Is it a Medicial Condition ????

Ok I know a lot of if not all children put things in their mouth but my DS who is 2 in July Puts EVERYTHING in his mouth and eats EVERYTHING

Just a list of what he has eaten
Dog Poo
Horse Poo
Dirt
Sand
Plastic
Rubber
Wire
Paper
Leaves
Bugs
Bark
And the items above have not only been a once off thing he does it most days
If we are outside he will find a dirt pile and sit there and just eat the dirt he has eaten Dog and horse poo a fair few times Sand is his biggest thing he will sit in our friends sand pit and just eat the sand like he is a dog and no matter how many times we take him out and tell him no he just goes back in there WHen we turn away and keeps on eating
Plastic He ill eat lil bits of the stuff he finds on the ground same with rubber My D step S had a lil foot ball that was rubber and DS ate half of it before we found it, Wire no idea where he found it but he got it and ate it

Im really worried he is goin to eat something one day and choke on it and swallow something that will harm him in a really bad way
But he just wont stop eating EVERYTHING

A friend said to me to take him to our GP as she heard that children that eat strange items could be lacking something Is this true??
I have spoken to the MCHN but she said he will grow out of it but its been goin on now since he could crawl at 5 months of age

Somebody please give me advice on what i can do or if someone has or knows of someone that has gone thro the same thing...

I DOnt know what to do

Sarah

It really sounds like it could be Pica Ignoring all the talk about mental development and disorders, if you feel that is your little one, then maybe it wouldnt' hurt to take him to your GP as he is getting into the age group where it is considered an issue kwim?

I don't know about medical conditions, but just wanted to say they don't label things as choking hazards for under 3's for nothing. They can still be inclined to put stuff in their mouth at this age. Not sure about the actual things your son is chowing down on.. I would probably be a little concerned too that he's not finding some of them unpleasant.

Hope you can find some answers.

Hun there are a few medical conditions that could cause kids to eat unusual things. I would get him checked out by a doctor and maybe look into OT? My daughter has sensory integration disorder, sometimes kids are affected by one sense, or two or a whole gammat. One of hers is oral factory, where she puts everything in her mouth... if there is nothing else than its her hair. Another is texture, sometimes they need more textures in their mouths... I was told with her to only offer her crunchy snacks, so an apple, carrots, bread sticks etc... Its helped us tremendously cutting down on softer foods and offering her crunchy healthy food 6-8 times a day. Seriously, if we have soup for tea, she has croutons in her soup as well as toast soldiers. She will also have a gingernut biscuit (hard one of course!) for a snack after dinner, rice crackers for arvo tea.... etc etc to ensure she gets enough of the crunchy stuff. She has an apple in the car on the way home from school just to keep that up.

BUT she never consumed the things she chewed on... just held them in her mouth. So maybe get your little one checked out and make sure he doesn't have anything that is causing it... its called Pica, and go from there.

Thanks girls
Trillian- im just reading that link now thanks

I mite get on the phone and make an appointment to see our GP, Its just getting beyond a joke now..

Christy- He also puts alot of things in his mouth that he doesnt eat but most things he does actaully eat, And the worse thing is if you see him put something in his mouth and ask for it or try and get it out of his mouth he will swallow it before you get a chance to get it out...

Its very scary... Ok off to make an appointment

THANKS again girls

I would get her seen as well. There are some medical conditions that can cause this kind of behaviour. A lot of them aren't very pleasant, and they are also quite rare, but I think it might put your mind at ease to see someone.

Any other symptoms you've noticed? Is your little one developing normally? Toddling? Growing? Wjat is his behaviour like the rest of the time?