To desperately ask for help

[PurpleTrash]

Non verbal 2 year old, constantly sticking hands in mouth and making themselves sick/ playing with drool.
Currently waiting for patch referral
How can we tackle this? It's so gross and ruining the carpets and furniture constantly scrubbing sick and drool off :(

Mittens?

@createsuser

They would get soaked through with spit/vomit instantly, and essentially become little spit sponges strapped to tiny hands 🤢

Probably not the best idea but what about the nail varnish to stop chewing nails? Clutching at straws though. I had babies with reflux and constant milky sick was bad enough but food sick is really grim.

Try some anti-nail biting solution on fingers and hands. It comes in what looks like a nail polish bottle but it's a much thinner liquid which dries quickly and is non-sticky.

It tastes unpleasant but is harmless. You might have to reapply frequently, but it could help break the habit.

How about a chewy necklace thingy. You can get them for chewers. Won't stop the drool but might keep hands and thus other surfaces less drooly.

A good SEND OT might be able to make some suggestions.

@didicat and @lockheart

Thats our next step, we've thought would anti bac hand gel work as well? Tastes vile

As an ex teacher with special needs experience, distract, distract, distract. And be very calm & matter of fact. Any other reaction is sending stressful negative messages . Could it be for attention. Could it be anxiety? Toddlers need routine & clear expectations , spelt out, especially if they have other challenges .Changes to routine need to be explained first in age appropriate simple language: "Today we are going to see Nanny. Let's get ready".

I wouldn't use hand gel, it tastes so gross because it's not safe to ingest, and there's been some cases of kids being ill because of breathing alcohol fumes and absorbing through their skin because hand surface area to body volume ratio is much larger for small children.

There used to be a product to help stop the habit of biting nails - a nail varnish that tasted awful.

It sounds as tho he is enjoying the sensory feedback from doing this. Is he known to other SEN services? Support from an occupational therapist is a good idea and chewellery. You may be able to self refer to OT in your area. They might provide a sensory diet or advise to work on finding a replacement behaviour that gives him similar sensory feedback but is more manageable. He may like the taste of the nail biting solution or lick it off and continue the same behaviour if he has sensory processing difficulties. Does he like sensory messy play? Slime/shaving foam/cornflour etc... My son has sensory processing difficulties too so you have my sympathies!

Water table, gloop and slime to play with
as it sounds like he may be doing it for a sensory need.

Don't bother with the foul tasting nail varnish - it really isn't that foul compared with the compulsion to bite nails/put fingers in mouth. My mother tried it with me for years and I still bite my nails. I never stopped, I just chewed it off. I'm 50.

Agree with the distract, distract, distract and keeping hands busy.

@nocturnalstar

It sounds as tho he is enjoying the sensory feedback from doing this. Is he known to other SEN services? Support from an occupational therapist is a good idea and chewellery. You may be able to self refer to OT in your area. They might provide a sensory diet or advise to work on finding a replacement behaviour that gives him similar sensory feedback but is more manageable. He may like the taste of the nail biting solution or lick it off and continue the same behaviour if he has sensory processing difficulties. Does he like sensory messy play? Slime/shaving foam/cornflour etc... My son has sensory processing difficulties too so you have my sympathies!

This.