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Sucking on clothes

My six year old boy is always sucking and chewing on things.  Mostly it's his shirt collar or sleeve but I am always telling him to take things out of his mouth.  When he is playing or watching TV his shirt is always in his mouth. If no shirt is available he sucks on blankets or whatever is around.  He was an avid pacifier user until about 3 1/2.  He is perfectly happy and normal in every other way.  I believe this is a method of comfort to him for anxieties or streeses however, it is gross.  What shall I do?
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A related discussion, shirt sucking was started.
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My son was also a sleeve sucker, he is now 9 and has been shirt sleeve free for about a year now. With high stress it will come back for a short period of time 2-3 hours in a bad day.It really will end if you remind him to " get that thing out of your mouth" Good Luck
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242606 tn?1243782648
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Dear Renee,

You are on the right track in understanding the purpose of your son's behavior. His behavior is a form of self soothing. He will eventually stop this, so you needn't be alarmed. I say this because you point out that he is developing well and appears to be happy. Sometimes the best thing we can do is exercise our patience.
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