My daughter is almost 2 yrs old in October.
She eats alot of paper! Anytime she can get a hold of paper it goes in her mouth!
Im wondering if this is a dietary problem or if this is just normal for a almost 2 yr old? I can't even sit down to read books with her because she will want to chew the book to shreds.
Any advice?
Okay, So i took my daughter to the doctor and all her labs came out fine.
The doctor said she is one of those kids that likes to eat paper.
Since she is growing fine and gaining weight, she said not to worry. :) Phew!
My daughter is the same way, she's 13 months and I keep thinking she'll out grow it. All of her books have shredded corners : )
Hi P., when people are anemic or are lacking certain vitamins they crave things like paper, dirt, clay, ice etc. I would definitely take her to the pediatrician just to rule out any physical reason. If it's not then try buying books that are made out of cloth.
My son ate paper,stickers, you name it, it was in his mouth. I think this is very normal and it does stop, eventually.
M.
There is a slim chance she might have an eating disorder called Pica, where the sufferer craves non-edible items. You might want to rule this out with her pediatrician first.
If it's not Pica (which it probably isn't), I would try not to worry too much. I had to laugh when I saw your post because my daughter's nickname has been "the goat" since she was about 18 months (she's almost 4 now). For about year and a half we went through the same thing with her. She would try to eat darn near anything. She had a wonderful diet, so it wasn't that she was lacking nutrients, she was just curious about everything. We even caught her chewing a christmas light bulb once! Goat!
Just keep a close eye on her and make sure she doesn't get anything dangerous (like a christmas light bulb!!) and it will likely pass with time.
Good luck!!
I would definitely ask your Pediatrician. It's possible this is just normal kid stuff and the phase will pass, however it's also possibly she's craving something in the paper due to a lack of something in her diet or a side effect to another problem. I always lean on the side of caution and get things checked out just in case. Hopefully it's just a phase. You'll feel better once you confirm it. Let us know! K.
When my daughter was younger (under 2 years) she would eat paper all the time, too. I asked her pediatrician about it and he suggested that I increase the amount of fiber in her diet. I added grains and more fruits and she stopped eating the paper. Now, she is 15 1/2 years old and she will start eating paper if she is lacking fiber in her diet.
Good luck with this.
A.
Hi P....yes, take him to a pediatrician. If she is eating it all the time, she may have a vitamin or mineral deficiency...
Good luck and best wishes. R.
It's called Pica, look into it.
Not sure if this applies, but when my Grandmother was alive and suffering from kidney failure she would eat tissues. The doctor said, it was a reaction to her not getting full and searching for substance. He had her diagnosed with a disorder that is common in patients of major illnesses that are not able to feel full due to medications and treatments.
I would ask her doctor.
If she is two, she is old enough to start disciplining her. Try reading with her, but make it clear that you can't read unless she does not chew the pages. You can read board books to show her how much fun it is to read and then switch to a paper book but tell her that it is not OK to eat the pages. It will take alot of patience and many many times to reinforce this message. Also take her to story times where they have coloring activities and show her how the other kids color on the paper, and she can to. But if she eats the paper, you will have to go. Just keep modeling and reinforcing proper behavior and cease all activities if she eats the paper! She really does understand everything that you say.
Hi P., Does she actually swallow the paper? I know in elementry I used to eat crayons, paste, errasers, and tips off of matches after they had been lit. I would talk to her ped about it. J.
Well if you find out - please pass along! :) My 15 month old does the same thing! I'm sure it has to do with the age....
My son is 13, and constantly chews wads of paper. He also chews twist ties, bits of plastic, straws, candy wrappers... anything he can. I'm constantly making him spit out bits of this or that. Some kids just need to chew, I guess. With my son, I try to make sure he has access to gum, mints and sunflower seeds, so he isn't noshing on trash. ;P
I would ask your pediatrician ASAP. It doesn't sound normal to me (I have three children, and none of them have eaten paper.)
My 2 1/2 year old son does this too - I think it is normal. You aren't alone.
I've not heard of this! Is she teething and just needs something to chomp on??
