Away from Politics and Back to Our Kids - My Son Chews His Shirt

I buy a gross of papermate ballpoint pens.

Then I just hand one to my son whenever he's got his shirt in his mouth.

Since it's socially acceptable to chew on pens, and they have fewer calories than suckers, and aren't a carcinogenic as cigarettes. I'm not really joking about the cigarettes, btw. Most smokers I know/knew were clothing chewers as kids. So were most pen chewers. The pens just seem overall a healthier option and can be a life long quirk.

I don't have a lot of suggestions for you, but this is VERY common. It's a sensory issue and the male equivalent of girl's twirling their hair. My son did it at that age and I pretty much just gave up. I didn't toss out his shirts until he grew out of them, but they were in no condition to hand down to his younger brother. I was told to ignore it and that the more I bugged him about it the worse it would make it. He eventually grew out of it, but he did go through occupational therapy for sensory issues. The shirt thing actually bothered the grandparents more than it bothered me. One sensory idea is to make sure they have an opportunity to have crunchy snacks--carrot sticks, granola bars, etc. I personally don't like gum, but sugar free gum is another option.

my oldest used to chew his shirt terribly, holes in the neck, stretched out fabric, etc. I tried everything I could think of, and nothing worked. He is now 29, and still chews stuff, yes, even his shirt, but not as bad. He is also extremely sensitive about fabrics, tags, seams etc. I'm quite sure that he had some sort of sensory issue. I wish I had the answer for you, but I don't. At one time I asked a psychologist about it, and he told me to pick my battles, and that this one wasn't one worth fighting.

No really suggestions -- sorry -- though I love the camo fabric and bandana ideas. I'm really just responding to say my 5-yr-old does the exact same thing, and it's always worried me. Thanks to you wonderful moms for letting me know (indirectly) that this might not be such a big deal after all!

No other suggestions - I like your cammo fabric idea! (perhaps buying a couple bandanas and knotting that somehow may be cheaper than buying a yard of fabric).

I love your idea and may steal it! My oldest chews the necks and sleeves of his shirts when bored or nervous and it drives me nuts! The camo scarf thing is a good idea!

As soon as I read the title of your post I thought to myself: "I'll bet her son is about 5 or 6." LOL

Yep, my son did that too. I even vaguely recall doing that myself! My daughter really never was a chewer of her shirt, but she chews her fingers (cuticles---I have had issues with this myself as well). I think the shirt chewing is fairly normal and common and probably a stress reliever for him. My son ruined a few good shirts (he was in private school and had to wear collared shirts--so no Tshirts were ruined during the making of his elementary experience). But he also outgrew it over time. I think it only lasted for one grade... Maybe first or 2nd grade? Can't really remember which one, now. That seems so long ago... :(

The bandana would probably work really well. Make sure you give him several, because you will want to wash them after each day of school. The only thing I would caution about the bandana is to tell your son up front not to "share" it with his friends. Something "cool" like that might get passed around in a show of friendship, and I don't think you'd want him chewing on stuff other kids have been wearing.

Good luck. He'll be past this in no time.

Why not use a bandana or a cloth hanky (not to be used to blow his nose in). This way he has something to chew on, you can wash it and he can keep it in his pocket. I would also find out why he wants to chew. Are his molars coming in? Or is he having some anxiety issues?

My youngest did that for a while, I stopped buying her long sleeved shirts since she gnawed on the arms. By the next winter she was over it or at least found something less destructive to do when she was bored. Meh, maybe she started gnawing on her pencils like I used to do.

i used to do that? Why do you have to buy new shirts? Don't they J. get wet? i would think your teeth would have to be really strong and you would have to purposefully rip a hole in it?

No suggestions, but I'll look forward to your answers. My daughter chews the wrists of her shirts, or her hair (chews on it like gum) - it's all breaking off. She used to chew her nails, so I guess these are a bit better - at least they don't hurt.