Chewing Clothing

My son, who is now 15yo, did the same thing starting around age 6 (or maybe even yonger, I can't remember). But it turned out he had an anxiety disorder that he is still dealing with to this day and will be for life. One of the symptoms of his anxiety disorder was chewing on clothing. I know its the symptom of many things and could be nothing, but I wish I had realized earlier when my son's root issue was. We have had him treated for everything from ADHD to Bi-polar even though none of these diagnoses really fit. He is now in therapy for anxiety disorder and once we found out the real issue, he is poised for improvement. It actually got to the point where he wouldn't leave the house even for school because of anxiety. He now goes to shcool and functions in everyday situations (although it isn't easy for him). Just look beyond the chewing - it may be something else.

My son played an entire soccer game with a shirt in his mouth at age 8. I ignored it. He's 15 and hasn't done that for a while now. I bought cheap clothes at garage sales until he got past that. It could be a sensory issue and he's using it to calm himself. You may want to have him evaluated for that. Chewing gum is suppose to help(provided he'll dispose of it properly). My other son use to do that at school, but he stopped just after his thirteenth birthday. The school wanted to give him a teething necklace. He didn't think that was what he wanted. I did notice the less I let it bother me, the less it occurred.

I'm not sure what causes this behaviour, but in my years as a pre-school teacher, I've encountered many children who share this habit. To me, it seems a lot like hair-chewing, nail-biting, and even, to a degree, thumb-sucking.... in other words, I think it's a self-comforting tactic, a coping mechanism, something that children revert to when they are anxious, stressed, tired, overwhelmed, overstimulated, understimulated, hungry. One little boy I taught years ago was so bad about clothes-chewing that he'd chew the necklines out of his teeshirts faster than his poor mama could replace them. We finally hit on the idea of tying a bandanna around his neck, cowboy-style. We told him he could chew on the bandanna all he wanted, that's what it was there for. Oddly enough, he never chewed on the bandanna much... and stranger still, he stopped chewing his shirts as well. Maybe he just outgrew the habit. I've noticed that when children chew on their clothing, it is most often at times when they are tired or sad or nervous about something. You might try redirection... when you notice your son has clothing in his mouth, offer him food or an activity. Play a game with him, make up a job for him to do. If nothing works, you might consider counseling to rule out underlying disorders like OCD. Try not to worry too much... trust me, I've been teaching for a decade, and clothes-chewing is NOT uncommon. Most kids seem to eventually outgrow it on their own. Best of luck to you, ~ Sharon

My son also did this from the age of 3/4 until last year - he is almost 11 now. Yes it is linked to anxiety, my sons therapist also stated that in some cases that this behaviour is indictive of sexual abuse. The shirt (or other material) sucking is supposedly sexual??? they got me there too I just cant see it that way. I would definetly discuss this with your doctor as well as a therapist. Hugs Melsisa

lucyjoy - Must be something about sports...I played basketball and soccer with the front of my uniform in my mouth from age 6 to age 32 (I retired two years ago!). My oldest son chews on his clothing - usually his right cuff. It nevers occurs during warmer seasons, only when the weather requires long-sleeved shirts. I also noticed that he only chews on cotton shirts, not sweaters. He is also a former thumb-sucker.

