The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists recommends Munchables sensory chewelry for their ability to “replace inappropriate chewing behavior (i.e. chewing on fingernails, pencils
or clothing) and to provide potential regulating effects for the sensory system - reducing fidgeting and promoting attention and focus.”
The CAOT reviewing committee was "unanimous in recommending that Munchables pendants be accepted for the CAOT Product Recognition Program. Munchables pendants could be recommended by an occupational therapist for clients who tend to chew on items when seeking increased oral sensory input."
A few benefits for using sensory chews include:
Decreases stress and anxiety,
Encourages healthy chewing behaviors,
Strengthens facial muscles,
Increases focus and attention,
Regulates the sensory system,
Strengthens oral motor skills,
Provides oral sensory input,
Reduces nail biting, and
Provides self-soothing and stimming
What is Chewelry?
Chewlery is a blending of two words - Chewable + Jewelry = Chewelry
Chewelry is any chewable necklace, bracelet or other chewing product that is used to provide oral sensory input for those who need to chew.
Munchables Chewelry is made of safe, non-toxic food-grade silicone that is guaranteed to last. There are also plastic and fabric styles of chewables available. The use of chewelry provides users a safe, clean way to chew and can stop destructive chewing.
Chewy sensory toys are often used by adults and children who have Autism, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and others who seek additional oral motor input.
There are many different reasons why someone would need chewelry. If you or your child chew on pencils, a chewable pencil topper would be ideal, but if nails, shirts or other non food items are being chewed, then a chewable sensory toy or chewy necklace may be more appropriate.
Does Chewing Reduce Anxiety? The Science
"There is a great deal of research that supports clinical observations that having something in one’s mouth to chew or suck on can provide a calming, organizing, and focusing response (Scheerer, 1992, The American Journal of Occupational Therapy).
Kazım Cihan Can performed a study in 2022 that found chewing provided a group of 65 adults with ADHD "improved sustained attention performance". (Can, 2022, Journal of Cognitive Psychology)
A study in 2019 found that chewing "significantly improves levels of sustained attention in cognitively demanding tasks." (Miquel, 2019, Physiology & Behaviour Journal)
There is also evidence regarding the positive effect of chewing on cognitive functions (i.e. sustained attention). "Chewing is crushing food not only to aid swallowing and digestion, but also to help stress relief and regulate cognitive function, especially in attention." (Hirano, BioMed Resarch International, 2015)."
There is also research that supports the use of oral-motor sensory input in balance, suggesting that chewing behaviors allow neurotypical adults to increase postural stability when standing on an unstable surface with no visual input (Alghadir, Zafar, Somatosensory & Motor Research Journal, 2015).
For more, please check out our March 2021 series, "Why Kids Chew", on our Blog.
What Chewelry is Right for Me?
Choosing just the right chewelry can be challenging when you are not sure where to start. Munchables has a large selection of chew necklaces and chewing products for all your chewing needs. We recommend choosing a medium chew to start. If the chewer damages items, like pencils or clothing, please try a firmer/more rigid chew rated XX-Strong or X-Strong Chew. Our strongest (and firmest) chewelry is the Donut with Sprinkles (XX-Strong). Some other designs that work well for aggressive chewers include the Scribbles, Yummy Gummy and Tire pendants.
Others may prefer a "chewier" chew, such as a beaded style chewy necklace. Some chewelry may have textured sides with bumps, like the Dragon or Unicorn, for extra sensory input and others may have a smooth finish, like the Scribbles or Tear Drop.
What do Munchables Customers Say?
"This necklace hashelped my daughter get through the day. It calms her anxiety. She chews her nails and skin when she's anxious and cannot calm down. With this chewy, she has started to chew on the necklace instead and she can wear it anywhere." -Brenda H.
"We have been ordering from Munchables for several years now, the chewelry is discrete and has saved us countless tshirts that used to get soaked and/ordestroyed from constant chewing." - Sadaf
"My daughter loves these! She's ruined many pencils and erasers with absent-minded chewing, these havehelped so much and have held up quite well." - Amber B.
"Best Money I've Ever Spent!!! I stumbled upon Munchables as I was looking for something other than my fingers to chew that was safe. I'm an adult in my 30s with high-functioning autism and ADHD, among other mental health issues. I've been biting and destroying my fingers for as long as I can remember despite the pain and the many, many different attempts to stop; I just seemed forever doomed to attack my fingers. Since using Munchables chewelry, my anxiety has made a huge about-face since chewing my new pendant. Not a 180, but I already feel myself in a much stronger sense of calm. Thank you, Laura May, a million times, thank you." - Greta F.
"I have a 5 year old grandaughter that puts EVERYTHING in her mouth: she chews her finger nails, gnaws on her hair (which her mother has threatened to cut off if she doesn’t stop) and lately has taken to chewing her sleeves. I purchased the necklace and bracelet (which sadly she has misplaced somewhere), but she now wears the necklace whenever she walks through our door…. she LOVES it; and I love the fact that she’s not destroying her clothes, or her hair, or her nails!! Thank you!" - Karen T.
"Amazing! My daughter LOVES her Munchables. She wears them to school every day. They last, look cute, and give her an outlet to chew without destroying clothing/pencils, etc. Highly recommended!" -Andrea M.
"Love our Munchables! We purchased a Munchables necklace and bracelet for our daughter who got into the habit of chewing (thusdestroying!) the collars of her shirts. As soon as she put on her new jewelry, she immediately switched to chewing on those. It did exactly what we hoped- and as a bonus, they are pretty to wear!" - Catherine L.
5 Reasons to Shop with Munchables:
Includes a 90 Day Chew Guarantee,
Ships free (within USA & Canada)
Helps to stop destructive chewing & increase cognitive function,
Recommended by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, and
Founded by a Canadian mom with two sensory seeking children.
Let's change "Don't Chew That" to "Chew This"
with Munchables Chewelry!
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