Help-daughter Eats Paper

Have you had her tested for a deficiency? I know Pika is caused by having a deficiency of some sort. I would talk to her Dr. about it and see if there is a way to determine if she is lacking in a certain mineral/vitamin. Gl!

Sounds like she is missing some vitamin and paper has whatever she is missing. call your doctor for advice on a vitamin.

It sounds like when pregnant women eat dirt for iron.

This could be oral fixation, but could also be a condition called pica, which usually results from a deficiency such as an iron deficiency. Iron deficiencies are more common that I would think among babies...you may want to give her a multivitamin with Iron. If that doesn't help it probably is some sort of bad habit. Maybe she enjoys the texture of paper. What about giving her something like a tough fruit strip to chew on? My baby's 1, so I haven't yet run into this problem. Hope you find some help! God bless you guys!
H.

You need to consult her doctor. She may be deficient in some nutrients so she is eating the paper. This is normal toddler behavior, though.

gIVE HER SOME GUM TO CHEW ON. I remember doing that when I was nervous. When your a kid your not sure why your doing something. Perhaps that will work , the gum helped me. Could be an oral fixation. DOes she grid her teeth at night? See what the doctor said -when I was pregnant I chewed ice all the time thinking it was normal, but it was an iron deficienty that I needed vitamins for.

Good Luck and God Bless

I am in the same boat. My two year old son has been eating paper for about a year now. I thought it wasn't a big deal at first because babies put everything in their mouths, but he is almost two now and is still doing it. His favorite is toilet paper, but any kind of paper or cardboard will do. I can't let mine read books either because all he wants to do is eat the book. I've asked nutritionists and doctors and they all told me there was probably something in the paper that he is not getting in his daily nutrition. They told me to put him on a vitamin with iron. He has been taking the vitamins for over a month now, but still wants to eat paper just the same. I don't know what to do and I am afraid it's going to end up harming him.

Hi L.,
I have seen one instance of this delima.....and it was on the medical channel of tv- and it was an adult who was eating the paper etc- there is a diagnosis for this and I would suggest you take her to your family dr and get a referral to a specialist- I am not sure what the name of this issue was but it is an illness of sort........... she needs professional help as quickly as you can get it for her.
good luck and blessings

Has her pediatrician checked her for an iron deficiency? There is a condition known as pica that causes people to eat odd things, and it is often caused by a mineral deficiency.

Could it be a texture thing? or she could be missing some type of vitimin that would cause her to crave that texture or taste. What has the Dr. said?

Ditto! I am an RN and would suggest having a doctor check her iron levels. You may be looking at Pica, but then again it may be just a habit. Best to rule out Pica first, and then work on the breaking the habit.

I do have twins and when they were that age my daughter did the same. Be careful because she will likely eat puzzles you give her as well. Also, I have noticed that in pretend play, stuff tends to really go into her mouth as well.

My daughter aslo ate the wooden puzzles with the stickers on them, so watch out for that.

The thing is, that no matter what I tried, taking the items away, spankings, time outs, etc... She continued to do it. I finally settled on throwing away the items she destroyed in this manner...It didn't really upset her that much at first, but as she has aged and really likes her things, she has stopped doing it...I do not replace the items I throw away, which means whatever she destroys is gone for good...

I think for some kids this is just a phase...a very frustrating phase for the parent(s)...but a phase non-the-less...

Good Luck!!! ;-)

Have you discussed this with her doctor, and if so, has he run any tests? She may be missing something in her diet. This needs to be stopped asap as she may be injesting glue or paint which could cause major problems.

This is an illness please see your doctor. There is something going on in her brain telling her she needs the paper. I dont know the name of the illness but am a high school teacher with a counseling degree and remember talking about it in class. I dont have my text book with me but can look it up if you need me to.. please email if you need any help or support.
E.

Check out what is called pica. I'm not a doctor, but I've heard of children that eat things like that. See what your doctor thinks.

I recently saw a Law and Order where the child had a disorder named PICA, where children eat non-food items. It could lead to serious problems. Consult your pediatrician.