My 4yr old daughter has been chewing on paper, on occasion swallowing it, is this an actual disease and something I should get help for????

Angie - posted on 01/10/2009

I'm not sure it's a disease at all.  My daughter "ate" books until she was about 3 years old.  She just liked to gum on something, and the edges of her cardboard books worked as well as anything else.  We went through a lot of books that we couldn't keep or give to friends, but it was more about her teething and boredom than anything else.  Bring it up next time you meet with your peditrician, but I wouldn't worry.  Unless you notice that it's having an effect on her bowels or something.  I can't imagine she's eating as much as you think, just doing it a lot.  Some kids use the edge of a blanket, others the edge of a book.  No biggie!

Rachel - posted on 01/10/2009

Pica is having an appetite for things that aren't food. If she's hungry and going for paper, it would be a problem.

Christina - posted on 01/10/2009

My Daughter is almost 6 and she still chews on things, usually just blankets and clothes. she is a perfectly normal child. Its part of children's learning development, learning what diferent tastes and textures are associated with differnet things. They will grow out of it

Vanessa - posted on 01/10/2009

Quoting Rita:

i think u guys r over reacting about pica  for this ladies is just paper its nothing bad i think the naughty chair is perfect for that  it work for me cause jasmine doesnt touch no more my dvd cases but i was always on here and punishing here it was a way for my daughter to get my attention and it was working so she was doing again but everytime ill punish her that was something else

I agree..  I was trying to reassure her but it seems like others are going to scare her with going overboard..

Rita - posted on 01/10/2009

i think u guys r over reacting about pica  for this ladies is just paper its nothing bad i think the naughty chair is perfect for that  it work for me cause jasmine doesnt touch no more my dvd cases but i was always on here and punishing here it was a way for my daughter to get my attention and it was working so she was doing again but everytime ill punish her that was something else

Rita - posted on 01/10/2009

my daughter used to chew dvd cases and she stop after me punishing here all the time she rune all my dvd casesits just a bad abit and u need to make here stop that right now 

Rita - posted on 01/10/2009

my daughter used to chew dvd cases and she stop after me punishing here all the time she rune all my dvd casesits just a bad abit and u need to make here stop that right now 

Rita - posted on 01/10/2009

my daughter used to chew dvd cases and she stop after me punishing here all the time she rune all my dvd casesits just a bad abit and u need to make here stop that right now 

Rita - posted on 01/10/2009

my daughter used to chew dvd cases and she stop after me punishing here all the time she rune all my dvd casesits just a bad abit and u need to make here stop that right now 

Jenna - posted on 01/09/2009

Quoting Apryll:

It is called pica, a "disease" where you basically eat things that are not eatable. Normally found in children & pregnant woman, kids grow out of it. Things like burnt matches, paper, pencils, paint chips, even ICE cubes are on the list. I liked to lick the top of comet cans (yes the powder cleaner in the green can), I grew out of it but it came RIGHT back when I was pregnant... I didn't do it as an adult but I sure cleaned everything I could w/ it just to enjoy the smell. LOL
I suggest looking it up on WebMD, they have lots of information on it. Personally I would just let her grow out of it! Good Luck

Apryll is right there is a disease called Pica in which you eat inanimate objects. I work in the mental health field and a colleague of mine works with a young women with Pica and mental disabiility. She has had it all her life and has not grown out of it. She will eat anything she can fit in her mouth. In a good day she only devours a couple plastic bottle caps.  It may be just a fetish for your daughter. But if it is Pica just so you know it is not a disease you neccesarily grow out of. Good luck and best wishes:)

Sandy - posted on 01/09/2009

I wouldn't worry about paper or other non-poisonous digestible non-food items. Mandy pulls the threads of everything out and eats them. We stop her when we see her, but it's harmless as long as it comes out the other end. My husband is concerned that the thread will become like a ball of yarn inside her. I think she'll poop it out without harm. My friend's girl ate the paper off crayons until she was nearly six years old, but doesn't do it anymore. Remember when they said gum would stay in your stomach for seven years when swallowed? Yeah, same logic theory. heh. :)

Vanessa - posted on 01/09/2009

I wouldn't say she has pica she is just experimenting.. also looking for a reaction... She is at the age now where she knows that if she does it it will bug you or get a reaction out of people.. I am sure she will grow out of it... Don't get too worried about it.. I work with kids and have had plenty of experience with pica. Pica is usually associated with a developmental delay such as autism and other delays/ Although some of the kids with pica did eat paper (as well as other inedibles) so did some of the kids that didn't have pica.

Rachel - posted on 01/09/2009

My husband does this and so does his daughter (from a previous marriage). He does it to keep his mouth busy. He's not a ex smoker, he's just been doing it his whole life. I think it is gross when I find chewed up cards from magazines all over the house. I think it's just a comfort thing.

Candice - posted on 01/09/2009

me and my little sister used to eat everything when we were children. paper, dirt, sand, grass, hay, bugs....and although it might seem strange, i'll tell you this. we have very good immune systems now! haha

Nancy - posted on 01/09/2009

My Son always ate paper, we used to call Him the paper boy!! He did grow out of it, and he is now 7, He is Helathy, and has straight a's in school ;)

Carmel - posted on 01/09/2009

A childs touch sense is developed through there mouth they learn what "smooth" or "rough is through feeling things in there mouth before they feel it on there skin. Touch is one of the first senses to b developed. Maybe you should put things you dont want chewed on out of reach. If you allow the child to think it is ok to chew it on she will keep doin it. I know a little girl who likes to eat sand she keeps doin it because her mom lets her. Your child has is perfectly normal.

Debbie - posted on 01/09/2009

kids do a lot of things that are strange when they are young, its probly nothing to worry about, but if it doesnt stop just ask ur pediatrician

Apryll - posted on 01/09/2009

It is called pica, a "disease" where you basically eat things that are not eatable. Normally found in children & pregnant woman, kids grow out of it. Things like burnt matches, paper, pencils, paint chips, even ICE cubes are on the list. I liked to lick the top of comet cans (yes the powder cleaner in the green can), I grew out of it but it came RIGHT back when I was pregnant... I didn't do it as an adult but I sure cleaned everything I could w/ it just to enjoy the smell. LOL

I suggest looking it up on WebMD, they have lots of information on it. Personally I would just let her grow out of it! Good Luck

Lynsey - posted on 01/09/2009

I used to do this to as a child, it never did me any harm so i wouldn't worry to much about it.

Kathy - posted on 01/09/2009

I did that as a kid - paper, tissues, etc. I didn't like the taste of it or anything, but I did enjoy the feeling of it in my mouth. I never admitted it, my parents never knew about it, so I never got it checked out. I eventually outgrew it, though. It may be a type of impulse control disorder. If you ask your pediatrician about it, please let me know what he/she says; I'd be curious to know why I had done it.