will it hurt a child to eat alot of dirt?

Question

my child is 1 and every time we go outside she is always eating dirt what can i do to stop it

Answer 1

how much is a lot? if she is uncontrollably shoveling handfull after handfull of dirt into her mouth, it could be bad, but if it is just a little bit (like only one hadfull...) it shouldn't be a problem. my son went through the same phaze and i asked his dr. about it and she told me the same thing. make sure you correct your daughter when she does, but remember every kid eats dirt, and most kids grow out of it. she will realize that bananas taste better (or my son went after the grass, same thing as the dirt), and she will stop eating it. you could try a drastic approach and immediately bring her back inside when she eats dirt, but that is on the harsh side. relax, try your best to keep her from doing it, make sure there is no animal "stuff" on the ground where she is (not kidding, wish i was....), and wait for this phaze to pass. she is curious, and the only way she really knows how to "sample" everything is to put it in her mouth. she will find better ways, i promise. in no time at all she will get much delight out of picking up a handfull and throwing it at you.

Answer 2

I seriously wouldn't be worried about PICA in a 12 month old child. Mouthing everything at that age is a perfectly normal way that toddlers explore their world. They're just trying to classify the new things they're discovering with all of their senses. They look at everything. They touch and smell what they can. They listen to things. And they taste everything that will fit in their mouths. In the toddler years it is a perfectly age appropriate behavior.

That said, dirt is not an incredibly desirable thing for a toddler to be eating. Dirt on it's own is usually fine but you never know what's mixed in. If you have animal feces you add bacteria and the chance for worms. If you have pesticides or herbicides from lawn chemicals you add poisons. You want to correct the dirt eating with a gentle "no" and removal to a blanket for a while if it keeps happening. It may take a lot of repeats but eventually your child will learn that there are more appropriate (and better tasting) things to eat.

Answer 3

Eating dirt can be a sign of a disorder called pica. Look for these signs:

-repetitive consumption of a nonfood item, despite efforts to restrict it, for a period of at least 1 month or longer

-the dirt eating is considered inappropriate for your child's age or developmental stage (older than 18 to 24 months)

- the dirt eating is not part of a cultural, ethnic, or religious practice

This is certainly not safe since it could lead to parasites or lead poisoning. You should take your child to see a doctor to see she has pica. Some reasons for eating dirt are nutrition deficiencies and developmental problems.

Answer 4

I wouldn't say that it is healthy cause you take the risk of there being something in the dirt like bacteria. but on the other hand as a child my cousin used to feed me mud pies at least three times a week. my mom would get really mad at him, yell, spank and even tell his mom but he still would do it and the worst part of it all was I was the silly one who ate them. I never got sick from this only ever came home with mud all over my face

Answer 5

you need to watch out for lead. it's found on the ground and causes brain damage. that's why people with wells get their kids tested for it. besides the other stuff like bacteria and mold it could possibly make him sick. there are disorders that people have where they want to eat stuff that isn't food ie dirt, plastic ,and i have even heard of a pregnant woman eating tires. so stop this now with what ever you have to do and get a doc to look at him. to test for lead poisoning and to see if he needs something in his diet-that is part of the disorder . good luck

Answer 6

My mom told me I used to put dirt in bottle tops and pretend it was food when I was very young. I can't actually remember eating it, but when you're young you eat everything lol. I seem to hae turned out alright though, so maybe it's not so bad for you?

Try to discourage your daughter from eating it but i'm sure she'll stop of her own accord soon enough.

Answer 7

It's not good - there can be very harmful bacteria and other substances (metals, etc) in dirt. My suggestion would be to watch her.

Answer 8

is she actually eating it or just putting it in her mouth? eating big handfuls could be a symptom of something else. putting it in her mouth and swallowing some now and again shouldn't hurt her and she'll grow out of it soon. (I'd keep my eye out for any cat poop, though).

Answer 9

It wont help. Look up the definition of Pica. It's an eating disorder.

Answer 10

just let her know that is nasty and tell her no. dont allow her to eat it . that's very gross. there is alot of bacteria in dirt. good luck.