Chewy Toys for Oral Sensory Needs

As an autism mom, I'm grateful for chewy toys.  Jason is very orally driven.  He chews on anything and everything.  Coincidentally, when I was a baby, my parents nicknamed me Popeye because I always had something sticking out of my mouth like Popeye's pipe.  So, I guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

A lot of kids with autism seek out sensory feedback through their mouth.  This can be frustrating.  For example, every one of my kids has bitten my CDs and DVDs which is why we are an all-digital family.  We can't have the earphones with the fuzzy outsides because they take those off and chew on them.  Any time we get gum, they somehow obtain magical intuition to know where it is hiding and put the entire pack of gum in their mouths at once.
This is why, if oral sensory needs are an issue with your child, having a chewy toy (also known as a chewy tube) can be very soothing and actually help with their behavior.  When we first were introduced to this idea by our Occupational therapist, we were sort of offended.  After all, aren't chewy toys for puppies?  We have since gotten over this way of thinking. Jason has chewy toys at school.  When he is trying to mouth the other toys, pencils, etc., they hand him his "chewy" instead.  It also helps to have them at home.  That way,  the stuff that might feel nice inside someone's mouth is safer because there is a chewy that is actually meant for chewing on.
More mature kids, who don't spit out gum or swallow it, find a lot of relief by chewing gum all day.  I can't wait for the day when that will be our solution, but for now:

There are many choices for "chewies" online.  I get mine on Amazon.com. The ones we have liked the best are the knobby texture chewy tube and the P and Q Chewy Tubes.  The hard thing with the P and Q tubes is that if you tell your child to "chew on your 'P'" that might sound a little inappropriate.   Yes, we have said that one in public without thinking.  ;)
                    

One thing I hadn't thought of...until today... was using baby toys for chewies.  This morning we took Caiti to the dentist, and afterward, we took her to the gift shop (she sees a pediatric dentist at the hospital).  I let her choose a toy, and for some reason, she chose the baby elephant toy.   When Jason found it, I realized it was perfect for an oral sensory boy.  It has so many "teething" parts to it that are perfect for a chewy substitute, so don't rule those out as well.  ;)