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

[Jumpers268]

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.

@Daisychainsandglitter I can't tell you how much this has helped. I saw my mum today (bubble) and she said let him go topless but he really can't help it. His little face when he knows his top is soaked and he hides it with a blanket or something. Breaks my heart but also difficult to not get frustrated when everything has holes in and he's always got a wet top on.

Can he say if he has toothache?

DD2 was the same. Chewed through all her tops, chewed pillows, bit her nails, basically would chew on anything to hand. We had to make sure whatever was in her bedroom was safe and non toxic as we’d find bits of things chewed all over the floor. She grew out of it when she was a teen.
She is NT btw.

You can also get Neckerchew bibs for older children. They look just like a bandana but with a rubber tip. Advantage is the bib part soaks up moisture while it's chewed. It also gives the choice of chewing the rubber tip as designed for the bib fabric!

Have you looked into sensory processing disorder? It can commonly run alongside autism. There are things that you can do at home to help with sensory seeking which may help. Good luck

@Thelnebriati no I've asked. No toothache. I thought it was because he was hungry as he's so shite at eating but it appears to make no difference.

He's always had sensory issues so it doesn't surprise me that it was a sensory thing.

I can't put into words how glad I am I posted this. I've never known another child to do this and I was honestly losing my mind. I showed him some of the chew necklaces and honestly his face was so relieved. He especially liked the Lego one. I feel so guilty that I've essentially told him 500 times today to stop eating his clothes when he clearly can't help it. Thank you all!!!

[quote Jumpers268]@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.[/quote]
Look into interoception - it's about the ability to recognise messages from your body.

My 13 year old has only recently started saying he's hungry - it's taken years.

It does sound as if he has a lot of markers for autism but he's very young for a high functioning child to be diagnosed. He may not be autistic of course - as another poster said, sensory processing disorder is worth exploring. You can follow what's called a sensory diet - either alone or with support from an occupational therapist - which can really help children with SPD.

Could indicate a deficiency, e.g. iron.

See if the GP will refer him to OT who can assess and help with any sensory issues he might have

My son used to do this, but grew out of it within a month or two. He would chew holes in his tops. For him it was a tic (later diagnosed with Tourette’s) rather than a sensory thing.

Lots of people have sensory differences but are not on the autistic spectrum, myself included.

I would recommend a chewigem necklace to satisfy the chewing need.

DS1 was the same. I went to pass on/sell his clothes when he'd grown out of them and they were all holey around the neck! :o

He grew out of it. He is diagnosed ADHD now. He has some sensory issues. The lego necklace sounds like a lovely idea :)

FWIW - I have ADHD too and I had several watches/necklaces that I eventually destroyed by chewing them

@Clymene that's so good to know. I can't wait for the day where he says he's hungry. A lot of my friends say "if he doesn't eat what you give him then he goes hungry", but he will go hungry. It doesn't even phase him. The other day he ate a plain cheese pizza and honestly I don't think I've ever been so happy. It's so nice to not feel alone.

@GreenSlide thank you, I will speak to GP. I've was made to feel essentially stupid when he was little and his dad has very much the "he'll grow out of it" attitude, which is fine when I'm not having to buy 10 new tops a week.

I remember chewing the sleeves of my school cardigans as well. I especially liked the taste when the old spit had dried out < < (not envy!)

My ds was a tshirt and school jumper chewer too. He also sucked his thumb and bit his nails. He dropped each of them. He's nearly thirty, I asked him about the clothes eating but he said that he didn't know why he did it.
He just did it, then stopped.

The relief from this thread. I was so worried I'd get a battering.

My autistic child was the same. It was much much worse when he was stressed or anxious - it began when he started school. A chewy toy helped (although we never found one with a texture he really liked), as did him chewing old baby muslins instead. But honestly, a lot of the time I just had to let it go - it wasn’t harming him, it wasn’t harming anyone else and he just needed to do it. We tried not wearing a shirt, he chewed the knees of his trousers or the toes of his socks. If he was naked he chewed his nails or his skin until it bled. In the end I bought the cheapest possible t shirts, we changed his t shirt if it was wet and bothering him and then we just ignored it. He stopped by himself eventually, around the same time he found school much easier and was all round far less anxious.

@BertieBotts that made me chuckle. He did ask me if the Lego necklace will taste the same as his t-shirts haha and I was like I can't imagine the t-shirts taste nice but maybe they do!!

both my kids ruined loads of clothes by chewing them. DD unravelled (because of chewing) a school cardigan sleeve in about 3 weeks - she used to chew the sleeves of everything til she was about 7, and DS chews the neckline/collar of tops especially sports tops.(and he is 11!)
AFAIK neither has sensory issues although DD is an incredibly fussy eater.

DS1 is also getting more adventurous with food, he is 12 now. He is still not the world's best eater, but is now encountering the teenage hunger, which is tricky because he still eats like a bird at mealtimes. Luckily he knows how to make himself cheese on toast and instant noodles so he fills up on those in the evenings if he wants to.

My ds was the same. Got him a chew necklace. He never really used it but has grown out of chewing his clothes at 8. He has been diagnosed as on asd and it’s his social skills it shows in.

@Theotherrudolph this has all started since year 1 and I did wonder if it was related. He only did at school once, in September, and they gave him a "spare" jumper and made quite a big deal about it in front of him (jumper needs to be washed and dried by tomorrow, and if he keeps doing it you'll need to pack a spare one). Didn't do it again until schools shut again. I asked him if he was excited for schools reopening and he said he was excited to see his friends but that the classroom was really really boring.

I didn't replace the t-shirts - it didn't occur to me. I just waited until he outgrew them. But I do tend to get t-shirts from Primark or supermarkets, multipacks or second hand anyway. So if you want to replace them I would recommend this as it is a cheaper way to do it.

Another vote for Chewigem, if you contact them they will advise on the best chews and they guarantee they will last for a certain periods of time or they will replace. The chewigem button is the strongest or the Geotag.

I have a 10 year old NT DS and he’s a chewer too. At one point I bought him a dog toy as a joke and he decided he liked it so we had to get him something a little more appropriate The Lego ones from Amazon work well and now we just have one in each room so we can “remind” him when he starts on his clothes.

@Exhausteddog I never knew this was a thing! My mum said I used to bite my nails until they bled when I was younger though. I was watching him in the rear view mirror in the car today happily chewing the collar of his top to shit and I almost cried.