Guest guest Posted September 19, 2004 Report Share Posted September 19, 2004 Chewy tubes are great- we use them so much for kids in special ed to encourage chew/bite in kids that don't and also to give little " biters " something to bite besides our skin or theirs! Anyways, a couple of workshops I've been to have said that you can go to Home Depot type stores and get sprinkler tubing to use as chewy tubes- just wash beforehand. Supposedly they have all different sizes and thicknesses- I've never tried it because we always order through low incidence funds so it is " free " to us but it might save parents money- I know the OT catalogs charge an arm and a leg. Also, if your dr. has access and is nice you can sometimes get them to give you surgical tubing- it works too and if you can get a big roll you can make bracelets or necklaces out of them so the kids always have access- we put a knot on the end for them to chew on and throw them in the dishwasher every day. Another thing we do if the kids are cognitively safe (not going to choke themselves) is we cut maybe a 5 inch strip and thread it onto a lanyard to wear around their necks- it looks almost age appropriate! KAtrina _________________________________________________________________ On the road to retirement? Check out MSN Life Events for advice on how to get there! http://lifeevents.msn.com/category.aspx?cid=Retirement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 19, 2004 Report Share Posted September 19, 2004 Yes, the tuffest tubing we used was from Home Depot. It just sounds so odd to say that you are giving your child tubing that is to be used for a sprinkler system. > Chewy tubes are great- we use them so much for kids in special ed to > encourage chew/bite in kids that don't and also to give little " biters " > something to bite besides our skin or theirs! Anyways, a couple of workshops > I've been to have said that you can go to Home Depot type stores and get > sprinkler tubing to use as chewy tubes- just wash beforehand. Supposedly > they have all different sizes and thicknesses- I've never tried it because > we always order through low incidence funds so it is " free " to us but it > might save parents money- I know the OT catalogs charge an arm and a leg. > Also, if your dr. has access and is nice you can sometimes get them to give > you surgical tubing- it works too and if you can get a big roll you can make > bracelets or necklaces out of them so the kids always have access- we put a > knot on the end for them to chew on and throw them in the dishwasher every > day. Another thing we do if the kids are cognitively safe (not going to > choke themselves) is we cut maybe a 5 inch strip and thread it onto a > lanyard to wear around their necks- it looks almost age appropriate! > KAtrina > > _________________________________________________________________ > On the road to retirement? Check out MSN Life Events for advice on how to > get there! http://lifeevents.msn.com/category.aspx?cid=Retirement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 If your child has a favorite rubber toy, this will work quite well, too. Martha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 hi would there be any benefit in using a chewy tube if ds already chews? - he chews on food and just spits it out ... swallows a little bit i think. thanks, Jo ----- Original Message ----- > Chewy tubes are great- we use them so much for kids in special ed to > encourage chew/bite in kids that don't and also to give little " biters " > something to bite besides our skin or theirs! Anyways, a couple of workshops > I've been to have said that you can go to Home Depot type stores and get > sprinkler tubing to use as chewy tubes- just wash beforehand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 Jo, Yes, the chewing different textures and sizes will help strengthen his muscles. Another way to help him with the tongue strength is to press down on the tongue when feeding. He will try to push back with the tongue. This will assist in swallowing the food that is chewed. > hi > would there be any benefit in using a chewy tube if ds already chews? - he > chews on food and just spits it out ... swallows a little bit i think. > > thanks, > Jo > ----- Original Message ----- > From: " Katrina Loutensock " <teachsocks@h...> > > > Chewy tubes are great- we use them so much for kids in special ed to > > encourage chew/bite in kids that don't and also to give little " biters " > > something to bite besides our skin or theirs! Anyways, a couple of > workshops > > I've been to have said that you can go to Home Depot type stores and get > > sprinkler tubing to use as chewy tubes- just wash beforehand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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