Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

5 year old won't stop chewing his t-shirts

118 replies

Jumpers268 · 18/02/2021 18:17

I know it's probably not the right place to post this but I'm at my wit's end.

My 5, almost 6, year old son, will not stop chewing his t-shirts. So much so that he gets through maybe 5 a day as they're soaking wet and all of them have holes in by the collar where he's chewed them so much. This has only been the past month or so and I can take him out for a walk and play with him but it only distracts him for so long. Quite often I don't even think he realises he's doing it.

He does have sensory issues but mainly with food textures so he can't have mashed anything or heavy or anything as he'll gag so much he'll throw up.

When I Google it indicates autism but he's the most social little butterfly (pre Covid). He was referred by nursery when he was 2 for possibly having autism as he didn't speak and was obsessed with numbers (I mean spending an hour staring at a tape measure) but he was signed off.

Any advice would be appreciated? I really want to help him stop as I can't keep buying new clothes and worry it's anxiety that's causing this. Please no horrid comments. I'm clearly desperate.

OP posts:
SeasonsInTheAbyss · 18/02/2021 18:24

Mine was the same, chewed all of his shirts and then when he was about 11 and had an Xbox started chewing the headphone cable! So he had to stop if he wanted to use the console. That seemed to cure it.

He is now 14 and has been an extremely fussy eater all his life, still exists on fish fingers and microwave fries.

I do think he may be on the ASD spectrum somewhere (maths whizz, has fixations, can’t ride a bike) but he doesn’t have any of the main markers and school have never flagged anything up.

Daisychainsandglitter · 18/02/2021 18:25

Hi OP my DD (6) is autistic and also has sensory processing issues.
She used to do exactly the same thing and it drove me to despair!
Chewlery is your friend here. DD typically wears a chewy Lego brick necklace and there is another boy in her year who wears the same style.
There are specialist shops that do some lovely designs but you can also get some very reasonably priced chewlery on e bay and amazon.
If your son has sensory issues it will be very difficult to overcome his compulsion to chew so easier to replace clothing with a chewable alternative Smile

elsaesmeralda · 18/02/2021 18:25

No advice sorry but I'm having the same problem. 6 year old constantly chewing the collar, ruining his tops! He is diagnosed asd so I know it's a sensory thing but it's only started the last few weeks

Clymene · 18/02/2021 18:26

Get him a chewy necklace. It helped stop ruined clothes here.

FoxyTheFox · 18/02/2021 18:27

Try giving him a silicone chew, there's a company called Chewigem who have an online shop selling them. They're all safety tested, they're textured, many have have fiddle feature, and they're designed for children who need to chew. DS is a clothes-chewer and redirecting him onto a chew toy saves his shirts, he even has a chewy blanket from them so he can satisfy his need to chew cloth.

As for the autism possibility, DS is autistic and hugely socialable but he doesn't know how to socialise appropriately in various ways. For example, he will happily chat away to complete strangers and is not at all shy but the flip side of this is that he doesn't have boundaries, will tell strangers absolutely everything, and would think nothing of wandering off with one of them.

One of the things that helped us to decide whether to pursue assessment was to print off a list of signs of autism and go through it with DS in mind to see which applied to him, alongside examples of times and situations where he had exhibited those behaviours and how often. It helped us to piece it all together and see that, actually, yes there was cause to pursue an assessment and it was a useful tool to take to appointments when we were asked "why do you think he might be autistic?"

Original poster
Jumpers268 · 18/02/2021 18:27

@SeasonsInTheAbyss so comforting to read that. I'm feeling like I'm losing my mind. I'm just at a loss. Literally no idea how to get him to stop.

OP posts:
TheAuthorityofJackieWeaver · 18/02/2021 18:28

Same issue here, 9 year old DS chews and eats all sorts, paper from the pages of his books, clothes, headphone cable, rubbers. We got him a sort of teething necklace from
Amazon which he has at night whilst reading and that’s been really susccessful, might be worth a try

PolarnOPirate · 18/02/2021 18:30

Same! I was always getting told off for the same as a kid. DS has always been orally fixated, I never have to tell me 3 yo to take stuff out of his mouth but 5yo ALWAYS has something in his mouth - found him chewing on a cable once (not plugged in) !! He bit the buttons off his tops the other day. He was a failure to thrive as a baby - feeding issues - I’m sure that has something to do with it.

FoxyTheFox · 18/02/2021 18:30

I wouldn't worry about getting him to stop. It's a form of stimming and is fulfilling an important purpose for him, just redirect the need onto a suitable chew toy rather than his clothes.

Blueshoess · 18/02/2021 18:31

Sounds like he’s sensory seeking, which doesn’t necessarily make him autistic. We all have sensory needs. The sensation of chewing his T-shirt must be soothing in some way, just like some people bite their nails or play with their hair.

Perhaps look into special chew necklaces? My friends little boy has a few, he helped pick them out and when he has the urge to chew he chews on that.

theautismhelper.com/why-some-kids-chew-on-everything-and-how-you-can-help/

This article has some other good suggestions.

