#159 - Tips for Oral Seekers! If You Don't Know If Your Child Seeks Oral Input, Listen Up!

“Why does my child chew on everything to the point of soaking their shirt and ruining objects?” - “How do I help a child who grinds their teeth constantly?” - “Will my child grow out of oral seeking tendencies?”

If you have asked yourself any of these questions, then today’s episode is for you! Today we tackle the subject of oral seeking. We get a lot of questions from parents whose kiddos seek oral input. Today we break this down!

From chewing/sucking non-food items to grinding teeth, overstuffing while eating, biting, making excessive noise, drooling, or displaying poor feeding skills, we talk about how to identify an oral sensory seeker. 

You’ll find out why your child does this and give you some new things to try that could make all the difference. We give you games, tools, and activities to help oral sensory seeking people in different phases of life get the oral input they need. 

We discuss how to create a verbal/visual cue to remind your child of alternative options to chewing their hair, clothes, or other items, and we provide some advice on how to replace socially unexpected behaviors with expected behaviors. 

Be sure to check out the show notes on our blog at  Harkla.Co/Podcast.

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This podcast is brought to you by Harkla.  Our mission at Harkla is to help those with special needs live happy and healthy lives. We accomplish this through high-quality sensory products, child development courses, & The Harkla Sensory Club.

Podcast listeners get 10% off their first order at Harkla with the discount code "sensory". Head to Harkla.co/sensory to start shopping now.

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to some of the questions our hosts get asked about oral input. 
• Insight into why kids are hyposensitive or under-responsive to oral input. 
• How oral seeking tendencies relate back to infancy and how oral input is very calming. 
• How to identify an oral sensory seeker.
• The importance of giving a child as much oral input as possible, early as possible. 
• A breakdown of games and activities to help oral sensory seeking babies and toddlers.
• How using a mirror may help school-aged kiddos who have poor control while eating. 
• A list of safe chew items appropriate for school-aged kiddos. 
• How to give kids the independence to know when they need oral input and ask for it.  
• Oral motor games for school-aged kiddos. Chewing gum and sour spray.
• Providing more input during mealtimes.
• How to create a verbal/visual cue to remind your child of alternative chewing options.
• Toys, items, and activities that could help kids get that oral input. 
• The importance of talking to your child about why they are doing it and what they’re feeling when they’re doing it. 
• Replacing socially unexpected behaviors with expected behaviors. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Ark’s Z-vibe 
Warheads Super Sour Spray Candy
Harkla
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All Things Sensory on Instagram
All Things Sensory on Facebook