Throughout the years there has been a point when each of our special needs kiddos NEEDED to chew, and nothing was going to stop them. Whether the need to chew was due to the constant need for sensory input or anxiety driven, we've found some amazing sensory resources for children who need to chew.
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Currently, Dinomite is my chewer. If I don't have resources on hand, LEGO pieces and tires inevitably end up in his mouth. We've even had an incident where he gave himself a laceration in his mouth. Needless to say we always make sure we have resources on hand. His favorite go to resources are the necklaces below. He wears them ALL THE TIME! I love that they're perfect for boys!
The ARK's Brick Stick Textured Chew Necklace comes in multiple colors. There are also ones that are mild, extra tough, and extra extra tough to meet the needs of different types of chewers. If you have a LEGO lover, this is sure to be a hit!
The Bumkins Dc Comics Silicone Teething Pendant, Batman Onyx
is currently Dinomite's favorite. He wore it every day of our last vacation, and boy did it survive A LOT of chewing.THe Super Light Ruby River Rock-Teething Necklace by Zen Rocks
is yet another favorite boy design for Dinomite. It's a great to add to the superhero rotation.Princess also tends to chew on things, particularly her fingers. She has been thrilled to know there are chew necklaces just for her and her girlie fashion choices.
What's not to like about the Siliconies Froggy Pendant - Silicone Necklace? It's perfect for Spring.
The Siliconies Turtle Pendant - Silicone Necklace comes in multiple colors, but of course Princess chose pink.
The Stimtastic Chewable Silicone Round Pendant
is one of those stylish necklaces that will go with just about anything, especially if it's purple.Princess loves the Dolphin Silicone Necklace for Teething Babies and Kids, as the dolphin is one of her favorite animals.
Some children will not wear necklaces. In these cases other chewing resources may help. Check out these pencil toppers. My husband jokes that I need some of these as I'm constantly chewing on pen caps. Lol. You'll notice that there are multiple color and hardness options for girls and boys.
GoGoChews Chewable Pencil Toppers-Boy Colors
Chewable Pencil Topper-Girl Colors
ARK's Krypto-Bite Chewable Pencil Topper Tubes-Girl Colors
The first kiddo that NEEDED to chew was Bulldozer. When he was a young toddler he would chew his shirts until they were completely soaked. Luckily he wasn't strong enough to chew through them. Our OT at the time gave us some of these chew resources to use. Little did I know at the time that there were so many choices and options within choices!
The Chewy Stixx Oral Tubes Tough Bar---For children with aggressive biting habits comes in different strengths for different chewers. If you have a kiddo how chews with super strength try the Chewy Stixx Oral Tubes XL Extreme.
For those kiddos who crave flavor, check out these options! Oh how I wish I had known they existed when Bulldozer wsa little. He would have LOVED the chocolate flavored one.
Different children prefer different grasps and shapes in their mouth, so if the first option above doesn't work, you may want to try the CHEW STIXX ORAL CHEW. It also comes in different flavors and scents.
Another option is the ARK's Textured Grabber XT - Extra Tough Sensory Oral Motor Chew Tool. It also comes in
XXT (Xtra Xtra Tough) and Very Soft & Chewy. There are two scents available.
Your last option is Chewy Tubes. They come in Yellow
, Green
, Red, and
Blue.The last two resources for children who need to chew on our list are Bulldozer's favorites from the past. He used them all the time.
The Abilitations Integrations Chewlery Chewable Jewelry - Set of 7 Necklaces - Assorted Colors
is perfect for young kiddos. Bulldozer actually wore them around his waist, so when he went to grap his shirt, he grapped them instead.The Abilitations Integrations Chewlery Chewable Jewelry - Set of 7 - Assorted Colors
Abilitations were perfect to wear on his sleeve for when he tried to chew there. I absolutely love the texture of these. They're kind of like old telephone cords. The kiddos love to stretch them as well.If you have a child who NEEDS to chew or bite, one or more of the options above can help. I know they've helped our kiddos a ton!
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Are any of these made in North America?
ReplyDeleteI am unsure. You'd have to check each individual one to find out. My apologies.
DeleteHello! Reading this post, I tried to buy the Lego chewer for my 2.5 yo son. He usually chews his coat, or bib, or bunny, or fingers. Everything ends up in his mouth. I can tell he does that when he's anxious or bored. So, I got a red one and he chewed it so badly that his t-shirt was soaked, sleeves included, in 30 minutes. He got obsessed with it in a couple of minutes and he just could not stop chewing it. It was like a wild animal instict, it kind of scared me. Seriously. I did not like to see him like that but I am not sure why. I guess I just had different expectations. So I decided to take it away as he was also chewing a lot more than he usually does. Did I do the wrong thing? Did your children have a similar first impression? I just couldn't believe how obsessed he became with it, how nervously he chewed on it... I feel guilty of having taken it away, but I really thought buying it was a wrong idea in the first place. Should I try again? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your comment. When I gave a chewie to my son for the first time he did the same thing. He was so excited to have something to use that was safe that he went through it quite quickly. It was then I learned that different chewies are harder or softer than others. My son needed the harder ones because he was chewing so much. When you go to order chewies again, double check to see if they're ones for those who chew softly or are more aggressive with it. The other thing I learned was that I needed to keep at least a few on hand. They're easy to lose and I do need to wash them sometimes. I hope this helps! We found the Batman chewie to be much more durable for hard chewers. God luck!
DeleteThank you so much for your reply! I'll try and find a harder one. So does your son have it all the time? Or you just take it out of a drawer when you see he is stressed? I'm sure my son would like to be in control and therefore I would need to set some firm rules... but this is all so new to me, I don't even know where to start.
DeleteWould you please share your "chewie timetable"? Thank you!