Help...son's Shirt Is Always in His Mouth!

My son did this all the way through 2nd grade, it's finally stopped this year, 3rd grade. I mentioned it to his teacher in first grade and she just laughed, she said on any given day she'll look out and at least half the boys have their shirts in their mouths. Just gently remind him when you see him doing it; he'll outgrow it eventually.

My son has FINALLY stopped doing this! LOL It used to drive me nuts! We'd be all ready to go somewhere--and I'd look at him and his shirt would be soaked and wrinkled!
He's 7 so there's light at the end of the tunnel for you....it IS maddening but I think it's just a habit.

My son also did this, and my daughter went through a period when she would lick her hands - she said becuase they felt dry. It seems that kids go through some stage of growth where they are more fidgity, or anxious, or whatever. For my shirt-sucking son, he also went through a period in kindergarten where he fidgeted with any tiny hole or pull in his clothing until he created a giant tear or hole and it had to be thrown out. I think that had to do with the fact that his teacher was not very nice and he had to sit still for long periods of time. This is a child who needs to be in motiong even now at age 11.
They do grow out of it. I don't fully know why it starts then stops, and I don't think my promptings helped my son get past it. I realized that he was happy & health in others ways, and if he temporarily needed this fidgeting to get through certain times of the day, or suck his shirt, I was not going to make a huge deal of it. His shirts did get stretched out - and he realized that some favorite shirts no longer looked great - but since he is such a tall kid he grew out of evrything so quickly I would only shop in WalMart / Kmart for his clothes anyway. Not like he was ruining designer shirts. As for my daughter who went through this hand licking stage - since that involved hygiene, I told her she'd have to wash her hands all the time. We found a handcream that she liked (MaryKay for some reason) and I bought two tubes for her. For whatever reason, that seemed to stop the habit.
I think there are big things and small things that we can get crazy about - we have to evalute it in light of our child's development in other areas. Is this the only thing that's a little quirky? He'll grow out of it. Remind him when you see his shirt in his mouth in a "not-a-big-deal" manner to take his shirt out of his mouth. On the other hand, if this is one of many symptoms that don't seem right then maybe a trip to the pediatrician is called for.
There are so many things we need to concern ourselves about with the kids that this one doesn't seem that big a deal to me. If you look around your son's class room you'll see kids who bite their pencils, kids who draw on their hands, some twist their hair around with their fingers, etc. Your son has only been on the planet for 6 years - he's still such a little guy. He will stop this practice and I guarantee he won't be going to middle school sucking on his shirt. ;o)

My son also does this, and also has pretty bad seasonal allergies. I haven't come up with anything yet to get him to stop! It has been getting better the past few months (he's 8 now), I think maybe because other kids started noticing and they definitely did not think it was cool!

Hi Mom, both my boys were shirt chewers. EEEWWWWA! It was a brief phase kindergarten/1st grade. I just ignored it, not because I felt that was the right thing to do, just since I didn't know WHAT to do! Plus it was clearly either a nervous habit or some type of self-soothing mechanism, seemed mean to be pointing it out to them all the time. It was over by or before 2nd grade. I've got a feeling other KIDS began pointing it out to them, like kids do 'why is your shirt all yucky?'. Sometimes peer pressure is a GOOD thing!
Have a great day!

My son did the exact same thing from the ages of 4 through about 8. Before that, he would lick his lips so much that he always had a rash around his mouth. I was told it was related to his sensory issues, anxiety, and his tics. There was NOTHING we could do to stop it - he told us he HAD to do it or he felt like he would go crazy (I would rather have a few wet, streched-out shirts than a child who feels "crazy"). He was doing OT at the time and is on the autism spectrum as well as having ADHD and allergies. Years 4 - 8 were tough years where we were helping him cope with all his issues and his anxiety was sky-high, poor kid! He eventually grew out of it, although the tics still manifest in different ways sometimes when he's stressed out. But the lip licking and shirt-sucking have stopped completely now. It drove me crazy, too, but it was a way for him to control his environment and help him cope with all his issues, so I accepted it and just let him do it. Unfortunately, I have no advice as to how to get your son to stop...it his mouth is itchy from allergies, perhaps the Claritin isn't doing its job properly and another trip to the allergist is in order. Good luck!

