DIY T-Shirt Oral Sensory Chew (or Pet Toy!;)

Does your little one chew holes in their t-shirt or chew on the collar so much it's constantly soaked? Do you have a teether who chews on everything? Many sensory kids have high oral sensory needs. This is a tutorial for an easy DIY sensory chew that costs practically nothing and could even save some of their clothes! These are reusable, can easily be tossed in the wash with other clothes, and might even make a fun toy for your pet! (I'll get to that at the end.) Always supervise children while they are chewing on these, and remove them when the child is asleep, etc. 

Materials:

• clean t-shirt (It's preferable to use one of their favorites that they have chewed holes through. At least then you know they like it!;) 

• scissors

Directions For Four Strand necklace with Loop Closure:

 

1.) Cut strips of fabric from your t-shirt. For this example, I cut the sleeve off this shirt, cut off the side hem, and cut two vertical strips to double over for a four-strand braid. (My son's head circumference is about 22", so I cut 50" strips.)

2.) Gather your two strips of fabric together and fold them in half. Leaving a loop at the fold, tie a knot.

3.) Utilizing the four-strand braiding method (see diagram), braid your fabric. You can pin the loop to a pillow or close it in a cabinet drawer for grip and stability. 

4.) Tie a knot at the end of your braid. 

5.) Pull the knot through the loop to fasten the necklace. I always make the necklace loose enough to be easily removed by both parent and child. 

The knots provide a different texture for sensory benefits as well. 

Directions for Three-Strand Braided Jewelry:

1.) Cut the fabric into three strips of your desired length. 

2.) Tie the ends of the strips into a knot. 

3.) Using the three-strand braiding technique (see diagram below), braid the strips of fabric together. 

4.) Tie a knot in the finished end.

5.) Wrap loosely around wrist and tie together, or tie loosely and pull over head. 

Either of these can be adjusted for greater thickness by adding strands of fabric before braiding.

Fun For Furry Friends!

These can easily be used for toys for special furry friends! Just make sure to give your furry friends their own color/fabric/thickness, etc. so your child doesn't get them confused. For this example, I made my cat a small one with the same shirt, but she will be getting her own unique one.