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Donna Marie
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If a child chews his clothing...does it mean that they need something in their diet? My almost 4yo ds is ruining one shirt after another....ick
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Donna Marie from NJ
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Donna Marie from NJ
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Mary G
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Donna -- my 7yos is doing this too! He's the first of the batch to do it, but 4 yos thinks it must be something big boys do cuz he's starting to imitate 
I have no idea of a cure -- other than scolding, and what fun is that?
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Elizabeth
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My pediatrician said it's not that uncommon. OTOH, the two of mine who did/do it are also the two who have enough tics in the right pattern to indicate Tourette Syndrome.
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Rebecca
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My children have done this from time to time when their molars are coming in (four year, eight year, etc.).
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PDyer
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I've read that zinc supplementation can help with chewing.
My son used to chew holes in his shirts. We didn't do the supplementation (I hadn't heard of it at the time), but we made sure he had something to which we could direct his chewing. Therapy aid stores for occupational therapists have lots of options. My son had a couple of these at one point:
Chewy Tubes
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Mary G
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Rebecca wrote:
My children have done this from time to time when their molars are coming in (four year, eight year, etc.).
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I think this is the case -- Thomas says it makes his teeth feel better to chew on things, especially clothes ... I'll have to get the dentist to check it out (once we find one, that is  -- oh, the joys of relocation!)
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teachingmyown
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My 9 yr old drove me nuts with this a few years ago. I did read that it was related to the spectrum of Feingold related problems (bedwetting, wild behavior, impulsiveness, etc). We started on Feingold around that time, but I can't say for sure if it was the diet or maturity that caused it to stop.
Just remember, this too shall pass!  Oh, if chewing shirts were the biggest of our worries!  Just try to put a shirt or two of to the side for when you leave the house!
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Courtney
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My 6yo ds is doing this, too! He also just recently started putting his hands in his mouth a lot (chewing on his fingers, etc.) It's strange to me b/c he was never a thumb sucker. He does have some articulation errors (like "r") and a friend of mine who is a speech path (I am too, technically but been out of it for 9 years) suggested that he may be going through a period fo oral motor growth/development.
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jdostalik
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My almost 7 year old did this when I weaned him close to age 4 and has recently begun chewing his shirt sleeves again...that is interesting about oral motor growth/development as his reading has really begun to click though he still has some articulation problems...Hmmm...
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Servant2theKing
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You might try letting them wear a terrycloth bib during phases of chewing (around the house at least), to save their clothing. Just a thought!
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Dawn
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My 5 yo did this last year - relentlessly. I assumed it had to do with his PDD - never thought of it being nutritional or dental. Interesting ...
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Elizabeth
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I don't think it's dental here because I see it increase when I see other tics increase--around the holidays is a biggie. I think it's stress (and maybe a bit of diet). Also, I'm not sure my children are chewing as much as they are sucking. And the shirt doesn't end up any where near their molars, so I don't think it's offering relief there .
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Mary G
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I think this is just another one of those signs from God that parenting is NOT for wimps!
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MaryG
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fsuadamson
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teachingmyown wrote:
My 9 yr old drove me nuts with this a few years ago. I did read that it was related to the spectrum of Feingold related problems (bedwetting, wild behavior, impulsiveness, etc). We started on Feingold around that time, but I can't say for sure if it was the diet or maturity that caused it to stop.
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Oh Molly,
My almost 7 year old boy is chewing/sucking the sleeves and collars on all his tee shirts but he also exhibits wild behavior and on occassion bed wetting. I know he is very sensitive to artificial food colorings. He is also learning to read and we have had to work through a couple oral motor problems with some letter / blending sounds this past year. So it is probably a combination.
To be honest I have no idea what you are talking about when you mention *Feingold* diet. Could you possibly send me some more information on this, a website?
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jdostalik
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Hey Leslie,
I'm not Molly, but I have a friend who swears by the Feingold diet--she and her entire family have been strict adherents to it for almost 2.5 years and they have seen a world of difference in two of their dd's particularly...
Here's their
site.
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Angel
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Elizabeth wrote:
| I don't think it's dental here because I see it increase when I see other tics increase--around the holidays is a biggie. I think it's stress (and maybe a bit of diet). Also, I'm not sure my children are chewing as much as they are sucking. And the shirt doesn't end up any where near their molars, so I don't think it's offering relief there . |
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My son with TS didn't chew on his shirts, but he did suck on his fingers/hand for about a year when he was 8/9. (I mean, he would put his entire *fist* in his mouth.) It used to drive me crazy. I think with him it was a sensory thing, and it definitely increased/increases with stress.
--Angela
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SaraP
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My 5yo is a chewer - clothes, toys, furniture, the edge of the kitchen counter, the pew in front of us in church  . I bought a few chew tubes and pieces of 'chewelry' (wearable chew toys) from an occupational therapy supply place and give him one of those when I see him start to chew.
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Willa
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My four year old has just started doing this. A couple of his brothers went through stages of this behavior at different times in their lives, so to me the stress and developmental pattern ideas ring true.
I weaned him recently, and it is holidays -- more screen time and sugar. I think the over-stimulation through the eyes makes him compensate by seeking sensation through the other senses, and probably the weaning threw his sensory organization out of balance too. Anyway, I plan to modify diet, decrease the visual input, look for Montessori/OT type sensory tactile and proprioceptive activities for him to engage in and ..... batten down the hatches since it will probably be rough around here for the next week.
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Topic: Chewing Clothing
