Chew necklace recommendations?

[Katielady]

My son, three, has suspected sensory issues. He used to pull his hair out; now he started chewing his shirt. I found an old thread (locked) with some great suggestions about possible causes and solutions. Meanwhile, I'd like to get him a chew necklace so he can chew on that instead.

Did a quick search online, and the only ones I found were pretty ugly neon tubes. I'll get that if that's all there is, but I'm hoping for something that stands out less and looks more like jewlery and less like a toy.

Any recommendations?

[ella'smommy]

I found the same thing when I was looking for one too for my SPD daughter and couldn't find anything subtle. I ended up going with the "neon green" one, which isn't really neon, but more of a primary green. I got one each of the necklace and bracelet, thinking she might like the necklace since it's next to her face. Turns out she prefers the bracelet, because it's on her wrist and close to her fingers, which were taking the brunt of her chewing. Poor kiddo doesn't have any fingernails left, I remember doing the same thing when I was a kid. It hasn't stopped her from chewing them entirely, but when she has it on she will nibble on it, and she's been receptive if I hand it to her when I see her start to chew. She also likes the way it feels on her fingers and will manipulate it, and play with it by stretching it.

The one I ordered is like the curled bracelet someone might attach their keys to and put on their wrist, I was surprised because I thought it was going to be more of a solid rubber tube. But it helps!

[Katielady]

Thank you! Someone should really make better ones. I hate to be all vain about it, but the reason I'm looking into it to begin with is that people are starting to laugh at DS for chewing his shirt (He pulls it up to chew on the hem, exposing his belly, and I guess people think he's doing it to be funny.) I don't want to replace that with something else that screams "therapy item." Or that looks like something from the 99 cent store.

For now I'm going to try to make one. I saw a good suggestion in an earlier thread about making a braid of fabric. First I'm trying elastic cord with plastic beads that look like nuts. We'll see! And if he doesn't like that I'll get the tube one.

[karne]

I don't have any specific names for you, but we are currently having some success with hemp bracelets and bracelets made of climbing ropes-I know there's a specifiic name for those ropes, but it escapes me. They're sort of cool colors and sturdy. The whole look is very cool-sort of surfer/outdoorsy chic, which unfortunately we weren't getting with the plastic bracelets and necklaces. I'll look and see if I can find a link.

[KimPM]

There is something called chewelry. It comes in a bracelet and a necklace form factor.

http://www.nationalautismresources.com/chewelry.html

There is also a chewy tube necklace on this page.

[karne]

Originally Posted by KimPM

There is something called chewelry. It comes in a bracelet and a necklace form factor.

http://www.nationalautismresources.com/chewelry.html

There is also a chewy tube necklace on this page.

I think this might be the plastic kind of stuff Op wasn't crazy about?

OP, if you have an outdoor-type store near you, or something like that you may be able to find the climbing-rope bracelets I was talking about. I'll try to find the name of my son's.

[Roar]

I agree - be really careful about the materials. The safest thing to chew is fabric. It takes very little lead to give a person lead poisoning. For home use you may want to get some tshirt fabric designated for that purpose. I sewed up some little squares of fabric as "chew cloths". Yeah, kind of gross but it saves his shirts and kept the goo confined to that one spot.

Also, it may be worth trying a zinc supplement as zinc deficiency is common and can be associated with chewing behavior. It made a big difference for us.

[alexsam]

Smart Mom Jewelry: http://www.smartmomjewelry.com/ecart...cID=10&c=11618

Food-grade silicone. Looks like really cute jewlery, but really a "teether" (meant to be worn by mom and baby chews it while being held). My baby loves it and my 4 yr old "had to try it" and it holds up great to actual teeth . You can even put it in the dishwasher. It comes in about a million colors (the red on the start up page is the one on sale, but it comes it many, many, many colors-lots of very natural looking ones, metalic looking ones... very realistic and cool. I have the jade and I get lots of compliments on it and then I have to tell people its not "real" jade, it is a silicone teether and they are floored ...).

They also have coordinating bracelets (bangels).

[HarperRose]

Alexsam, that's awesome!

[Katielady]

Originally Posted by alexsam

Smart Mom Jewelry: http://www.smartmomjewelry.com/ecart...cID=10&c=11618

Food-grade silicone. Looks like really cute jewlery, but really a "teether" (meant to be worn by mom and baby chews it while being held). My baby loves it and my 4 yr old "had to try it" and it holds up great to actual teeth . You can even put it in the dishwasher. It comes in about a million colors (the red on the start up page is the one on sale, but it comes it many, many, many colors-lots of very natural looking ones, metalic looking ones... very realistic and cool. I have the jade and I get lots of compliments on it and then I have to tell people its not "real" jade, it is a silicone teether and they are floored ...).

They also have coordinating bracelets (bangels).

Oh wow! So awesome! I just ordered one for DS, I think it'll be a lot better than the necklace I made today; I'm not sure what the materials are in the beads which makes me nervous, chemical-wise, plus I feel like it could break.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I think I'm kind of bugging out about this one detail to avoid my emotions about the larger implications of DS possibly having sensory issues. Anyway, it helps to have a little project, and I'll report back on the necklaces I try.

