mouth, so if i find something i like the feel of, its gotta be there all the time! now i chew plastic straws and spoons. there is one spoon at home that has the perfect shape and weight and if i get my hands on it, thats it for days.

 

incidentally i also dont have the 'i'm hungry' and 'i'm full' thing either, but i dont think the chewing was related to that. have you tried giving them acceptable things to chew? my favorite is sugar-free chupa chups. once the sweet is gone i chew the plastic stick!

 

oh, and the glasses thing? the little plastic coating on the ends feels very nice and smooth in the mouth, plus as you twist the glasses, it doesn't move 'predictably' because its bent at an angle... i got through 2 pairs that way, until i was threatened with no more glasses if i did it again. i have to have the glasses to hide behind and protect me from looking at people (in my mind) so that was a big threat.

[bikemad]

My lad has wierd looking clothes cos he chews the front so much even after washing n ironing it still looks crumpled up and he chews his pencils in school so much so I change them weekly.

[kaz]

Daniel is 17 and still chews plastic....... and when i try and stop him all he says is "mum its not going to kill me just cos you don't like it don't mean its bad!!"

 

So i guess its just one of those things that over the years i still don't like but have had to get used to, chewed pens remote controls, in fact anything plastic and he chews it.

[darky]

If anyone has answers please tell me! My girl is like a puppy. She chews everything. She is injesting it as well as a week ago we found a large amount of foam in her poo off her dolly pram handle and her rocker chair she ripped open and ate some of the foam inside. She licks and chews everything. We have had loads of advice, she has theraband to chew but it does not stop her. We have been advised to try sucking puree apple through a straw, thick milkshakes, ice cubes, space candy etc but NOTHING works. She acts like she explores everything through her mouth. She cannot just stand. Makes me feel sick when she is sucking on railings in public, chewing backs of chairs. One of the worst is sucking dirty socks We have to constantly watch what she is doing. It's hard to get toys safe for a 9yr old who can chew through most things designed for babies!! Sorry, no advice, just sympathy as I know EXACTLY where you are coming from!!

[Kathryn]

My lad has wierd looking clothes cos he chews the front so much even after washing n ironing it still looks crumpled up

 

L used to do this to her clothes too - especially the front of t shirts. Before that it was her hair.

 

K x

[bikemad]

L used to do this to her clothes too - especially the front of t shirts. Before that it was her hair.

 

K x

 

Yeah thats the usual the front of tops n tshirts-had to buy a new cubs tshirt cos he wrecked the other one lol.

[Cariad]

i used to chew everything. mostly it was the collars of my clothes, or my fingers, or objects such as small toys. it was a sense thing. i'm very picky about how thigns feel in my mouth, so if i find something i like the feel of, its gotta be there all the time! now i chew plastic straws and spoons. there is one spoon at home that has the perfect shape and weight and if i get my hands on it, thats it for days.

 

incidentally i also dont have the 'i'm hungry' and 'i'm full' thing either, but i dont think the chewing was related to that. have you tried giving them acceptable things to chew? my favorite is sugar-free chupa chups. once the sweet is gone i chew the plastic stick!

 

oh, and the glasses thing? the little plastic coating on the ends feels very nice and smooth in the mouth, plus as you twist the glasses, it doesn't move 'predictably' because its bent at an angle... i got through 2 pairs that way, until i was threatened with no more glasses if i did it again. i have to have the glasses to hide behind and protect me from looking at people (in my mind) so that was a big threat.

 

Thanks Nobbynobbs, that is a really good insight to see where T is coming from.

[Guest Tracey L]

harry eats everything, he has eaten the whole back from a remote control, elastic bands, clothes, paper. I am constantly getting things out of his mouth.

[forbsay]

M used do this alot when he was younger. He still does it but not as much. I think it relates to a sensory issue.

[pookie170]

Personally, I LOVE chewing plastic, it's the resistance and the feel of it when your teeth finally go through and meet.....I prefer plastic clothes tags and the rippy-off bit from milk containers, but in my heyday, my action figures and the hated barbie dolls that wre forced upon me by well meaning rellies were primary targets...anything plastic back then. Its just...satisfying, I suppose. I also recall, when small, chewing on bits of plaster, dirt or sand as I loved the crunch and grittyness of it. Makes me shudder to think of it now, but went through dreadful cravings for it when I was pregnant, even though my vitamin and mineral levels were ok!!

 

If there are things you really dont want kids to chew, like glasses legs and telly doofers (remote control) then you could try painting them with that bitter tasting stuff you get to discourage nailbiting? Or another strong tasting substance they dislike, such as aniseed or mint flavouring? Cal hates mint, he says it burns-he still needs baby toothpaste, and even thats at the limit of his endurance!

 

Must say though, if anyone's kid is a habitual hairchewer, I'd advise you to get their hair cut short as a friend of mine was rushed into hospital when she was 9 to have a hairball surgically removed, which had developed through long-term hair chewing. It can be very serious, apparently!