Many children develop habits like pulling hair, biting, stretching on the floor, thumb sucking etc. in the earlier years. These habits normallyremain fora shortperiod. Some common bad habits include, hitting, nail biting, picking of the noseor lip licking or chewing.
Lip sucking or chewing
Lip licking is a common habit in toddlers when they want to moisten their dry lips. It takes place when the child is under mental pressure like stress. Lip sucking is done by the child without him being aware of it.
Causes of lip sucking habit
- Children normally tend to suck their lower lip when they are in a new environment and need mental concentration and attention to learn the stressful new environment.
- This may become a habit after sometime and may continue even the stressful environment is no longer there.
- Dryness, chapped lips or rough skin on the lips also initiate the child to suck his lip to keep them even.
- Children are minute observers of the activities of adults. If anyone in the family has the habit of chewing lips the child can easily pick up the habit.
Health problem of lip sucking habit
Constant licking can redden and injure the lips and skin around the mouth. The area aroundthe mouthis at greater risk to infection of the skin. Normally a red ring is formed around the mouth.
Ways to help the child
- Most of the time the habit of lip sucking is temporary and may go away on its own. But if the habit causes some type of physical harm to the lips and mouth, some action must be taken
- Do not make the child conscious of the chewing habit. Instead apply some balm or cream over the affected area twice a day. This will soothe the lips and he will stop chewing the skin that is no longer dry and chapped.
- The child need to remind gently that sucking the lips may spoil the shape of the lips.
- The child develops emotional stability when supported with love and patience. Have faith in the child and give him an opportunity to make decisions
- Divert the attention of the child to other activities which may change the thinking in the mind.
- Praise the child when he is not sucking the lips. He may be awarded at times.
- Constant cheek biting at the age of three may lead to teeth problems, hence a dentist need to be consulted.
- If the reason of cheek biting is found to be anxiety a psychiatrist must be consulted. He may advice some simple ways to get over the habit.
- There is no single solution to get rid of lip sucking habit. Many tricks can be tried, and maybe some of them will work. As seen kids are unaware of the activity they are indulged in. They must be given awareness of the actions done by them which is sure to break the cycle.
- The best way is to adapt another habit or divert the attention from lip biting to some other smoother activity.
- Another method is to give lot of water to the child so that the lips do not irritate him.
- Apply Vitamin E oil on the lips every night to keep them soft and smooth. Balm can also be used for this purpose.
- In case the habit is due to stress which is normally the case with children at the age of three. The best solution in this case is to ignore it. More attention, care, worry or medicines applied on the lips will make the child repeat the action more. His awareness of the action withattention makes him feel embarrassed at his own actions. The habit may take a few weeks or few months but will surely go away when the situations of distress are reduced. This type of stress is related to moving of homes, schools or death in the family.
Lip sucking or lip chewing is a bad habit which is difficult to break. But by adopting several methods it will not remain an impossible task. Chewing or sucking lip habit can be broken by keeping patience and giving time for it goes away on its own.
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