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shirt sucking


trinarn

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Hi members

 

I found this site because I was googling the topic of a child sucking his shirt. Google took me to an old topic on this website (from 2003) about several children with aspergers/autism who had this habit. I am relatively certain that outr3-year-old does not have either, but it is quite possible that he is ADHD. Does anyone have experience with a child sucking on his shirt, and do you have a remedy or suggestion? This boy is my precious grandson. Last evening I heard his step-mommy scolding him telling him not to suck on his shirt. She said, "that's gross". I suggested to her that perhaps she should ignore it, and he would stop. I thought maybe he was trying to get attention (he has a baby brother who gets most of the attention). But she also said that when he wakes up in the morning his PJs are wet at the neck because he's been sucking on them. Suggestion? Advice?

 

Thanks

 

Trina

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  • 6 months later...
Hi members

 

I found this site because I was googling the topic of a child sucking his shirt. Google took me to an old topic on this website (from 2003) about several children with aspergers/autism who had this habit. I am relatively certain that outr3-year-old does not have either, but it is quite possible that he is ADHD. Does anyone have experience with a child sucking on his shirt, and do you have a remedy or suggestion? This boy is my precious grandson. Last evening I heard his step-mommy scolding him telling him not to suck on his shirt. She said, "that's gross". I suggested to her that perhaps she should ignore it, and he would stop. I thought maybe he was trying to get attention (he has a baby brother who gets most of the attention). But she also said that when he wakes up in the morning his PJs are wet at the neck because he's been sucking on them. Suggestion? Advice?

 

Thanks

 

Trina

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My son is 5 and does the same thing. He was diagnosised with ADHD last year and I think it has something to do with the need for stimulation. He also chews on whatever he can find (trach on the floor, wrappers, placstic, ect...). Hes not actually eating the items, so its not PICA. We have just kinda tried to accomidate his need by allowing him to chew gum. His preschool teacher last year made rubber necklace (of sorts) for him to have in class. My suggestion is just to try and accomidate his need with a more "approprite" item- cause repeating "get your shirt out of our mouth" a million times a day is frustrating to everyone and not helpful.

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I am 21 years old and am on adderal xr 30mg daily and have been for only 6 months or so. I sucked shirts when i was younger...but thats because its just a habit...which has now been turned into more socially acceptable habit like biting my nails or chewing gum. I would not suggest you use this as a sign that there is something wrong with your child, in fact the opposite. Its normal to have these types of behaviors. Adderal is a very serious drug, and children do not need it. If you start your child on adderal early, they will not be able to function without it, dependence, their brains are still developing, try to avoid drugs at all costs.

 

So my advice, let your child bite/suck on his or her tshirts, congrats, your children are still normal. Make a reward/punishment system out of it. Seriously, drugs are the not going to substitute good ol' fashion discipline.

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My son sucked on his shirt for a while. Then all of a sudden it stopped. He has TS though. I just thought it was another tic. Shortly afterwards he would stick his hand in his mouth. That stopped too. He is 4. He mostly sucked his shirt in the car. I don't think it's the dye. I just think it's something to do and tic related.

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cecilia

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Wow, I forgot about my son't shirt sucking! He did the long sleeves more than the neck. It was before kindergarten, so he was 3/4. He outgrew it. I tried to reason with him, but it was a habit he could not break. He has tics now, but I don't think it was a tic. My son was a binky baby and we didn't take the binky until he was 2yrs. 8 mths....maybe it was a replacement.

 

I would reward him for coming home with a clean/non chewed shirt.

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My 11 year old son was diagnosed with PANDAS at the age of 5 and used to suck on his shirt. He does this occasionally now. It's a self-comforting habit that happens when he's stressed. I wanted to replace this habit for something else that wouldn't be so obvious and I bought a package of guitar picks so he could hold something and keep it in his pocket if he was anxious. He could then have something to hold or rub. Since your grandson is so young another substitute should be found that is larger, maybe a stress ball. Chewing gum does help with this "oral fixation", again for older kids. Hope this helps a little. It is a long road you travel with a child who has this condition but with love and patience they can adapt and live a happy life.

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Hello,

 

I have to just give you my quick story about shirt sucking. My son, Daniel, sucked on shirts HORRIBLE for about 1 1/2 years. He would also suck on any kind of cloth including pillows, seat belt straps, my clothes, etc. Anyhow all this came to an end when I came to understand it had everything to do with artificial food dyes, MSG, and High Fructose Corn Syrup.

 

I have attached a link below in which I explain my sons sensitivities and some links on the supplements he is on. The long and short of it is the only time he starts sucking on cloth now is when he gets overloaded with artificial junk.

 

My son also has had tics (like making varies noises or moving his eyes certain ways). But all this has disappeared since doing a much cleaner diet and the vitamins.

 

Well any how here is the link http://www.latitudes.org/forums/index.php?...art=#entry25586 .

 

By the way Dr. Feingold, who is known for diets for children to get out the artificial food dyes, said that cloth sucking is a sign of a reaction to artificial dyes. At least from my experience he was right on!

 

Carolyn

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  • 1 year later...

My son went through a shirt sucking phase in the first grade. It was awful. He would come out from class with a dripping wet shirt that was stretched out beyond repair, sometimes with holes because he would twist and chew as well. He had a great teacher but I could tell it grossed her out. I noticed that when a tooth was cutting it was worse. By second grade he quit. I remember sucking my hair as a young child and then realizing one day that I didn't anymore. Not sure if it has anything to do with a certain diagnosis or if some kids just go through a phase.

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i am usually on the pandas board but this caught my eye -- last fall my son, then age 4, presented with abrupt, difficult behaviors. we were lucky in that a behavior therapist suggested pandas and he did have high titers, a positive throat culture and responded quickly to antibiotics. he did relapse once off the first course of antibiotics.

 

during this time, he was horribly sucking his shirt. his entire shirt would get wet - at home we'd just take it off him. he wouldn't accept a substitute. during a recent pandas exacerbation, he was again sucking on shirts, not so bad though.

 

you may want to check out pandas and see if other behaviors fit. i do admit, i see pandas in everyone. . . but for my son, it is a sign of an exacerbation.

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  • 2 weeks later...

My oldest son does this. But my boys have TS and other symptoms. They inherited genes (and probably received mercury from me also through the womb and breast milk). We eat an all organic diet, do not vaccinate, breastfeed, etc. The necks and sleeve endings get wet, and they get holes from his biting them. I've noticed symptoms get worse in the winter, and so we all started supplementing with vitamin D in nano mist form. Right now he has his lips ruined again, like he has on years previous, by his compulsive licking them. They're bleeding. I'm keeping olive oil on them and reminding him not to lick. I remember doing this at the age of five. My kindergarten picture shows the evidence. I remember wanting to lick them more b/c they hurt, but that was what caused the problem in the first place.

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  • 1 month later...

I was a shirt sucker too when I was little. I wouldn't worry about it. Eventually your child will stop. As long as it isn't hurting anyone, I wouldn't worry. I do have to say that I'm a nail biter and I am unable to break that habit. I don't bite them as much as I pick at them. I think the shirt sucking and nail biting are just little ticks or habits. Again, nothing to worry about.

Edited by Vega
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