my three years old son eats sand. can someone tell me how to stop him, or why he does eat it?

Answer 1

OMG! people really over react on here! I am a nursery nurse and have worked with children of this age for 6 yrs and this type of behaviour is sooooooooo normal they just like the texture of the sand i think. its not about vitamins, minerals or any phycological problems in fact i dont even think i can think of 1 child that hasnt tryed it! All you need to do is try and keep an eye on him and try to discoursge it tell him no when he does it.
I hope you arent worried now after some of the other comments made. He will either just get board of you telling him no or just stop with age! hope that has put your mid at rest :)

Answer 2

Keep him away from any sand or dirt. Is he bored or hungry??
'Tasting' is one of the things toddlers do and the hand to mouth to explore the world is normal. He must find sand interesting or satisfying for some reason.
This is not as uncommon as you might think. At three years old a toddler has depleted many of the minerals they might have been born with and now possibly needs to build up again.
My mother used to eat dirt and paper. Her doctor told my grandma that she needed to eat some food with good vitamins and minerals. OR get a good liquid vitamin mineral baby drops and keep offering healthy foods at meals and snacks. Some doctors even attribue the "terrible twos" to low iron. I'd tell the doctor next time you see him.
Now that you know this SANDwich can happen, of course you will be watching more closely because if he can't get at the sand he may be on the lookout for something else even more dangerous to put in his mouth.

Answer 3

The eating of non-food items is known as pica may be associated with certain mineral deficiencies. It wouldn't hurt to have him screened for certain vitamin deficiencies.

Otherwise it is probably perfectly normal, lots of kids eat sand. It feels weird and gets a reaction. However it can be a risk for picking up certain worms, that while not dangerous can be temporarily annoying. Personally I would ignore it, however if you are concerned go to a doctor and get his iron and other mineral levels checked and maybe keep him away from sand.

Answer 4

Make him get out of the sandbox every time he does it. And don't let him get back in. Set the rule "if you want to play in the sand, you have to play properly. if you eat the sand, we will not play in the sandbox". Stick to it, no matter how much he cries. He's old enough to get it. Probably won't take more than 5 times for it to work, but even if it takes 25 times, he will eventually get it.

Answer 5

Dont' let him be near sand and he won't eat it anymore. There are some cases of psychological problems that cause people to eat things that they aren't supposed too, but I cannot remember what the disorder is called. Sorry.

Answer 6

There must be something in it that he likes or his body needs. Perhaps salt or minerals? I used to eat little insects when I was his age but I grew out of it.

Answer 7

Just keep him away from sand and stuff and he will stop after a while

Answer 8

It could be that he is missing some vitamin that his body is seeking. My daughter used to chew on rocks! After I started her on a good child's vitamin (Flintstones), and monitored her at the playground, she stopped the habit. You may try this on your own or you can seek a doctor's help in determining whether your son has a vitamin deficiency.

Answer 9

Well since he is three, shouldn't you have all authority? You make it seem like he is a grown man. HE is 3 for crying out loud. Stop taking him to places where he is prone to eat sand!!

Answer 10

There was an episode on House about this and it made the child very ill. You should really speak to your pediatrician about this so you can nip it in the bud ASAP.