If they are bored, find something fun and distracting to do such as reading, a craft, or playing with a long-forgotten toy. For a paper craving, try cooked pasta for wood, try crunchy vegetables for paint chips, try sweet fruit and for dirt, try cooked peas. If they are hungry, let them help prepare a healthy snack with a similar texture of their pica craving.
Although some experts suggest aversion therapy (mild punishment), this can be ineffective on children who have pica for soothing or OCD reasons (personal experience).
If your child has pica not related to nutrient deficiency, other action is necessary. My daughter had an x-ray to make sure she had not swallowed any staples or paperclips because she had a pica for paper. Additional tests and exams may be needed to check for obstructions. You should also ask to have your child screened for lead poisoning, infections, and other toxins especially in children who have a pica for paint chips, dirt, clay, or feces. In several studies, supplementation or change in diet stopped the pica behavior in nearly all children that had deficiencies. Here’s more about iron needs and iron foods for kids. Next Steps After DiagnosisĪfter a pica diagnosis, your doctor should order blood work to test for nutrient deficiencies such as iron and zinc. If at any time your child ingests something potentially toxic, contact Poison Control immediately at 1-80 or go to your nearest emergency room. Hunger, nutrient deficiency, defense against harmful toxins, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and soothing emotional stress have all been linked to pica. There are several theories on why toddlers and preschoolers develop pica. Children can have pica with almost anything, including dirt, hair, ice, paper, paint chips, chalk, and wood. It is common for children with mental difficulties to display pica behavior. It is characterized by the craving to eat or mouth non-nutritive substances for at least one month, beginning when children are around 18- 24 months. Pica is a disorder that goes beyond normal and healthy developmental behaviors. Babies will often find things to chew on when growing new teeth. It’s not uncommon for infants and toddlers to explore their world with their mouth. Finally, a few weeks before her third birthday, her doctor agreed something was wrong. Her doctor first brushed it off as a phase, but then she started eating it to the point of throwing up- and began eating lotion too. She wasn’t just mouthing books, she was actually chewing and swallowing the paper. I knew something was wrong when my two-year-old began eating paper.
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