Daisychainsandglitter · 18/02/2021 18:32

Agree with @FoxyTheFox you're unlikely to be able to stop him so a chew toy/necklace is the way to go here.

Merryoldgoat · 18/02/2021 18:32

Also these behaviours so sometimes recede.

My younger boy chewed my clothes constantly for about 18 months and then just stopped.

TheAuthorityofJackieWeaver · 18/02/2021 18:32

DS is totally NT btw, just to add a counter point to the above experiences of people. He just chews!!

FelicityPike · 18/02/2021 18:34

Chewellery!

Original poster
Jumpers268 · 18/02/2021 18:35

Thank you so much everyone. Sorry I'm on my phone so hard to reply to each individually. I'm looking at chewlery @Daisychainsandglitter but my only worry is he's a heavy chewer in that there'll be holes in the top within half an hour; will they withstand that?

Also with regards to autism, he does many quirks and has an eidetic memory. Could tell you the day of the week anyone was born (blows people's minds) and does think about things a lot - talked about the Covid vaccine for an hour this morning. He really struggles with food. I can eat something and he'll start wretching just being in the same room. I was hopeful he'd grow out of that.

I really like the idea of redirecting the chewing though as he feels so bad about it and it's obviously a compulsion.

OP posts:
FoxyTheFox · 18/02/2021 18:38

The silicone chews are really tough. When I bought DS his first one I was a bit skeptical so I tried biting it full force and I couldn't even put a dent in it, it just springs back. They do split eventually but it takes weeks of heavy use, I check them before each use to look for signs of wear and once they start splitting I replace them.

Emeraldshamrock · 18/02/2021 18:39

SPD is no longer automatically assumed as autism. Chew jewellery might work it was a waste of money for us, DS chews cushion corners or certain materiels t-shirt.
It is oral sensory seeking.

Original poster
Jumpers268 · 18/02/2021 18:39

@TheAuthorityofJackieWeaver sorry, what do you mean by NT?

I can't tell you how much you've all reassured me. I've been losing the plot the last few weeks. He does also bite his nails and was boring the skin around his thumb nails but he's stopped doing that as they hurt now.

OP posts:
Ifonlyidknownthen · 18/02/2021 18:40

You could be talking about my ds a few years ago op. He used to drive me absolutely insane, he chewed all his tops and had little holes all over them, and also the cuffs on jumpers. He chewed all the pencils in school, always brought up at parents evenings, plus all our felt pens at home. I used to cover the ends in the really bitter tasting nail biting repellent stuff you can buy which helped at home but obviously not doable in school. At one point I bought him some of the sensory chew things meant for kids that chew, but he chewed them to pieces! He kept that up for a few years, but he's now 10 and hasn't done it for a couple of years maybe. I honestly thought he wasn't ever going to stop but he did. He does has some sensory issues but they are mild and don't interfere in his daily life now, and is growing out of those. Best advice, don't buy expensive clothes, and use distraction when you catch him in the act, but he will likely go straight back to it when you turn away. It's really frustrating op but have faith that it will stop

Tal45 · 18/02/2021 18:40

Autistic people can want to be very social and enjoy being sociable, it's social skills rather than the desire that has to be affected. For example they might stand too close to people or talk a lot and not realise the person they're talking to isn't interested.
Two is quite young to be assessed and it might just not have been clear - although I'm shocked that he was just completely signed off and they didn't tell you just to wait and see - especially with that obvious big tick in the 'narrow interests' box. xxx

Original poster
Jumpers268 · 18/02/2021 18:40

*biting not boring

OP posts:
FoxyTheFox · 18/02/2021 18:41

NT = neurotypical

ND = neurodivergent/neurodiverse

Daisychainsandglitter · 18/02/2021 18:44

They're pretty robust although they do eventually succumb to the most dedicated chewers. We always have a few but they do last a while.
DD has a large beaded silicone bracelet which is more robust than the Lego brick necklaces she has as she probably goes through one of those every month but I bulk buy on e bay so they are quite cheap
She also likes to lick things like foam soap, playdoh, slime etc.
Like your son she has always had food issues and is an extremely picky eater.
I hope that these help you and your son OP as I know how frustrating it is!

Original poster
Jumpers268 · 18/02/2021 18:53

@Tal45 that's really interesting. Socially he's great. Gets social cues, has lots of friends at school, great eye contact etc. He is sensitive though and thinks about thinks a lot. He's also incredibly smart with things he's interested in (can name all the states in America, knows his prime numbers to 1000, knows all the names of the moon's in the solar system etc). School have told me he doesn't play "typically" but said no more than that. He didn't start talking until over 3 but he was reviewed 8 times in nursery and twice by a paediatrician who all said he has "quirks" but not autistic.

He is terrible with food. Truly terrible. Like he'd go without eating for days if I didn't remind him and even then it's a fight.

OP posts: