My Daughter Likes to Eat Dirt!

I scanned through a few of these and now that you probably have the willies....I had a friend who's son did that along with rocks and crayons and weird things. Then one day he stopped. Just like that. My little sister ate dog food all of the time she loved it not really the same I realize but I am just saying I think that kids sometimes just do weird things. Not always a medical reason. I would still go and ask the pediatrician though. Because it could be something like a deficiancy. I am not a paranoid parent but better to be safe than sorry. Right? Good luck!

C.,

I wouldn't totally panic, but I, too, suggest you take her to the doctor. Pregnant women are also known to crave and eat dirt, which usually signals a lack of iron or other nutrients.

Good luck!
N.

There is a disease called pica (it is considered an eating disorder) that can be very serious. It can be a sign of a vitamin or other nutrient deficiency, but can also be a sign of autism and/or a neurological defect. I would make an appointment and disucss it with your pediatrician.

Also, watch her carefully eating dirt can cause tapeworm or other parasites which can make her (and the rest of the family) very sick.

Good Luck.

http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/pica.html

I agree...I hear that if you crave dirt, plaster, drywall (there were a few others I can't recall) it is a red flag for a deficiency. My mom used to eat butter (yuck) when she was little and it turned out she had a deficiency in something. Also, the advice about parasites was right on...be careful and have a talk with her doc.

~L.

My, now 4 1/2 year old, daughter ate dirt and sucked on rocks constantly from an early age. I was terrified of what she was eating and about her choking. I brought it up to her pediatrician during one of her check ups. She said that pica was very rare and it was much more common for kids to just like to eat dirt. She did check her lead levels because she could be ingesting it via the dirt. My Grandmother constantly told me that every kid ate a pound of dirt before they turned 5.

What's funny is that my "Princess" has outgrown eating the dirt, but she cannot resist digging her hands into a pile of dirt now. Even if we're walking through a parking lot with a sandy, dried up puddle she has to stop and run her fingers through it.

I would have your child seen but I think it might just be a normal kid thing, too.

That is okay! I've been hearing for a couple of years that dirt is actually very good for you with all kinds of good bacteria, bugs, etc. Sounds gross. She must be lacking something in her system since she wants to eat it. I wouldn't worry about it.

PS. My daughter loves eating snow, anywhere and everywhere. Thankfully she has never gotten sick from it!!

I would say it is probably nothing, something that all kids do but if you are concerned have her checked for low iron and/or high lead (simple blood tests at the Drs) it COULD be a sign of pica. DOnt freak out like I said probably nothing but if oyu want to check it out have her iron and lead levels tested and see what they come back as. Hope this helps..also put her on a kids multi and see if it helps, a lot of time it is from a lack of a specific nutrient that makes kids do it.

I was going to say the same as Lacy. I remember when I was prego with my 3rd a social worker at U of M that was doing some sort of study asked me if I ever wanted to eat dirt or wood. I thought she was crazy but she said some people do want to eat those things. It's definately a red flag for something, I just don't remember what it was. Talk to your doctor!

It is called PICA.... the unnatural desire and taste for otherwise inedible objects, i.e. dirt, hair, ashes,paper,etc. It is often caused by some form of vitamin defficiency. Check with your Pediatrician. It is not all that uncommon, but could be harmful because of things such as pecticides, and chemicals. Good Luck!

Hi C.,
What you're describing sounds like a condition known as pica.

It is a condition that can be treated by a physician. My thoughts are that your daughter should be taken to a doctor.
You could probably learn about this through the internet beforehand so that you can discuss it with her physician at that time. I know pica may be caused by anemia(lack of iron), but it also may be a result for some other types of deficiency in the body.
My girlfriend had this last year. She didn't realize what she was doing was out of the ordinary until her husband and kids took notice and pointed things out. She still thought it was normal becase it was what she wanted. In her case, she lined up cups of crushed ice and ate them throughout the day when they reached the "right" consistency. She did this all year round. She also ate her hair and nails and the plants that she was growing in her house.

The classic symptom that is written in the textbooks though is eating dirt. I have not heard of cases in children. When I learned about it, it was a symptom that occured in pregnant women.

I hope this info helps.
K.

2 things I'd be concerned about. City dirt may be full of lead. Eating dirt more than as an experiment may indicate a vitamin or mineral deficiency, which could be made worse by eating the dirt. I'd supervise her closely and ask my doctor.

C. I didn't read any other posts before I respond so I will applogize if this has already been suggested.
She is missing a vitiman or mineral in her system I would guess a mineral over a vitamin. I am trying to recall something I read about pregant women caraving dirt it turned out to be a mineral deficiancy. I know if an animal eats dirt they need seleinum. But go to a herboligist or a wholelistic pharmacy for help seleinum can be harmful although we need it. If you live in the thumb area of Michigan the land here is deficient in seleinum. There is a pharmacy in North Branch that works with all natural medicine go talk to them.

Hi C.. I don't want to scare you but, botulism spores live in dirt. I read a story once in Reader's Digest about a little boy why ate dirt and became gravely ill. It took them quite a while to figure out what happened.

Clostridium botulinum is the name of a group of bacteria commonly found in soil. It can also enter their bodies through any open cut. My best to you.

H.

Check out some information on pica. That`s what it sounds like to me. I had a little girl in my daycare years ago that ate dirt, wood, paper, etc!

Sometimes we Moms can blow things out of proportion, so I hope my response doesn't cause you undue concern. There is a condition called Pica and eating dirt is one of the symptoms. Look into it, and if it continues to happen and you really think there is something to it, definitely check with her doctor. Here is a WebMD link for Pica. http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-health-pica. It could be that she is just being a goofy kid and doesn't realize she shouldn't eat these things...just keep an eye on her. You're her Mom, you'll know if it becomes a real problem
Good luck...L.

This is known as PICA and is a sign of anemia so have her checked at the pediatrician's for this. Good luck, M. B

Just a thought, but has she had her iron checked? Maybe at her 24 mo well child check? There is something called Pica which is where people crave dirt, ice, and other strange things when there iron is low. Just an idea.

Sounds like Pica which stems from a mineral definciency.

I've always heard craving dirt and eating it means lacking something in the diet. You might want to have some tests done at the doctor.

Hi C.,
I agree with Nicole. She needs to go to the ped. She may be be deficiant in something.
Chris

Eating and craving dirt and other non food items such as chalk, plaster, clay, toilet paper is caused by iron difficiency. Most people think it stops there, well NO! It is not a passing childhood thing., but a sign of a medical condition. Have your daughters blood checked for her ferritin levels. It can be fatal, if her body is not absorbing the iron that she requires. By eating dirt, her metabolism is slowed, and is unable to aborb the iron her body craves. It is a cycle. She ay experience weight gain as her digestive system is not functioning properly. I have had this problem all my life, and I have had multiple iron shots, and iv iron infusions. Ferritin should be at 12, and mine has gone as low as 3. While children can be exploratory while growing, I would certainly pay the 40.00 on a ferritin blood test to ensure my child is well.

I caught my son scooping dirt on a cracker and eating it the other day. I didn't think much of it, just told him that dirt isn't food and we don't put it in our mouths. He said "ok" and that was that. However, if this is something she does a lot though I would definitely have her checked for pica.

I would take her to the doctor to get her checked out. It could be something serious like pica, then again it might not. My totally healthy younger sister used to occasionally eat dirt during pretend play when she was a toddler/preschool. She grew up with no health problems and is a doctor now so it didn't do her any harm. Hopefully it's nothing serious with your little one.

Dear C. H.,

When my oldest daughter (who is now 32) was a toddler, she ate dirt by the diaper load fulls like it was candy. When she pooped it looked just like cement in her diaper. When I talked to the doctor about it he told me that kids are usually lacking in some vitamin and suggested I give her chewable vitamins. It seemed to help because she stopped eating dirt after eating vitamins. Don't know if it was a coincidence or what, but she quit after eating a vitamin a day for a couple of weeks. Just be sure to put the vitamins away where she can't eat them because they taste so good that little kids think they are some type of candy.

L. C.

Hi C. i'm R. my little did the same thing it grossed me out so bad i hated it she did outgrow it and so will your baby but yuk!!! I don't know why she did it i was told that kids crave thing they are defiecent in my daughter always found the black dirt the most favorable she would dig her lttle finger right in every time and eat it yuk anyway your baby will stop soon and by the way my 6 now 6 year old loves nature and animals and searching for animal tracks and so forth maybe your baby already has a calling for her future and god made dirt and dirt don't hurt relax!!!!!!!!!