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stimtoybox · 7 years

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I really think a lot of my chewing could end up hurting me someday...I was in an ice cream shop and without even realizing I was chewing on the spoon - it shattered in my mouth into sharp bits. I really need something affordable, but I'm scared to order the cheaper chews online for the fear that they aren't reliably food grade although I feel like whatever I get will be better than chewing bottle caps all the time and other things i can choke on :/ Any suggestions?

Ouch, anon. I hope you’re healing up okay! Please try to look after yourself as best you can, okay? I know it’s hard not to stim, especially for good-feeling stims that we do unconsciously, but I’m a little worried about your chewing on bottle caps. Could you make some DIY chewables, like the T-shirt bangles in this post, for in the meantime? They won’t be as hard as bottle caps and spoons, but they will be safer for you and they’re not too difficult to make if you can cut up an old T-shirt, braid/plait and knot.

(The other alternative is silicone baby teethers, as they’re designed to be in a baby’s mouth for long periods of time. Look for words like “BPA and phthalate free” on the packaging. Both are chemicals used in the manufacture of many plastics and can leech into the body via drinking, sucking and mouthing the item. Mine are very firm, so you might like the hardness of them.)

I understand the concern. There’s a lot of cheap beads and pendants on eBay and Aliexpress, but the truth is that we don’t know how safe they are. Since nobody talks about this with an eye to what stimmers need, we don’t have a lot of information. This article suggests that silicone without BPA-containing colourants is safe for use as dishes; this article cites studies that dispute the fact that silicone is an inert material. It’s a bit contradictory, and the second article’s conclusion - directing people toward natural rubber - is less helpful for stimmers.

People are recommending food-grade silicone products, I think, because of this lack of information - we know for sure these are safe; we don’t know about the others. My thinking is that the non-food-grade silicone chewables may contain dyes that contain BPA, and this is why they may be unsafe, but I haven’t been able to find good info (especially as it relates to the needs of folk who chew) to confirm this assumption, so this is only a guess based on a little reading. I don’t know enough about silicone to know for sure.

The other problem is, as you say, that it’s very easy to get the K-Mart silicone jewellery, restring the the pieces into new jewellery and say they’re food-grade silicone. There’s no way to know, since the non-food-grade jewellery tastes and smells and feels the same as the food-grade pendants and chewables. This really doesn’t help stimmers with anxiety over safety, and for this reason, I wouldn’t recommend that you purchase from Etsy. There’s a few bigger sellers like Silicone Canada, for example, who are invested in providing a safe product, but I would avoid the smaller sellers if you have any doubt or discomfort. You do not, anon, need to be afraid of chewing on your chewable. There is absolutely nothing wrong with needing to feel comfortable with something you’re putting into your mouth.

(I’ll also state that much of these items aren’t designed with rating chew strength in mind, so I don’t think these are the right stores for your chewing in any case.)

I would direct you to, anon, purchasing from companies (or stim toy and OT stores who stock their products) like Chewigem, ARK Therapeutic, Chubuddy or Stimtastic. These companies/retailers have a reputation to uphold in providing products that meet current safety standards.

I think, based on your chewing of bottle caps, that you’re more likely a tough/avid chewer. Based on this assumption, I’d direct you to check out items at ARK’s XXT toughness level or Chubuddy’s chew tubes ($9.99 USD and up). These are often more expensive, though; the cheapest offerings at ARK are the grabbers ($7.99 USD) or Y-Tubes (also $7.99 USD). Their pendants (while best for teens and adults in terms of look and discretion) are $19.99 USD. This isn’t affordable for all of us, sadly.

For price, I recommend Stimtastic (even for international chewers). Their prices are just so much more affordable, especially for people after pendant chewables/chewellery. I would direct you to Stimtastic’s collection of items for aggressive chewers: prices range from $6.50 USD for the Cuff Bracelet to $9.70 USD for the Mushroom and the Droplet. I think you’re like to find something here that is both affordable for a first chew and safe, without paying too much more than the price of the cheapest chewables you might find on eBay and Aliexpress.

( @wrennigan submitted the absolutely epic Chewable Comparison Post featuring most of Stimtastic’s pendant offerings, which might be worth checking out if you’re unsure about which chew is best for you.)

I hope this gives you somewhere to start in your search for the right chewable, anon! If folks have recommendations for affordable, known-to-be-safe chewables for our anon, keeping in mind their needs as a likely avid chewer, please rec away! I’m a light chewer myself, so I’m never going to have useful personal experience here. @safechewablethings, do you have anything else to add?

- Mod K.A.

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