Strange Child rearing issue - care to give input????
Has anyone ever had an older child begin to chew on his thumb and fingers? Zander has NEVER taken a pacifier or sucked his thumb etc. This past week he constantly has either thumb or fingers in his mouth.
He's old enough for me to talk to him about it (4). I've told him he'll get sores on his fingers. I've told him it looks slobbery and gross. I've told him he'll get germs in his mouth and no one wants to hold his hand when we pray. He says "I like to do it".
Obviously, I'll keep working on it but has anyone else ever seen this? Things that make me go hmmm.....I guess all children are unique. LOL
12 comments:
Jacob sometimes chews on his shirt, and Jessica chews on straws or whatever she can. I remember something about chewing being one of the things FG will help with, and they do seem to do it less, but Jess will still chew on straws given the chance.
It could have something to do with Mike being gone. I have been known to chew on my fingers when upset or nervous. Could it be a security thing?
De'Etta, I have some insight on this. Call me!!
Heather
Hmmm, not chewing, but Jordan started picking the hair out of his forearms about 3 years ago...he was 13. I have no idea why he does this. He STILL does it and he says he can't stop. It drives me CRAZY!!
Maybe you could give Zander tickets for not chewing/sucking on his fingers?? He seems to be motivated by rewards.
~Kelly
Trevor has always chewed things but it wasn't something he started at age 4, he always had that need (and was a pacifier baby/toddler/preschooler even though I said I would NEVER use a pacifier!). Even now I will find him happily chewing things, my Mom gave out "wax drinks" Oh I don't know what they are but it's like an icky bit of koolaid in a wax bottle. So now he's been chewing on the wax bottles. I think it's a sensory thing. When he was at an age where he had this need and was too young to stop himself, but too old to look like he should be chewing things all the time, we bought him sugarless gum. I notice he does it less at this age it's not a constant but it picks up more when he's anxious about something.
Gabe chews on things constantly. Not his fingers, but anything else. Straws are his favorite and he often will have a straw in his mouth all day long.
OK - I'd not made a connection.
Before FG he chewed on his clothes - all the time. They were constantly soaked. He's not done this for nearly a year now...but I bet the chewing on the fingers thing is similar.
I'll try the gum idea. That may work. I'll try to remind him not to do it...because he gets a really chapped face in the winter and with the drool from chewing on his fingers all the time...
OK he's always been a chewer...so this is more of the same...
De'Etta, I'm sure you already know this, but most gum...at least the kind you can find anywhere, has one of the bad initials in them. Poor Gabe has been lamenting the loss of gum. Now, maybe you know where you can get some gum without the bad stuff?
Debbie,
Shop Natural sells gum that is o.k. It's spendy though...like .84 for 10 pieces. I've heard it's good but haven't splurged for it yet...maybe next month. Really....gum and Zander..the combination scares me...but he IS four.
Also I think Squirells' nest would have some sort of gum....maybe not but they seem to carry most other things that folks are trying to find. LOL
De'Etta - Have you tried Glee gum? We get it from our co-op so you might have it in your catalog. (I can't remember what company you use.) We use it for Caitlin and she loves it, and it doesn't have the same reaction for her that the other gums do. (I don't know if it's the initially stuff or the dyes, but I know she's really sensitive to dyes. We've taken out just about anything that has them!)
Here are the ingredients for Glee... cane sugar, glucose, gum base (containing natural chickle), rice syrup, gum arabic, peppermint oil, resinous glaze, lecithin, beeswax, carnauba wax, chlorophyll.
We use the peppermint flavor but I think they have several others too. It's not a bubble gum and it usually takes about two pieces for her rather than just one (they are small,) but she likes it so much we've cut out all other gum. It's not too awfully pricy through the co-op either. Plus, the nice little boxes are easy to ration out. :)
Maybe he is cutting a molar that is bugging him.
Had to chuckle at the boy who picks the hair on his arm... boys at the high school where I work actually shave their arms, legs,and etc so they have no body hair. ??? lots of them do this, especially the sports kids that have to wear shorts etc.
Thanks - will check out the glee gum....Yeah, Mom...when I had my eyebrows waxed last time Heather told me that she waxes lots of men and teen boys.....I was surprised she said, "I have to be careful or they get mad and say I made them look gay". I guess there are new styles with each generation.....
If you have any wheat fields nearby you can just go pick some wheat... when chewed it gets gooey like gum (LOL). Science lesson you know - VBG!
Also, if you want to get him to quit doing that you can get some stuff in the pharmacy dept of most stores that is for thumb suckers. It tastes HORRIBLE. You brush it on their nails like nail polish. It's clear. It worked for both of our nail biters and I bet it would work for something like this as well.
HTH
Cynthia
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