How do I help my 17 month old who has behavioral PICA?
407 views · Published 22 December 2012 · 0:54 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: IntermountainParents · 2012 · Autos & Vehicles
Children who lack iron in their diets may sometimes crave weird things like ice, clay, cornstarch, or dirt. This is sometimes referred to as PICA. You mentioned that you have a 17 month old with this but he doesn't actually have an iron deficiency and you want to know how to keep him away from these things. Unfortunately I have no good answer for you. You can know that these things aren't necessarily toxic to him. As long as he's not ingesting lead paint chips or something that's harmful to him it's probably just going to be more of a mess that you have to clean up and not necessarily harmful to him. I would recommend following up with the doctor though just to make sure there is nothing else that they feel warrants further investigation or treatment. If you have any other questions for me feel free to ask them on our Facebook page and recommend us to your friends and family too.
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