Thanks for all your replies. I do know he's stressed about several things, but when I bring up the idea of counseling, he is very opposed to it. Everything he is stressed about is "normal" growing up stress that a lot of kids go through, but it's just so much all at once. Just over a year ago, we adopted his brother; then his cousin/best friend moved across the country (but is moving home in December--yipee!!); school work suddenly became more challenging last year--research reports, speech competitions, etc.; and during this past year, he's begun having trouble getting along with his dad (from whom I've been divorced since he was 2). I think some divorce issues are beginning to rear their ugly heads, too, now that he's old enough to understand some things about it that he didn't before. One thing I've noticed is that when I confront him on the chewing, he'll quit chewing that particular area but move to another. For example, he started out with the necklines, then he moved to hems. Now it's socks. Socks are good. If he has to chew something, let it be the socks. In that case, he picks at a thread until he can pull it out, and then he chews on it. I love the bandana idea, but he will have a cow if I suggest it (he's 11, afterall). I have offered to hang a spool of thread around his neck, but he didn't go for that, either. The good news is that he adores his new brother, he has a wonderful group of friends at school, and he loves school and does well even though the work is more demanding. As for his dad, he seems to be learning how to deal with him better. That's the stressor that most concerns me, but he spends most of his time with me and his stepdad, who he gets along with really well. He mostly does his chewing when he's playing Gameboy or reading--he's doesn't seem aware that he's doing it. So...I'm hoping it's nothing serious, but I will definitely monitor it and see if it continues. If it does, it's probably time to consult a pediatrician about it.

My nephew is a BIG time shirt chewer. I noticed that he isn't even aware that he is chewing. I thought that if we could do something that would help him to become aware of it at the time that he is chewing, it might help. The idea to put duct tape on the neck line came to me. It seemed to work. As soon as he felt and tasted the duct tape, the shirt came out of his mouth. If sees that the majority of shirt chewers in my family are boys...hmm...:D

Hi Diana, I've read that chewing helps kids concentrate (as illustrated by kids who chew their athletic shirts!) ... so the fabric chewing may be a way to relieve stress or a way to concentrate or both. When responding to a habit we want our kids to break, it's important to accentuate the positive ... so we want to reinforce positive behavior rather than punishing negative behavior. If you think the idea of chewing gum might be a good transition to breaking this behavior, when your son chews gum rather than his shirt, give him lots of verbal positive reinforcement. Also talking with him about stress and giving him ways to work with stress might be a good idea. As adults, sometimes we don't realize how much kids experience stress. My son used to grind his teeth at night ... I could hear him and I knew it was his response to feeling stressed. What are some ways you deal with stress? What are some ways we can help our kids to deal with stress? Let's brainstorm a list ~ talk with a friend take a walk or a run what are your ideas? Nancy

My son, age 9 was an avid chewer. I tried gum, incentives, charts. I talked to teachers, counselors, looked on the web with no success. I could see a pattern when ever he was stressed about a new situation. Finally, I tried two things . I would tell him to stop chewing his shirt whenever I would see him do it. This worked pretty well because I worked at his school, so I saw him often. Secondly I rubbed cayenne pepper mixed with water under the collar of his hunter green uniform shirt. I did warn him about it a head of time and I had to keep applying it for serveral weeks. But it did stop him from chewing his shirt. I gave him praise when he came home with a dry shirt. Now that he is getting older, he seems more concerned about his appearence. Now occasionally, when he does chew, I know it is because something is bothering him and I can get him to express it in words instead of chewing. My son came to me at one day old and I often wondered if the chewing fixation was due to not trying to breast feed.

Hi Diana H and Everyone: What a great question you have asked about clothes chewing. I am really appreciate of all the wonderful answers. Wouldn't it be great if we could verbalize outloud what stresses us? I think it is amazing how chewing a piece of clothing is soothing. It reminds me of the tactile stages we go throw when we are really young. Wouldn't it be great if our kids could say "I am feeling stressed kind of all knots inside. Let me journal a few pages and see what is possibly the core issues relating to my stress!!!" LOL. That would be awesome. We would have mini-therapists in the making. Sometimes when I look deeper into what is going on in my own home I start to see some core needs. For example if one of our children seems to be wasting time around the house, it may be she needs a break from all that she has on her schedule. Just some fun down time playing cards or games helps to keep the balance. Perhaps Nancy Nic can tell us some ideas to help kids to get rid of stress. Perhaps this would be a new thread. LOL. I know in our house if we just let in our German Shepard or play with one of the other animals stress goes out the window. (At least temporarily :0 ) Nancy and others reading what suggestions do you have for children to be relieved from stress? All answers are appreciated.