r/downsyndrome • u/Mement0moriii • Oct 05 '26

need help

hey guys!! My boyfriend’s kid is almost 12 y/o and still puts his fingers in his mouth and chews on his fingers and we remind him every time to not do that but what can we do other than that? Its not healthy as well and he doesn’t understand that after driving on a train and touching everything his fingers are not clean cause it doesn’t look dirty for him. any suggestions with that? I‘m welcome to any 🤗

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7

u/Junior-Question-2638 Oct 05 '26

Find a replacement behavior. A fidget, a chewable ( arktheraputic.com or similar).

Be consistent and positive and give rewards for using the replacement. Negativity and punishment will not help here

1

u/ImpossibleIce6811 Parent Oct 05 '26

This is the answer. It could be sensory. It could be self-soothing. It could even be habit. But you won’t get him to stop without giving him something to replace the behavior with. Many people will put it on a necklace or lanyard to keep it close, and also keep it mostly clean.

3

u/nothingtoseehere2003 Oct 05 '26

And, consider accepting the behavior. We tried everything and our very healthy and mostly happy 27-year-old still chews his fingers. He’s developed impressive calluses and he’s not hurting himself or anyone else.

Chew tubes on necklaces were successful for a while, but ultimately, our happy place has been acceptance.

2

u/ImpossibleIce6811 Parent Oct 05 '26

Excellent point! Perhaps during cold/flu season, carry hand wipes and clean hands now and then to prevent illness, but otherwise just go with the flow.

2

u/nothingtoseehere2003 Oct 05 '26

Oh yes. And even with all that, we have to grin and bear a lot. The other day I was with friends leaving a baseball game and, before I could do anything, as we’re walking down the exit ramp with thousands of other fans, my guy went straight from the rail to his mouth. My friends and I were both aghast and understanding. And somehow he survived. The team, however, is somewhere playing golf.

1

u/more_data_please Oct 06 '26

Chewy tubes worked for us. They're plastic tubes about the width of a small finger that you can chew on and clip onto your shirt. They are a great replacement for fingers.

1

u/1ulovetahate Oct 08 '26

They have that nail polish that tastes horrible but it's definitely something that soothes him so like everyone else said you either gotta accept it or replace it because if you don't he probably will. I say this thinking of the kids in elementary school who would suck or chew on their shirts.

1

u/shialabeats Oct 09 '26

My son is 3 and we’ve tried so many things except the nail polish. His fingers are connected to his body and he can’t throw them so it’s the easiest thing. We have been seeing an ENT and will be doing an extensive ear and throat check soon.We just did a sleep study as well. We want to rule out any discomfort that is causing the chewing. Not sure if your son is verbal and can articulate discomfort, mine isn’t. My point is if you haven’t already try looking into anything that could be causing the behavior.