How can I help DS stop doing this?

[basil]

DS just turned 6. Over the past few months he's somehow developed this habit of pinching his lower lip with his fingers. He does it constantly. It grosses me out because he is this typical 6 year old boy who puts his hands in the dirt in the parking lot unless I specifically tell him not to, and then 30'seconds later his fingers are next to his mouth. His face is always dirty!

All day long I am asking him to put his hand down or swatting it away. Literally if his hand isn't busy doing something else, it is on his mouth. I seriously ask him at least 100 times a day.

It is not a conscious behavior so I don't punish him for doing it. But oh my god it is driving me nuts. How can we stop this?

[123LuckyMom]

Get wipes so he can wipe his hands after playing and/or his face when it gets dirty, ignore the behavior, and wait for it to pass. Swatting at his hands and telling him to stop a hundred times a day isn't helping, right? So don't do that anymore. Kids go through phases where they do things like this to comfort themselves. He's six, which is still very young. Give it some time. I highly doubt he'll still be doing it when he gets a little older. If you're worried it might be a tic or connected to a larger medical issue, mention it to your pediatrician. My guess, though, is this is just a habit he's picked up that feels nice and comforting to him. It's not conscious, and your interference won't stop it happening and might even make it worse, because being continually reminded to stop doing something you aren't really aware you're doing can cause you to feel unsettled, and feeling unsettled is likely to result in wanting comfort and using the behavior you find comforting. So I'd find solutions to the dirt near the mouth issue (though it's probably not harmful, just yucky-looking) and ignore the lip touching. Wipe his hands and face a bunch, and let him grow out of this phase.


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[1mom2dylan]

Fidget spinner/cube to keep his hands busy?

[TwinFoxes]

Get wipes so he can wipe his hands after playing and/or his face when it gets dirty, ignore the behavior, and wait for it to pass. Swatting at his hands and telling him to stop a hundred times a day isn't helping, right? So don't do that anymore. Kids go through phases where they do things like this to comfort themselves. He's six, which is still very young. Give it some time. I highly doubt he'll still be doing it when he gets a little older. If you're worried it might be a tic or connected to a larger medical issue, mention it to your pediatrician. My guess, though, is this is just a habit he's picked up that feels nice and comforting to him. It's not conscious, and your interference won't stop it happening and might even make it worse, because being continually reminded to stop doing something you aren't really aware you're doing can cause you to feel unsettled, and feeling unsettled is likely to result in wanting comfort and using the behavior you find comforting. So I'd find solutions to the dirt near the mouth issue (though it's probably not harmful, just yucky-looking) and ignore the lip touching. Wipe his hands and face a bunch, and let him grow out of this phase.



This is exactly what I was thinking. It could be so much worse, he could be picking at something disgusting.

[trcy]

This is exactly what I was thinking. It could be so much worse, he could be picking at something disgusting.

Yup! Ignore it. Causing anxiety will only make it worse.


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[ett]

Yup! Ignore it. Causing anxiety will only make it worse.


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:yeahthat:

[mackmama]

Ignore it. Could be a transient tic. It will go away.

[essnce629]

If it's a transient tic try giving him magnesium. DS1's eye tics always went away within 24 hours of supplementing him on magnesium.

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[mackmama]

If it's a transient tic try giving him magnesium. DS1's eye tics always went away within 24 hours of supplementing him on magnesium.

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Fascinating. How much magnesium? Is there a chewable? DC gets transient tics.

[HannaAddict]

Sounds like a transient tic and he can't control that. Drawing attention to it can actually make it worse and some other tic appear. As hard as it is,
Ignore it and work on relaxation/meditation things. Hard to watch.



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[essnce629]

Fascinating. How much magnesium? Is there a chewable? DC gets transient tics.We've always done Natural Calm magnesium powder that you mix with cold or warm water. I'd start with 1 teaspoon for a younger kid. Too much will give you loose stools so you can work your way up (I've taken up to 3 tsp without issues). Our favorite is the cherry, but the raspberry lemon is good too.

Natural Vitality Calm Cherry, 16 Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D7K1KAY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_cQUHzb28HZX1J

The only chewable that I know of is this one. DS2 takes it now (2 a day). He doesn't love them but takes them. Sometimes he prefers the Natural Calm instead. Some say they taste like Sweet Tarts.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FEJT5M6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_9SUHzbGFC9TH7



We've used magnesium successfully for night terrors as well.

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[amom526]

We have the same thing going on now, and I treat it as a transient tic. It is way easier to tolerate than a couple of other things we've had, so it doesn't bother me as much. I totally ignore it, unless he picks it until it bleeds, in which case I gently matter of fact tell him that that's what happens when we pick our lips. It is hard to not say anything/push his hand away, but it really doesn't help. If your son trends towards the anxious, and even if he doesn't, these little habits are very common - especially among boys. Hopefully it will last for a few weeks, and then disappear.