I’m here to talk about Chewigem because they are an awesome company you guys neeeeeed to know about. They make chewable jewelry or ‘chewelry’ for people of all ages and chewing needs. They have also just started to branch out into other sensory items and stimming toys, plus they’re super autism friendly (and friendly in general!).
Has anyone ever wanted a stimming version of a subscription box? YUP ME TOO!
SO, Chewigem have a monthly subscription services where you can choose to join either the Platinum Chewer Club (£19.95)or the V.I.C. (Very Important Chewers – £13.95) and you get sent credits each month to exchange for products on the Chewigem site (uk site here and US site here).
One you’ve done that, you just wait for your package to arrive in the post and it is so exciting!! (Especially if you immediately forget what you ordered….). It comes in this cute little box with the logo on it and little logo printed tissue paper.
Why it’s good
It lets you have the fun of waiting for, getting and unwrapping products without the potentially anxiety producing element of surprise
It is completely customisable – you can pick the colour, designs and chewing preferences that suit YOU (or whoever you’re buying for)
You get access to the VIC FB group to talk to other simmers like yourself annnnnd join the “Chew Testers” so you can contribute to new products and their designs.
You can shave up your credits for more expernsive items or suitable times
My Box
I tried the Platinum sub box out and was really happy with it. I ordered two items, the Emotichew and the Kiki Comforter.
Emotichew –
This is one of my all time favourite products! It’s a chewable bracelets with two sides, a green “talk to me!” side and a ‘Leave me be!” side which you can flip between as needed. This is great for communicating how you’re feeling very quickly and easily and is especially great for anyone who is ever non-verbal. I use mine pretty much constantly to let my family know how I feel or if I’m not up to communicating outloud, and they find it helpful as well! The writing is also quite subtle, etched in to the bracelet at opposed to printed on it, and so it can look just like a cool red/green band if needed (excuse my hairy arms).
KiKi Comforter –
This is one of Chewigem’s new, non-chewable products and wow am I impressed. It’s a multitextured fiddle blanket!
This is so so soft, baby toy soft, which is great for me but those adverse to super soft fabrics may want to avoid. One of the sides is entirely smooth and the other has little textured bumps on it that are great for tactile feedback and really soothing to run my hand over. It also has little orange and grey taggies around the edge for fiddling with and, I found, they are also perfect for attaching other fiddle items to.
The best bit? The fabric is printed with different emotion faces to help you learn the different expressions. It can also be used to communicate by pointing at how you feel or for reference, by comparing other faces to the ones on the fabric.
If anyone is interested in a Chewigem giveaway, let me know!! Happy stimming!
ok but i totally agree with that. i love seeing so much positivity for stimming now when before there was hardly any, but like…i hope a lot of ppl realize that stimming isn’t just “moving paint and poking slime and glitter” like. a lot of people, myself included, flap, rock, twist hair, chew, yell, make noises, stomp, jump – and u shouldn’t really….put one before the other. if you’re not autistic or don’t stim, u cant support what u think is cute and aestheticy and not support us autistic folk who stim more noticeably and louder u know?
All the above.
As a kid/teen my stimming was an embarrassment for my parents/family. Punishments were common. So many have gone through this. So many people stim, including non-autistic people. It’s not a fetish, it’s not an ‘aesthetic.’ Ignorant opinions on stimming are unnecessary. We don’t need them. No one needs anyone else’s approval to live and be themselves.
In it’s most simple form, stimming is a repetitive body movement that self-stimulates one or more senses in a regulated manner.
What types of stims are there?
Visual Stims
Flapping hands, blinking and/or moving fingers in front of eyes, staring repetitively at a light, pressing on closed eyes to create visual effect [pressure phosphene], …
Auditory Stims
Snapping fingers, tapping on objects, listening to the same song on a loop, rolling Rs, “cat noises”, repeating words, putting hands over ears, singing, clicking tongue, humming…
Tactile Stims
Scratching, rubbing the skin with one’s hands or with an external object, pinching the skin, putting thumb inside fist, sucking thumb, rubbing hands/feet together, petting preferred textures, tying knots/twirling string, twirling/stroking hair…
Vestibular Stims
Moving body in rhythmic motion, rocking front and back or side-to-side), spinning, pacing, walking in circles, walking on tip-toes, jumping up and down…
Taste Stims
Licking body parts, licking an object…
Smell Stims
Smelling objects or hands, smelling other people…
Rhythmic Stims
Tapping on surfaces/objects/self, clicking fingers, making repetitive vocal sounds, bouncing legs, foot tapping, hand flapping, clicking pens, …
There are a lot of other stims as well that don’t necessarily fall under the category of “repetitive” such as pressure stimming, which are still just as valid. Basically if what you do serves the purpose of the stim, you can call it a stim.
Why do people stim?
People stim for all different kinds of reasons. They may stim when they are happy or excited, when they are stressed, as a part of their normal body language, as a way of communication, as a punishment, as a response to something internal or external, as a compulsion, to focus, to self soothe, etc. Stimming can be a coping mechanism, but it can also be so much more! No matter what reason someone has for stimming though, it’s important to remember that all stims are natural and normal.
Who stims?
Anyone that find stimming useful, whether consciously or subconsciously, can stim. That includes neurotypicals, but mainly stimming is seen as something that neurodivergent people do and it occurs most frequently in:
The Doctor Is Out 