chewing shirt?

[mntnmom]

My 5yr old DS chews the sleeves and collar of his shirts/coats constantly! I think it's a hyperactivity thing, he's in constant motion. But he also has food allergies, and is a very picky eater. I'm worried it could be something nutritional. We've also been getting a lot of angry outbursts and frustration, where it seems like he just *can't* control himself. I'm really at a loss and just looking for a direction to go with this. Any guidance would be really appreciated. I have to ask here, everyone else I know would just tell me to spank him!

[Traceround]

He is seeking oral input. He likes the sensation of the chewing and the shirts are readily available. You might try supplying him with a chewy tube or something safe for him to chew to get the sensory input he is craving.
http://www.chewytubes.com/chewytubes/index.htm

[tanyalynn]

My DD needs more zinc when she's putting stuff in her mouth. Supplement enough, she stops chewing on her nails. When she was little, it was more mouthing than that, she's 6 now and it's mostly fingers/nails now.

[bandgeek]

My 5 year old just started doing this. Maybe just an age thing? Of course, my kid gets crappy nutrition when he's with his dad so I can't rule that out. When he's with me he eats well and I give him a multivitamin.

He also has his first loose tooth and I know they get another set of molars around age 5-7 too.

I make him change into a short sleeved shirt when he does it and I'm thinking of giving him a couple of things he CAN chew on, like a rag or something. I had to do the same thing when I weaned him at 3 1/2 because he stuck *everything* in his mouth.

[Traceround]

Some people are just very oral. You know the baby that must.comfort.nurse.all.the.time kind of baby? Similar thing. Ever meet someone who chews toothpicks or drinking straws?

[mntnmom]

The chewy tubes look really interesting. The chewing is relatively new, but could it be related to a language delay? He's never seemed really oral before, which is part of what's got me stumped.
He hates short sleeved shirts. He's always wants his arms covered. I'm really surprised that the wetness of the fabric doesn't bother him.
I've got him on a multivitamin, but will definitely look into the zinc.

[sbgrace]

If it's a new behavior (vs. a kid who has always been an oral seeker) I'd be more inclined to think something physical is causing it. We've seen chewing behavior with: zinc deficiency (big one), ferritin (iron stores) low, bacterial overgrowth (huge), parasitic infection in my son. That said, at his age he's likely headed toward losing teeth, permanents moving in, getting molars, etc. and that can cause chewing behavior around this age too.

[tanyalynn]

Originally Posted by sbgrace

If it's a new behavior (vs. a kid who has always been an oral seeker) I'd be more inclined to think something physical is causing it.

I understand what you're saying here, but for my DD, she was a mouthy kid from infancy. Freaked out our daycare provider, she'd never had a kid who put so much, so persistently, into her mouth.

And it took me til she was 5yo to realize that she needs a lot, a whole lot, of zinc to keep that at bay. If I drop back to our earlier dose (which is still higher than most kids would tolerate) the fingers/nails are back in her mouth within 3 days.

[pianojazzgirl]

Oh, interesting thread. My dd (age 5.5) does this too, and I wasn't sure why she was doing it. I'm going to try a zinc supplement and see if that makes a difference.