What do you do if your 9 month old shovels fistfuls of sand into his mouth, loves rocks, leaves, dirt, and hairballs, but cannot be bothered with the organic veggies his mom purees for him???
Michele, in CA
There is a saying… “The world comes to babies through their mouths.”
Just as a dog will sniff any new object or person or animal it encounters in order to get to “know” it, babies put Every Single Thing into their mouths. This is not an urge to eat everything, this is an effort to learn about everything.
Your son has met your pureed organic veggies. The first time you approached him with a spoon he wanted to put it in his mouth. But now he knows those veggies. He does not recognize this new rock or that handful of sand or this fluffy hairball.
As the mom of a toddler who wanted to “get to know” the cigarette butts on the ground at the park, I feel your pain.
Don’t take this personally. He is inquisitive and adventurous… he’ll be fine. Don’t be offended, and do be vigilant. Those rocks are not as friendly as he thinks.
What is the weirdest thing your baby or toddler ever put in his or her mouth? One of mine ate a cigarette butt at the park!
4 thoughts on “My Baby Eats Everything but Food!”
Pica- an appetite for substances largely non-nutritive (such as clay or chalk or anything non-edible). I have a friend with an autistic child that will only eat cheetos, pretzels, and drink milk and everything else that is non-edible. It may be worth looking into. Or like you said, baby just likes anything that is new.
Katie, thanks for mentioning this possibility. In developed countries with kids who get formula or any fortified cereal, pica is rare. Pica is an issue in kids that have extremely low iron. If you are worried that he is compulsively consuming the rocks and dirt then just ask your doc for a quick blood test. He would normally get this test at his one-year-old check up in any event, no harm in doing it a little early!
My 2 yr old son will eat play-doo, crayon But id’s very picky with food. What can I do?
It’s normal that your son explores the world by putting things in his mouth. So watching him, and keeping dangerous substances out of reach is important. To help your child eat a little better at the table, try these suggestions.
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