Is this normal? Two and a half year old eating dirt

rubyred

Tue, May 23 2023, 11:41 pm

Hmm hmm some posters may actually be healthcare professionals. Also, taking a daily multivitamin with iron is not going to cause toxicity. Most pediatricians will recommend multivitamins with iron. Some children have an iron deficiency even if not anemic.

amother

Iris

Tue, May 23 2023, 11:57 pm

rubyred wrote:

Are you a pediatrician? If the child is eating a good diet - why would a pediatrician suggest more iron without evidence of an issue?

amother

Offwhite

Wed, May 24 2023, 1:57 am

It may be a sensory issue. If your child is putting everything in their mouth, I would look into sensory regulation.

amother

Salmon

Wed, May 24 2023, 6:52 am

My 2.5 year old eats sand but not dirt. She also likes to put ponytail holders in her mouth. Is this the same thing or more of a sensory thing? What could someone do for sensory issues?

amother

Natural

Wed, May 24 2023, 6:59 am

amother Emerald wrote:

FYI for everyone saying iron, iron deficiency anemia is typically associated with eating ice.

Do not supplement without speaking to a health care professional first.

Adults will normally eat ice. Where's a 2 year old going to get ice from? Makes sense they will chew on other things.

amother

Emerald

Wed, May 24 2023, 8:06 am

amother Natural wrote:

Adults will normally eat ice. Where's a 2 year old going to get ice from? Makes sense they will chew on other things.

Good point. You win. Let’s diagnose and treat based on opinions from imamother instead of seeking actual medical advice.

rubyred

Wed, May 24 2023, 9:21 am

Is the child eating leafy greens, legumes, and red meats on a regular basis? Either way, unless the child is chomping on the above and those are her favorite foods, taking a daily supplement and seeing if symptoms disappear after a few weeks is worth a try.

amother

Offwhite

Wed, May 24 2023, 10:18 am

amother Salmon wrote:

My 2.5 year old eats sand but not dirt. She also likes to put ponytail holders in her mouth. Is this the same thing or more of a sensory thing? What could someone do for sensory issues?

See an OT. One of the things occupational therapy deals with is sensory regulation.

amother

Amber

Wed, May 24 2023, 10:31 am

My gosh, it's a simple blood test. If the iron levels are fine then we can debate it further.

amother

Iris

Wed, May 24 2023, 10:34 am

rubyred wrote:

She should discuss all this with the Pediatrician.

amother

Chestnut

Wed, May 24 2023, 10:43 am

Go to a dr. I had a child who did this we did blood test to rule out Pica and once that was ruled out his OT and speech therapist helped with sensory diet. The speech therapist was actually better with this. She specialized in Oral motor which I’m told is now very controversial and most SLPs aren’t well enough educated in the area but hopefully you can find one if that’s what you need. We used a lot of z-vibe, mouth jugglers, chewy toys, raw onions, and gum. Please go to dr for guidance

amother

Wed, May 24 2023, 6:35 pm

Called pediatrician before. He said to get (another) OT to work on what they think is I guess oral fixation.
I’m just wondering why he wouldn’t do the bloodwork to rule out pica. Should I just go ahead with OT or try to get bloodwork done?

amother

Amber

Wed, May 24 2023, 7:32 pm

amother OP wrote:

Did you ask him why he doesn't want to do bloodwork?