Kids chew on things when they are little. That is a fact. When they are small, you find yourself pulling all manner of weird stuff out of their mouth.
Some kids have a need to chew, and there are so many reasons why it would be impossible to even begin to list them all. In our house, it’s terrible anxiety. But in other houses it could be that they are just young and you want to find a quality teething item, or they have non-neurotypical differences, anxiety or just a compulsion to chew.
My son was chewing his little fingers down to a bloody mess and it was heartbreaking to see him in pain but unable to stop chewing. He is now in therapy (of course) and his chewing seems to come and go in waves, but his fingers are spared regardless of how anxious he seems to get.
How did I accomplish this amazing feat? Well. I found this thing called
“Chewlery” along the way someplace and decided to test it out. I ordered a wedge of hard rubber material that was shaped like a pizza that comes on a necklace and offered it to my son. We discussed that when he was feeling an urge to chew his fingers that he could chew on the pizza. Boom. Within a few weeks he had made the switch and left his little fingers alone
Mistake Along the Way
One major mistake was made along the way was trying to find another chewlery brand at a lower price. They were easily located and we ordered one. About 5 minutes into testing it out, my son’s face broke out in red bumps and his gums began itching. I threw it away, and lost money in the process. It was pretty irritating, and I probably should have returned it and gotten my money back.
The Very Best in Therapeutic Products
As a Single Mom and a consumer that does not have a lot of money to just be throwing at random, potentially gimmicky internet sales items. I stand 100% behind a recommendation to Ark Therapeutic. We use the Chewelry products, but they also have infant chew ables, feeding & drinking assistance tools, vibrating chews, chew able writing tools and even pencil toppers for those who just can’t resist chewing on a pen or pencil.
Their products are American Made out of hypo allergenic materials and worth the slightly higher cost, you won’t have to worry about rashes or reactions to cheaper materials. All of their products are medical grade materials. I was lucky to have found Ark Therapeutic first and not the cheaper knockoff I ordered second. If I had ordered from the wrong company first, i would have dismissed the products all together.
The best parts about using Ark Therapeutic is that they have a guide for how to pick the right product and style, are family owned, and the products are made in South Carolina. I cannot say enough good things about this company and how much they have helped my son stop chewing his fingers. They also have extensive links to help with ideas and strategies to use their products positively. I hope that our experience can help you or your family find a solution to your family’s needs here too.
Queen Bee Living 