Dr. Piyush Jain
Dr. Piyush Jain provides pediatric clinical guidance for developmental and neurodevelopmental concerns where appropriate.
Genesis Neurogen Blog
Child Constantly Chews on Shirt Collars, Sleeves and Pencils - Could This Be Sensory Seeking?
संक्षेप में: अगर आपका बच्चा बार-बार अपनी शर्ट के कॉलर, आस्तीन या पेंसिल चबाता रहता है, वह भी बिना भूख के, तो यह सिर्फ एक बुरी आदत नहीं हो सकती। कुछ बच्चों के लिए चबाना मुँह को शांत और संतुलित महसूस कराने का एक तरीका होता है, जिसे ओरल सेंसरी सीकिंग (oral sensory seeking) कहा जाता है। अगर यह व्यवहार बहुत बार-बार हो और रोज़मर्रा की गतिविधियों में दिखे, तो सेंसरी जांच करवाना मदद कर सकता है।
Short answer: Chewing on non-food objects like collars, sleeves or pencils can be a way some children seek calming input through their mouth, known as oral sensory seeking. Occasional chewing, especially during concentration or stress, is common, but frequent, hard-to-redirect chewing across many settings is worth a sensory assessment.
Book an appointment
Share a few details and the Genesis Neurogen team will contact you to confirm availability.
Why some children chew on non-food objects
For some children, the mouth is an area that responds strongly to sensory input, and chewing on something firm - a collar, a sleeve, a pencil end - provides a steady, calming pressure that helps them feel more organised, especially when concentrating, anxious or overstimulated. This kind of chewing is generally not about taste or hunger at all; it is about the physical sensation of biting down.
What is typical, and what is worth noticing
Many young children mouth objects occasionally, particularly during stressful or highly focused moments, and this usually fades with age. It is worth a closer look when the chewing happens very frequently across many different situations, when it damages clothing or objects regularly, or when redirecting the child to an appropriate alternative doesn't reduce the behaviour at all. A few parents near Block K, Krishna Nagar have mentioned going through shirt collars and pencil tops far faster than seems normal, no matter how often they ask their child to stop.
What a sensory assessment looks at
An assessment looks at a child's overall sensory processing patterns, including whether oral seeking appears alongside other sensory preferences, to understand what is driving the behaviour and what safe alternatives might genuinely help. See our note on sensory integration therapy for related sensory-seeking patterns.
Book a sensory assessment for your child with our sensory integration therapy team. Call 7481909090 or message us on WhatsApp to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is chewing on objects always a sensory issue?
Not always. Occasional mouthing of objects, especially during stress or boredom, is common at various ages. It becomes more relevant to assess when it's frequent, intense and hard to redirect.
Is it safe to let a child keep chewing on these objects?
Chewing on pencils, collars or other non-designed objects can pose choking or hygiene risks, which is one reason it's worth addressing rather than ignoring, even before a full assessment.
Are there safer alternatives we can try at home?
Chew-safe alternatives designed for this purpose exist and are sometimes recommended, but it helps to get a proper assessment first so any alternative actually matches what the child's sensory system needs.
Will this behaviour just stop as my child gets older?
Some children do grow out of it, but for others it persists or shifts to other sensory-seeking behaviours, so getting it assessed is more reliable than waiting to see if it resolves on its own.
Book a consultation with Genesis Neurogen.
Meet the doctors
Useful context about the Genesis Neurogen doctors, so you can understand the wider clinical practice while reading this article.
Dr. Radha Jain
Dr. Radha Jain is the Senior Consultant Gynecologist & Obstetrician within the wider Genesis Neurogen clinical practice. Her women’s-health services are detailed on the main Genesis Neurogen Delhi website.
Google Maps
Find us on Google Maps.
Use the map below to open the supplied location in Google Maps and get directions.