4 Quirky Kid Behaviors That Actually Have Purpose

Believe it or not، your kid's repetitive habits—from shirt sucking to playdough sniffing—might be helping them regulate their senses.

"My 6-year-old is a squeezer،" says Amanda Ponzar of Alexandria، Virginia. "He used to squeeze the flabby underarm of every lady he encountered: Me، his grandma، his teachers." Sometimes he'd accidentally squeeze too hard، or sometimes he'd squeeze a stranger. "I was always apologizing for him، and his father punished him،" says Ponzar. "We didn't know why he was doing this."

Erin Haskell's daughter is a rocker. "Ever since Mollie was 2، she would lie down with her hands clasped together over her chest and rock back and forth for a good 20 minutes before she went to sleep. I didn't know what to make of it،" says Haskell of Windham، Maine. "I was worried enough that I brought it up at her well visits until she was 8 years old."

Me? I've got a mouther. I'm always barking at my oldest to take the Lego، the remote، or the random bit of a deconstructed action figure out of his mouth. And he's not a baby—far from it. He's nearing tweendom، and yet، still، Legos in his mouth all the time. Your kid? Maybe they constantly fidget with their backpack Beanie Boo or sniff an old stuffed animal، like، a lot، or spin in circles a little too long for your comfort.

These "quirks" often baffle، irritate، embarrass، and legit worry parents. "Nowadays، if you search 'rocking back and forth،' you may land on a website about mental illness. Or you describe a few quirky behaviors on a parenting board، and the next thing you know، a 'helpful' mom is diagnosing your kid with autism، sensory processing disorder، or anxiety،" says Lindsey Biel، a pediatric occupational therapist، and co-author of Raising a Sensory Smart Child. While no one wants to rewind to a time when parents weren't aware of early symptoms of neurological differences، the pendulum has no doubt bonked a few just-plain-quirky kids as it's swung to the other extreme.