How to Stop Kids from Chewing Their Shirt

We are all familiar with babies putting everything and anything into their mouths. Usually, as long as the object is clean and safe, there is nothing to worry about. That is because it is a crucial aspect of their development since they are trying to get acquainted with the world. However, if they are growing to a schooler and they are still chew on their clothing, you may begin to worry and start to wonder “Why is my kids chewing on their shirt?”

I understand that it may be worrisome and can cause you to inflict unnecessary discipline on your kid. In this article, we will detail four reasons of kids chewing on their shirt and four ways to stop it.

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Why Your Child Chewing On Their Shirt?

Chewing shirt, similar with nail biting, thumb sucking, hair twisting, skin picking, tooth grinding, nose picking etc., is an oral compulsive disorder with usually occurring in childhood. It is a habit that including kids and adults adopt when they are nervous, stressed, hungry and bored. They probably just need to get everything on track, and chewing their shirts may seem so.

1) Stress

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Several factors can contribute to your child’s stress. You may remember your childhood days as carefree. However, simple tasks like starting school or fighting with a friend can spike your child’s anxiety levels.

Your child may not have the mental capacity to deal with such a problem at such a young age. They certainly cannot approach it as you would as a parent or caregiver. They may turn to chew their shirts as a coping mechanism in such a case.

2) Anxiety or exciting

Can you remember the first time you drove a car on the highway? Or the time you went to an interview for your dream job? If you do, you probably know how nerve-wracking those situations may be. You may just find yourself biting your lip or fingernails to calm yourself down.

There is a chance that your child may just be experiencing a moderate or high level of anxiety or excitement. And they will search for ways to relieve themselves just as you would. So they will go ahead and chew their shirts.

3) Boredom

Another reason may be boredom. Adults tend to cling to habits like rocking back and forth when bored. Most of the time, we may find ourselves doing those activities subconsciously. Kids may not be chewing on their shirt intentionally. Perhaps they are just thinking about a certain show or situation before you know the collar or sleeve goes to your child’s mouth.

4) Health Issue

On the other hand, your child may have certain dental issues. Things like sores in their mouths or tooth issues. Consequently, they begin chewing their shirts as a sort of painkiller. They may also have weak jaw muscles and may chew their clothes as a natural response to strengthen them.

In some cases, their chewing of shirts may be linked to an underlying health issue such as pica (a condition that makes kids eat non-food items). The best way to diagnose such a condition is to take your child to their pediatrician. The doctor will thoroughly examine and let you know if a health issue is causing your child to chew on their shirts.

How to Stop Your Kids From Chewing on Their Shirt

You don’t want to stop your kids from chewing clean and healthy stuff, as it may calm them down and help them focus, just like adults using chewing gums. However, you will need to be with them every step of the way to prefer subtle reminders that chewing in clothes is bad. So, let’s look at some measures to help kids stop chewing on their shirt.

1) Observe their chewing pattern

Let’s start by paying close attention to them throughout the day for a while so you can identify their triggers. Check if they start to chew just before a snack, when they lose something, or before going to school. You can also ask their teacher to observe their behavior in school and pinpoint the exact moment they start to chew on their shirt.

Don’t be in a rush to do this, as it can take a few days for you to get a clear picture. Afterward, you can work to combat it as per the trigger. For instance, if your kids tend to chewing their shirt before a snack, it may mean that they are hungry, so you could try giving them a snack a bit earlier than usual and see if it helps.

2) Try Alternatives

Another surefire way to put a halt to your kids tendency is to provide them with alternatives to chewing on instead of shirt. There are few options when it comes to safer and cleaner chewies. If your kids are old enough not to swallow a piece of chewing gum, then, by all means, give them one. It is a great alternative, and research even shows that people who chew gum 30 minutes before a test usually have higher test scores. So, it’s a win-win as they stop ruining their shirts and may do much better in school.

3) Talk to your child about it

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You may simply need to talk to your child about their habit of chewing on their clothes. Take some time in your day and gently talk to your little one. Keep it gentle because you are having this talk about understanding why they are chewing the shirt.