[alexsam]

Yes- report back! It is good to have a project, plus, little (but really helpful) things like this can help others...

Just FYI- my jade necklace is great- the cord is "silk" (I'm sure some silky synthetic, but fine), but the clasp is quite flimsy. If nothing else, I'm pretty sure you will want to change the clasp (I haven't on mine because I'm sure I would know if it came un-done and the baby doesn't have the necklace alone- it is around my neck- so he won't get the little plastic clasp parts if they break). But if I were putting it on a child, I would find another way to secure it! The pretty silicone "stone" with a hole for a simple cord is beautiful in itself and a brilliant, creative idea and worth the money! The flimsy plastic clasp is worthless and just waiting to break :... and the cord is nothing special, but works fine. I mean, if nothing else, you could remove the clasp and knot it (the cord is very long- you could slip it over his head and not fiddle with a clasp at all).

The bracelets are one piece silicone, so no troubles there...

[pixiekisses]

Our kids have had Amber necklaces (I think they are called, they are called rav/rave here), they are recomended for teething, but are great to chew on in general. We have two kids who have been chewing them way after the teething periode too.
Here and here are pics.

[wombatclay]

Just be careful with amber... the teething necklaces I've seen are designed to be worn (benefits come from skin contact), not chewed on! Amber itself is a fairly "soft" item and can be broken into bits by a good chomp. Plus double check that you have natural amber beads... many on the market are a blended product, and some contain plastic as a binding agent.

DD2 loves her ChewyTubes, which aren't really necklace/bracelet style but can be hung from a cord or strap for an older child. They're latex, PVC, lead and phthalate free and come in a couple different colors/textures/sizes. Her therapist suggested making a braided necklace out of surgical tubing (which is clear or off white, depending on the brand) if the chewy tubes didn't "work"... the tubing is inexpensive and can be found at medical supply shops. But since the "chewy chomp" (as dd2 calls it) works so well for her we haven't experimented with that option.

I love the Smart Mom stuff! I'm so glad dd2 will have options to choose from as she gets older and more social.

[karne]

So-this isn't a necklace, it's a bracelet, but ds has enjoyed it.
the link is:

store.greengurugear.com/climbing-rope-bracelet


And the item is the climbing bracelet. If my link doesn't work, you could google for greengurugear

[Blue Lotus]

Our DD (also a May '06 baby!) also has some sensory issues and does a lot of chewing of her fingers and shirts. We found that teaching her to chew gum helped a HUGE amount to relieve her need to chew. Neither of us liked the idea of her chewing on plastic, and she has dental issues as well, so the gum worked out really well for us (rwe use one that has xylitol in it to also help her teeth). She was about 18-20 months old when we started, but she caught on quick to not swallow. Now that she is more verbal, she can ask for gum when she needs it (although we do still have to ask her if she needs any at times).

[pinetree]

Thank you for the rec about the "jade" necklaces!

My ds is a huge thumb sucker, a nail chewer and a shirt chewer. Basically, she always needs to have something in her mouth. I've been looking for something that she can wear to school or to any activities that we go to.

[PatchChild]

Two less expensive alternatives are aquarium tubing and refrigerator tubing. Both are food grade plastics.

[olliepop]

Originally Posted by KimPM

There is something called chewelry. It comes in a bracelet and a necklace form factor.

http://www.nationalautismresources.com/chewelry.html

There is also a chewy tube necklace on this page.

FYI, I got this necklace for my dd, but it kept pinching her neck and she was always getting her hair caught in it.

[sbgrace]

http://www.nationalautismresources.c...ing-bling.html
I'm thinking of getting one of these for Andrew. I don't think it will look weird...it looks a lot like those teething necklaces but made for kids. The designs/colors are sort of neat to me. I am also going to try a bracelet though I suspect the necklace will work better. They are silicone--so food grade and free of lead and phthalates. The silk necklace part has a break away clasp. The bracelets are pretty plain but not bright colors at least. http://www.nationalautismresources.c...-bracelet.html I wish I could figure out sizing because I suspect it's going to fall off his wrist.


My desire to find something like this for Andrew is because he gets sick a lot because his hands are constantly in his mouth. When he was younger he put a lot of stuff in his mouth which worried me with choking and also lead.

[sbgrace]

I also wanted to say that someone mentioned zinc. My kid chews with either zinc or iron deficiency. This is especially true if a child is actually eating stuff.

My kiddo also chews with bacterial overgrowths.

I'm not sure, though, that any of those is responsible this time. Sometimes the chewing behavior is purely sensory. I do that still and did as a child. I was teased for chewing on my hair as a child and switched to nail biting. I finally quit biting my nails but my pen caps are gross to put it mildly. I don't even realize it when I'm doing it.

Oh, on the silicone tubing I think the refrigerator is good/food grade but the aquarium tubing can contain stuff you don't want.