My husband thinks it's hilarious because he did it and so does our 4 yr old. Just another "mini-me." I've watched for triggers. It's not when he's nervous or scared. When he's nervous or overwhelmed he covers his ears with his hands. This shirt thing, it's just a habit. He doesn't even realize he's doing it. He runs in to ask me to change the channel or ask for a drink and he's chewing his shirt. It doesn't bother me too much. It's not high on my annoying scale. They do way more annoying stuff!

My son did that in 1st grade. It must be a boy thing/phase, lol. He even chewed off the top button on one of his shirts (it was a polo style). Have no fear, Mom, he will outgrow it before you realize it. By next year he will have figured out something else. For my son, it was chewing his pencils... :(

He doesn't do that anymore now (he's in 7th grade now), probably because he uses mostly mechanical pencils, and they don't "chew", lol.

It's just his way of relieving stress right now. He will find something else. My son also would tear up little bits of paper and untwist paper clips. Always something with the hands.... Maybe if you got him one of those stress ball things (the stiff ones that have a face and hair..) for him to squeeze... he could keep it in his desk or backpack or jacket pocket, and pull it out and squeeze on it when he feels stressed.

Or wait it out... he will stop in his own time. One year of ruined shirts is probably all you have to worry about...

My 4 year old does that. Or, she sucks on her sleeve. Her favorite is a washcloth. Or, last night in the bath tub she was sucking on her mermaid bath toy. She puts yarn, fabric headbands, anything in her mouth. When she was little she chewed on shoes.

Yesterday I brought her to my office and before we came in she said "can I chew in your office?". She still has a pacifier but I hate to take it away because at least I can put it in the dishwasher.
So, I have a similar problem but no solution.

My son did this all the time. He was also 6. To the point where he would bite holes in the neckline. They would be soaked and stretched. He doesn't have seasonal allergies.

If I would see him doing it, I would take the shirt out of his mouth and ask him to stop the first time. The next time I would do the same and tell him it was his second warning. The third time I would make him take his shirt off and throw it away. (it was so damaged he couldn't wear them agian anyway) I then took out all of his "good shirts" from his drawers and packed them away. Leaving only tshirts and stuff he was close to outgrowing. I continued with the three step process until he had only 2 shirts left. (I think we started with around 7).

Each time he had to throw one of his shirts away I told him that he better stop otherwise he will have no shirts to wear and I wasn't buying him another shirt until he had stopped completely. Then he just stopped. He hasn't done it since.

This may have not been the "right thing" to do, but it worked for me.

the throat thing sounds like post nasal drip.. if clariten doesn't clear it up, try something else. the shirt thing, I have the same problem with my son (same age bracket). I think it's a habit - like everything else, it will pass. try not to make a huge deal out of it.

I work in in preschool with 4-5 yr old and periodically a child does this. I think it is some sort of a comforting thing that provide security to them. Often when I ask a child to "please take your shirt out of your mouth" they don't even seem to realize they were doing it. I would send a short note to his teacher and ask her to politely correct him whenever he does this. She should have no problem with this request. I dont think it has anything to do with allergies. Hope this helps.

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UGH!! I hate it when my kids do this. They do this and sometimes chew on the sleves of their t-shirts. I equate it to the kid that picks his/her nose. It is a bad habit, regardless of why/how it started.
My 7 yo and I went through all of his shirts before school started and had two piles - keep and throw away (really, they were that bad) but there were some that went in the throw away pile he really liked and when he was asking why I told him, "The neck is all stretched out from chewing."
Needless to say, he knows that favorite shirts will get tossed if they look crummy and he has really restrained himself. I also stay on him, if I see it, remind him to keep it out of his mouth.
Sorry, may not be the best advice, but it has worked so far for us.

Check for six year molars. My daughter did the same thing and I posted the question on here. Someone said to check for six year molars and sure enough, there they were. She's 7 now the molars are in and she doesn't suck on anything anymore.

He will grow out of it, especially when it is cold out. LOL