My almost five year old daughter has started chewing on things.. mainly the sleeves of her shirts or her pet stuffed animal. She has never been through a chewing phase before - is this normal for this age?
It's normal. From 3-almost 6 my daughter chewed things to destruction. I have had to throw away things she has chewed on. She chewed the neck of her shirts, toys, pencils and straws. Sometimes her shirt is wet from the neck down. She looks like she slobbered all over herself. I've noticed she doesn't do it as much now so maybe she is growing out of it.
i hope so my almost five yr old (jan 14) chews the collar of his tshirts. its a constant reminder like when he was a baby to keep things out of his mouth" what goes in your mouth, my son replies " only food and drinks". uggghhhh its nasty phase. i was wondering if it has anything to do with his teeth...insurance kicks in january 1
when my fiance was around that age his mother was constantly having to buy him new shirts, especially long sleeved ones.. he would chew and suck on the ends of his sleeves and if he had short sleeves on he would take the collar of his shirt and put that in his mouth and chew on it, she said no matter how many times they told him to stop it didnt matter but he eventually grew out of it... on another, weirder note, his younger brother somewhere around that age, if they were eating some kind of meat for dinner he would chew it for a really long time and then just keep it in his mouth and later on in the day they would catch him chewing something and eating it and it would be his meat from lunch/dinner! how weird is that lol.. he grew out of that too dont worry
It's a stage. Just gently remind her that we don't chew on our things. Pick her up some sugarless gum.
My son just started doing this too right around the time he started kindergarten, but he also played football too about the same time and had to constantly have a mouth piece in - so we are not sure which one has made this become a habit but it continues and drives me crazy. I asked the doctor when we went for a ear infection - and she it is probably a phase since it started so late. We just keep using gentle reminders and I've asked his teacher to do the same (we are lucky to be in a small school and he has only 12 kids in his class - so she can help with this).
She's most likely got her 6 year molars coming in and so chewing feels good. I took my 5 year old to the dentist for a cleaning and her 6 year molars are coming in. She chews on things too (mainly her blankie).
If she has not been to the dentist in the past 6 months with no problems then I would call and make an appointment. It's almost always something to do with the teeth they are getting at this age or a cavity. Both can just be a tiny bit uncomfortable and chewing makes the teeth move a bit and it relieves that pressure or inflammation on the gums.
See if a half dose of Tylenol will make a difference. If it does then she really needs to see the dentist. If you don't see any difference then I would imagine she's just going through a chewing phase. Google chewy foods and make sure she has a lot of them. That will fill that urge to chew and it will also make her jaws tired so she will not chew for a while. She may be quieter too....my granddaughter would not talk for about an hour after a really chewy snack.
My little sister did this when she was younger, and she is a sensory child. Maybe you should consult your Pediatrician on this?
I would give her gum, or buy her a chewy necklace. http://www.nationalautismresources.com/chewelry.html
My 4 year old does this.. for him it is a calming technique. He has sensory and ADHD..
It is not , not normal. It might just depend on the reason.
I've seen a lot of kids do this. I think it's a calming behavior. They do make "chewies" for sensory kids. Don't know if she needs one, but you could maybe ask the school nurse what she thinks and recommends.
I have the same issue. Is she losing teeth? Feeling anxious?