Some kids may be able to explain how the habit helps them, while others may say it’s like a reflex action. It may not be intentional for them to chew their clothes, but something that just seems to happen, and I’m sure you will agree that adults also find themselves in a similar boat.

A good mindset to carry into the conversation is that your child may not know why they do it. Don’t read it as a sign of disrespect because the cause of their clothes chewing may be beyond their comprehension. In such a case, you will need to find the root cause yourself.

4) Consult your doctor

If you have tried all you could to help them stop, but they keep returning to it, it may be a sign that you need professional help.

You could start with a visit to your child’s pediatrician. They will thoroughly examine whether or not an underlying condition causes your child’s shirt chewing. They will also check your child’s nutrition levels to ensure any ingested non-eatable item has impacted their wellness.

The pediatrician may refer your little one to a specialist for a more thorough look at the cause of the chewing and whether it is a sensory-related disorder. Then you may need to add a dentist to your list of professionals so they can check whether an oral health issue is causing your child to chew their shirt.

Activities That Can Help Your Kids Stop Chewing on Their Shirt

It is also important that you incorporate certain activities into your child’s day that will likely help them put a stop to chewing. Here are some of them that may just prove to be the helping hand you need.

1) Heavy work

Heavy work refers to activities that stimulate proprioceptors. The parts of your joints and muscles that receive feedback are called your proprioceptors. These parts give you information based on the action you are performing. They let you know the intensity of your force when you push or pull.

Heavy work is an activity that creates resistance and is commonly recommended as a sensory activity. In most cases, any action you take will create resistance, from lifting a bag to pushing a door open. Therapists may recommend heavy work with an activity that causes your child to move against or with resistance. This list gives some examples:

• Rock climbing
• Swimming
• Cycling and scooters

Breathing exercises

Breathing Exercise is a safe and healthy coping mechanisms to calm down and increase focus, so it is a perfect activity for your little one, and it may just be what they need to quit the continuous chewing. Teach them to do breathing exercises when they get anxious or stressed.

Movement

Whole body movement may decrease your little one’s urge to chew and aid regulation. You want them to carry out activities that energize them, such as soft play.

You can set up a makeshift obstacle course and have them go through it. This will probably excite them and forgot to chewing the shirt. Alternatively, you can have your little one get a taste of linear movement, in other words, playing back and forth. The park swing is a good place to do this, and if your child is up for it, they may go ahead and play in a straight line since it offers a similar back-and-forth situation.

Chewy foods

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Instead of letting them chew on their shirts, you could give or pack their lunch box with chewy foods. That way, they can simply pick one and munch on it if they feel the urge to chew. Some of these chewy foods are:

• Chewy flapjacks
• Licorice
• Chewy muesli bars
• Dried fruit

Understanding That This Could Be A Passing Phase

I know it can be bothersome, especially if you don’t try to understand why it is happening in the first place. If your child is chewing on their shirt, it doesn’t make them weird, and it may just be a passing phase.

Try not to trivialize the cause of their chewing and understand why they do it. You should show your support while helping them quit, and they may just let the habit go in no time. Then you will understand that it was yet another phase that brought you unnecessary worry.

Final Thoughts from Pragmatic Lifestyle

It is normal to worry when you see the clothes ruined from chewing pile up, which can be frightening. Besides so many clothes going bad, the shirts are usually dirty when your child chews on them and may result in choking.

If the above is the case, then you will want to pay keen attention to your child, talk to them and proffer some of the solutions listed in this article as a way for them to stop. Each time you see them returning to the habit, give a gentle reminder that they are not to chew their clothes.

They may not quit overnight, but if you are persistent, you’ll begin to see changes very soon; if you don’t, then it’s time to seek professional help.

About Me

Hi, there. I am Lin. Together with my husband and two kids, we live in the beautiful Netherlands in Europe. I am dedicated to self-development, creating quality time for the whole family, and fully supporting kids with their potentials with all I have learned from engineering, MBA, and 10+ years of working experience in the energy sector.