How do you break a child's bad habit?

Same as chewing on nails: put something distasteful on the sleeves.

I boughty my son an actual chew toy in the form of a necklace. You can find them online where they look after kids with autism and ADHD. look for something called ‘stims’.

If it is something they can control when they want to (like your daughter), try using some sort of reward system to get her out of the habit. Maybe something where she gets something she likes that fits the accomplishment…one day of not chewing her sleeve is good for a small treat (doesn’t have to be food), or she can save up a week’s worth to get something more significant.

There is no substitute for harsh physical disciplinary action.

sleeveless tops. My thing was chewing up pencils. At 6, my mother discovered that I would just as readily chew up a carrot. Both she and my first grade nun were tolerant for the times.

I’m not recommending it, but if they feel shame about it, it might curb their actions. Often once kids enter school they let go of habits that attract negative attention from classmates.

Along these lines you can emphasize it’s not socially acceptable behavior. She might at least curb it to private time. A lot of habits are done rather unconsciously. They don’t even realize they’re doing it. Increasing awareness might help. That would mean alerting them when they are doing it. I think that can be done without a scolding tone. Children are told what to do constantly, this would be just another thing. I don’t think there needs to be a punishment or anger delivered with it.

Is there any indication she does it to soothe herself during stressful or lonely times? Or, it’s just random and constant?

Offering a substitute sounds good too. Some jellies above made some good suggestions.

@JLeslie it is done unconsciously. I’ve seen when she does it. She will do it whether she is bored or nervous around new company, or impatient or trying to figure something out. So just about anytime.
@cazzie, Great idea! I found some possible substitutes. Hopefully that will at least direct it to something else rather than ruin her sleeves. It doesn’t ruin their teeth by any chance?
@stanleybmanly I use to chew pencils too. I believe my habit went away when I got braces. My teeth were too sore to want to bite on anything. She’s in pre-school so I don’t know if a carrot would work. Sleeveless tops wouldn’t make a difference. I’ve seen her pull her shirt up in the summer to do the same thing and she needs sleeves where she lives. They get the cold right off of the Great Lakes and get plenty of sub zero weather, so she would still have to wear a sweater.
@zenvelo I did that with my daughter because she was a nail bitter as well. All it did was encourage her to taste her fingers more. Turned out she loved hot sauce. Of course anything you put on fabric will only ruin it. So that would defeat the purpose.

@Pandora Maybe she needs to be made more aware of what she is feeling. Is she unable to voice how she feels. I don’t mean you don’t allow her, I mean do you think she feels unable to fit some reason.

My MIL told me she remembers the time when she was a young girl her father verbally scolded her for speaking up so she never spoke up again. This was very telling to me, because she is the most passive aggressive, silent treatment, won’t discuss what others her, person I have ever met. This one time her father snapped at her changed her for life! I’m sure it’s a little more than that, but I know I can’t pinpoint a time like that regarding my parents. They were screaming at me constantly. The way she described it, it was like she was quieted forever more.

My only point is, if she seems overly quiet and not expressive for what she needs or wants, and instead is constantly in a self soothing mode that might be something to get a handle on. I’m not assuming though, because obviously it’s good for children to be able to keep themselves calm when necessary. It’s a difficult balance for children.

Typo: unable to for some reason.

Sleeveless clothes only until she stops. Now you’re going to tell me they live in the Tundra.

I’d do the same @zenvelo said, as well as nag and tell her to stop every time I catch her doing it. Eventually, she will stop just to not hear me nag anymore heh.

@Pandora : you say “Of course anything you put on fabric will only ruin it. So that would defeat the purpose.”

Is the purpose to protect the fabric or to find out what’s happening with the child?

@JLeslie No, she is very friendly and expressive and loving. Around new people she can be shy at first but once she knows them she is quite social. Everyone dotes on her. My daughter was actually the same way and she was very trusting until she went to school and they taught her stranger danger. But both started the problem early on. I suspect it’s because both liked pacifiers and it transfers after the pacifier is gone. Her brother and my son were not pacifier babies and so both of them never picked up that habit of needing to suckle to pacify themselves.

@BellaB Why would either of them have to be mutually exclusive. Her parents are not in the best financial way and children always require new clothes as they grow. Especial around the early years. So a child that destroys a new shirt within wearing it one time or twice can be quite costly. Plus it is an unsanitary problem that can make things worse. But yes, I wish I knew why she needed to do it. But she doesn’t even know why she does it. So it’s always going to be a guess as to why. It could be as I suspect that it is just something that continues with kids who start the early months of life sucking on a pacifier. That is why some go onto sucking there thumbs as well. But I guess her thumb doesn’t work for her. But it is better that it’s fabric instead of her fingers which will lead to nail biting.
I don’t think all bad habits have something horrible behind them. They just start off as a way to comfort and soothe oneself and before you know it, you do it all the time whether you need to comfort yourself or not.
When I was a kid I use to rock one leg while watching tv with my family. It use to drive them nuts to see me so fidgety. Eventually I did it less as I grew till I stopped doing it. I was just very active and sitting still for long lengths of time was difficult. I did the same in school but I was less obvious about it. It didn’t mean I couldn’t concentrate. I was an excellent student. And I played hard at lunch time and after school. I just liked moving. I’m doing it right now as I type. LOL

@Pandora It’s interesting how there seems to be a gene for it. I’ll never forget meeting my husband’s niece for the first time. She was a toddler and her mom (my husband’s sister) was holding her, and her daughter reached out to play with her mom’s hair. My SIL said, “she likes to feel the points [ends] of my hair.” That’s exactly what my husband does with his own hair! The little girl had never met my husband, her uncle, but somehow she had the exact same habit.

Has someone talked to the paediatrician about some alternates for soothing?

@BellaB Yes, I brought it up. But not the paediatrician thing. I have a son who chews everything, still at 12 years old. Even his favourite clothes. I bought him one of these, http://www.stimtastic.co/stim-jewelry/chewable-annular-pendant-necklace and it has helped. They have a better range now, I see on their website. Things that look much more fashionable and less obvious like chew toys. It was recommended to me by another mother with a child on the spectrum.

@cazzie , that’s why I asked. Some children need help with soothing and it’s good to help them find an approved/safe alternative (to whatever the adults are trying to curb/prevent).

Often behaviours like these don’t stop until there is a reason for them to stop. My daughter was my oral fixation child. She chewed EVERYTHING she could: clothes, pens, pencils etc. That behaviour didn’t stop until she needed a root canal because she wrecked one of her chewing teeth. Over night the chewing stopped.

@tranquilsea interesting you say that. My son is currently going through some very interesting tooth loss and the chewing has abated. His chew necklace is there, but he isn’t using it. He is also complaining about hard foods like carrot sticks in his lunch being too hard to chew.

@cazzie I saw that the tooth that needed the root canal was the same one she would obsessively naw on plastic with. She’s 19 now and has stopped.