Children and chewing gum

[sezamcgregor]

I have very fond memories of the telling a off from my mum for chewing gum on the carpet, chewing gum on bedding, chewing gum in my sister's hair - I actually thing that I spent more time being banned from chewing gum that I spent being able to enjoy the luxury of growing up that was chewing gum.

DS is 6, nearly 7 and is very annoyed with me when I swapped the jawbreaker bubble gum that he was gives by his friend earlier with a handful of Haribo to share with said friend.

I can't really think of a reason why my answer was no, I just don't want him to start having it yet.

Can anyone please tell me the reason children shouldn't have chewing gum (apart from getting it on everything) and what age is appropriate for them to have it?

Thanks in advance :-)

My French teacher said that the chewing of gum made your stomach produce more acid in preparation for food arriving. As food doesn't arrive the excess acid then eats away at your stomach lining.

I have no idea if the above is true but it put me off gum when I was about 13!

I just have memories of having chunks of hair cut off because it was a sticky matted mess.

They'll stick it to their hair, the carpet, the cat.
Also, if you swallow it, it wraps around your heart.

I don't know, my 7yo chews chewing gum but if it gets on anything - she gets it off. I don't see anything wrong with it apart from like you said, getting it stuck to things. She did nearly choke once when her pony threw her and she was chewing but now she says she just tucks it into the back of her teeth before riding him.

doesnt bother me as long as they dont wrap it round their fingers or chew it all day! I have used it for bribery when ds had horrible medicine to take - he got a chewing gum after each spoonful to take the taste away. I have let them chew some on the way to the dentist straight after school as there wasnt time to brush their teeth (I keep minty stuff in the car)

It has never got in their hair or on the carpet - my two are 7 and 10

aaahh, you got it ilovepowerhoop she does that and it does irritate me with the wrapping round the fingers thing but nor as much as the backward sucking bubble POP thing she does really loudly in peoples ear. That drives me mental.

At he age they know well enough not to swallow it or stick it in inappropriate places. 7+ maybe.

Dd regularly has sugar free gum as has reflux. Told to by dentistry order to help protect her teeth.

Sorry - typing on ipad. Told to be dentist to help.

I had to cut a chunk of Dd3's hair out recently. As a general rule she's not allowed chewing gum but another girl gave her some when we were on holiday. She got it in her hair near the roots and then pulled it down her lovely long hair

My children are 9 and I still don't allow it, in the 70's there where a lot if children who choked to death reported, it may have been disproportionate to the real risk, but what put the cherry on the cake for me was my little brother choking on a screw ball chewing gum, we had been band chewing gum, but mum didn't realise the what the sweet at the bottom was.

It remember her beating his back it didn't shift then her phoning an ambulance, then her using tweezers to remove it, he was fine following but left me scared of it

It does definately wrap around your heart though if you swallow it and it will never come out the other end!

My primary concern is the aspartame and other sweetener found in the gum which I'd rather the children don't have. It gives me terrible headaches and I'd hate the kids to get them too.