Scared ds w/asd will eat furniture.

changingnames

Our almost 4 year old will chew on anything. We have found him chewing on a chair, a wagon wheel, he destroys cups, used to chew his pjs, and there are hunks missing from his baby furniture. We keep a bowl of chewie stix available, try to proactively offer them to him, be sure they are available to ds during the times he usually chews, offer other appropriate chew items regularly( carrots etc), explain why putting hands etc in mouth is not a good idea, and at school he has some oral sensory breaks. Still we can't force him to stop. Today at the fair he kept stuffing my scarf in his mouth and his hands. I'm a little bit of a germ a phobe so I wanted to puke watching this. Off topic but after he pooped in the fair potty he was trying to touch everything in the bathroom (tampon trash etc) then sticking his hands in his mouth and grabbing his tongue. I couldn't get him to the sinks fast enough. Ugh.

My question- we are in the process of replacing his "baby" furniture with a "big boy" room. Currently he is sleeping in what was his crib (solid painted wood) but it is made into a day bed style toddler bed. We are planning to maximize his small room by purchasing him a mates storage twin bed with bookcase headboard. We were going to buy this one but dh is concerned about the MDF so I told himi would get advice from "the ladies on my board"

https://www.amazon.com/South-Shore-Captains-Headboard-Chocolate/dp/B003YBW3W0

(I purchased alternate drawer pulls since those look sharp). Our concern is that the bed is made out of that MDF commonly found at IKEA. We are afraid it will be super unhealthful for him to chew on that.

I looked into a similar bed that is made with real wood but(the two we found) are about $600 -$800 without the mattress. Here is one

https://www.abchomestore.com/item--Solid-Wood-Twin-Size-Mates-Bed-3062-PC--3062pc.html

A bit more spendy than we anticipated for a twin bed. I would assume the real wood will last him till he grows out of it (will a twin fit a tall teenager?). But of course if he chews it, it will be all crapped up in a few years. I wont be eager to replace an $800 bed whereas a $300 bed i would replace when he is able to chew on more appropriate things.

Have you had problems with your chewer eating MDF? makes me sick to my stomach thiking of the chemicals and paint on his nice wood set- even worse if we buy the MDF. There are practically no choices out there for the mates bed. Lots of brands and lots of retailers but they all appear to be the same bed (the first one I posted.) the manufacturer who produces it must be the kings of mates beds or something.

. Anyhow I appreciate any ideas. Part of me thinks if he is going to chew on stuff he is going to chew on stuff. We can't replace everything in our home to make it safer (wish. Could) the fact is that some of the stuff is going to be MDF. On the other hand it is a big piece of furniture.Ty

carlinlp

What about something he can chew that stays on him at all times?  Our OT has several necklaces, bracelets and bands pinned here:  https://m.pinterest.com/martiot/ot-ideas/

Chewing, for my daughter and son, were caused by yeast overgrowth in her gut. Once we treated that, it got better and went away. My son used to claw at his mouth and pull on his teeth as well. Magnesium helps too. 

changingnames

Auntie this isn't about me wanting him to be anyone other than he is. If i werent tnking aout him i would have just bought the bed without concern for his chewing.

We are financially comfortable enough that we replace things when they fall apart and that is what his current furniture is doing- loose screws, sticky drawers, and of course chewed bits etc. His nursery furniture has been through three kids. He wanted a big boy room and worked to earn it and we are happy to give it to him. It isn't important to me so much as itis important to him (he has expressed to us several ties that he wants a new big boy room) but i amputting effort and thought into it because i want the room to function for him and be as simple to keep organized as possible. I also want him to enjoy it. Right now it has an ocean theme including a mural dh painted when he was born and it is time for him to have a say in his surroundings and choose hisown colors and theme.

Sounds like our best bet is unfinished furniture rubbed with oil which is what we did for his play kitchen and several other items ( awesome guy on etsy made it for us). It is just so damn expensive. Or metal furniture.

carlinlp

We have unfinished furniture for our kids from ikea. 

kar5162

What about just using a mattress on the floor for now? You can add a bedframe later and still do a mural/art/etc to make his room fun and "big kid".

changingnames

I didn't know ikea has unfinished woo! We found this "bear wood" option which is bare.

https://youfinishfurniture.com/cctdcheyennecaptainstrundledaybed.aspx

april262011

I think the metal frame is a great suggestion.  He would probably care less what material the frame is made out since he is so excited about a new room.  IMO, changing the wall color makes a room look completely different.

changingnames

Anyone seen a twin metal frame that underbed storage? I doubt dh would go for it but i figure I'll send it to him.