A child chewing on something you’d rather they didn’t, like a piece of dirt or an oddly shaped object, is a common sight. Parents and other caregivers may find this behavior perplexing. After all, we typically assume that kids will only eat foods that are considered safe and appropriate. However, when they deviate from this pattern, it begs the question of why they might do so.
Children may eat items that aren’t usually thought of as food for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, it comes down to simple curiosity. Young children use their senses—including taste—to learn about the world around them because they are inherently curious. They may put strange objects in their mouths to discover what they are and how they taste.
In other situations, this behavior might indicate a need for oral stimulation or a nutritional deficit. For instance, some kids may consume non-food items because their bodies are deficient in a certain nutrient, or they may chew or sucke on different objects as a way to cope.
It’s critical to comprehend the underlying causes of a child’s behavior in order to respond to it appropriately. Parents can help their children develop healthier habits while meeting their natural curiosity and developmental needs by observing their needs and offering safe, appropriate alternatives.
What is happening?
For two reasons, kids begin consuming foods that are generally not acceptable. First and foremost, out of pure, innocent curiosity. A child’s taste buds are an essential cognitive tool, and he explores the world through them as much as his environment, parents, and upbringing permit. However, it is one thing to taste something that is inedible once or twice, and quite another to regularly consume something that is inedible.
It is critical to seek medical attention if a child consistently consumes food that is not considered appropriate. He might be on the verge of developing allotriophagy, an eating disorder characterized by the ingestion of inedible foods.
Just 1% of adult men and women on the planet regularly consume inedible items, making this a relatively uncommon occurrence. However, everything is different with children. Up to 32% of children under 4 are prone to eating inedible items, and up to 15% of preschoolers experience allotriophagy. It depends on the child’s specific preferences as to whether this is dangerous. While chalk won’t be harmful to the baby’s health, glass, sand, and small metal objects can be very dangerous.
There are two kinds of allotriophagy: pathological, which is typical of mentally ill, feeble-minded individuals who just do not understand what they are trying to chew, and childish, which is physiological. When it happens, the child’s taste perceptions are distorted, but other abnormalities in his behavior and development are not observed, and his mental health is intact. The child typically consumes inedible items in addition to his primary, entirely typical diet. Allotriophagy is only complete in extremely rare circumstances, such as when a baby refuses to eat regular food and substitutes his favorite items—such as paint, sand, clay, wood, or paper—for normal foods.
Why does he do this?
- Difficult relationships in the family. Psychiatrists believe that this factor is decisive. Too demanding upbringing, humiliation of the child, lack of love and care, neglect, domestic violence, including psychological violence, lack of toys, attention can easily provoke an eating disorder.
- Emotional and psychological trauma. Usually the first meal with paper clips or candy wrappers occurs during a period of certain events that caused the strongest emotional shock to the child. Thus, allotriophagy can develop in a child in the epicenter of military actions and natural disasters, after the death of a loved one, after violence.
- Specific deficiency of certain amino acids, macronutrients, vitamins. For example, the desire to eat chalk is associated with a lack of calcium, and sulfur from matches is unconsciously chosen by a child if there is not enough sulfur and phosphorus in his body.
- Hormonal disorders. For this reason, oddities and food "quirks" happen in pregnant women. And it is the imbalance of hormones that causes food perversion in adolescents. But even in children, the endocrine background may be disrupted in terms of the balance of hormones that affect the sense of smell and taste.
- Mental disorders. Usually, allotriophagy occurs in children with schizophrenia, severe mental retardation, oligophrenia, autism.
What may be missing?
It is reasonable to assume that a child who eats dirt or soil from a flower pot has an iron deficiency. To determine the baby’s precise hemoglobin level and determine whether or not the infant has anemia, a blood test is required.
Eating soil and clay by itself can be harmful because these substances are the best places for many parasites, cysts, and bacteria to preserve their eggs, which can lead to serious health problems.
By the way, low iron levels are frequently linked to the urge to chew on icicles. An imbalanced and insufficient diet throughout the body leads to a craving to chew on coal, matches, and wood. The child starts eating soap due to a zinc deficiency in their body in addition to its appealing scent. Furthermore, the child’s partial salt absorption is probably caused by a deficiency in sodium. Lack of amino acids causes children to start eating hair.
| Reason | Description |
| Curiosity | Children are naturally curious and may want to explore different tastes and textures. |
| Imitation | They might see others eating something and want to imitate their behavior. |
| Attention Seeking | Eating something unusual might be a way to get attention from parents or peers. |
| Rebellion | Trying forbidden foods can be a way to test boundaries and assert independence. |
| Novelty | New and unusual foods can seem exciting and interesting to children. |
For many parents, it can be difficult to understand why their child might eat something that is not socially acceptable. Curiosity and a desire for novel experiences are often at the core of it. Youngsters have a natural curiosity and tendency to push boundaries, which can extend to how they eat. They might be using trying something new as a simple means of sating their curiosity and making an independent statement.
The media’s or their peers’ influence may also be a factor. Youngsters frequently aspire to look like their friends or emulate what they see on social media and television. Even if it goes against the rules at home, a child may be persuaded to try something they see others enjoying—whether it’s food or an activity.
Finally, it’s critical to remember that kids occasionally rebel or act out in order to express who they are. They may be pushing boundaries or expressing their preferences by indulging in strange food. It’s critical to support them and make sure they make wise decisions, but it’s also critical to be patient and understanding when dealing with their behavior.
Due to their innate curiosity and desire to explore their surroundings, children frequently eat things that they shouldn’t. This behavior may be the result of an attempt to learn new tastes or textures, or it may just be an attempt to push boundaries. It can occasionally also be a means of attracting attention or handling pressure. Parents who are aware of these factors will be better able to calmly handle the situation and influence their kids to make healthier decisions.
