Why does my 7yr old daughter eat paper and erasers?

Question

I am having problems with my 7yr old daughter eating papers and erasers at school. She has been doing it for a while and it got worse when her father went over seas. Her teacher has contacted me and told me that she thinks I need to take her to a peditrition to be check for it. What should I do?

Answer 1

you should take her to the doctors because there  is an eating disorder called pica where children eat unatural things x*x

Answer 2

Sometimes people eat wierd things like chalk or dirt if they have some vitamin deficiency.

Answer 3

Paper and erasers taste awesome

Answer 4

Its what the do . I eat paper and glue when I was 6. Or maybe shes hungry. FEED HER!

Answer 5

She is lacking iron i bet. I used to eat sand when i was anemic.

Answer 6

get help

Answer 7

The fact that her Dad going overseas made it worse makes me think you should have her see a pediatrician.

It sounds like it could be a stress reaction. At that age having major changes in your life can cause all kinds of behavior issues.

Only a qualified doctor is going to be able to say for sure.

Answer 8

why do people smoke? all im sayin is maybe she's doing it for somewhat the same reasons a smoker smokes.  tht's probably her way of coping with missing her father. she doesnt need a peditrition she needs something else and just isnt saying what she need.  talk to your daughter and see whats up. but dont ask her directly or else she will never tell you. ask around it. ask questions similar to it but dont make sure your askin her wats up. i hope you can solve her problem.

Answer 9

Take her to the pediatrician. It could be just be a nervous habit, but it could be pica (craving nonfood items) or a sensory issue.

Answer 10

yes. You need to take her. I think it is called Pica and by the sounds of it it might be related to stress if it got worse when her dad was gone

Answer 11

Well, it makes me think both ways.

Let's face it. Little kids eat all kinds of stuff. Dirt, grass, paste (remember the paste-eating kid?), buttons, coins, tissue paper, paper, you name it. Just about anything they can get their hands on, that can fit in their mouths, and can be swallowed.

It may a phase. But if it got worse after her father went overseas, it might be insecurity of the attachment she has with her father or anxiety. Try helping her out of that phase (as in train her to resist the urge to eat paper and erasers with your encouragement, support, praise, rewards, whatever) before looking to professional therapy. And I don't believe putting her on meds is the way.

Do things like patiently assure her that her father's going to be all right and that she'll see him again. Or give her something else to chomp on at school, like pack her with all the favorite snacks she likes whenever she feels the urge. Have your teacher spend extra time to keep an eye on her to discourage her from doing that.

Answer 12

It may be an eating disorder, it may be for attention. I used to eat earsers and paper too when I was in 3rd grade. I really don't know why I did it it, I just stopped because I got braces and it hurt my tummy. I may have had a vit. defficency.

But I also was an outcast at school, I was a picky eater and didn't eat much at school, I also had no father figure in my life.  Take her to the Dr., give her pleanty of snacks to take to school and don't buy new erasers.

Answer 13

cuz shes wants attention..

or just likes it

Answer 14

i used to do it too. erasers were my favorite. she'll just p**p it out like i did. if you're "evil" like my dad, u can tell her if she keeps eating erasers a pencil will grow in her stomach and for the paper....tell her a tree will grow.....lol. it's quite evil but i stopped eatin erasers after he told me that.

Answer 15

I think you should follow the advice of the teacher and take her to the pediatrican or maybe take her to see a counciler and not a school counciler either.

Answer 16

The urge to eat inedible things is called "Pica". The behavior is usually seen as more of a symptom of a brooder condition. It can be due to a multitude of reasons. It could be due to her being anemic (iron deficiency) In which case the behavior is refered to the "dirt eating reflex" as people with anemia long ago would get the urge to eat dirt. Or it can be due to a emotional/psychological problem. However the only way to figure all this out is to have her evaluated by a doctor. So yeah, that is my advise, take her to the doctor.

Answer 17

we all ate weird stuff when we were kids. i ate chalk and tissue paper. tell her teacher about this problem so that s/he could keep an eye on her. and when she's at home, make sure she's not near any of it! and tell her not to do it.

Answer 18

Yeah, well, I think you should take your daughter to a pediatrition. First off, she might be struggling with depression since her dad went over seas so that might be the problem, or maybe she just likes the way it tastes but I would get this figured out soon because paper and erasers arn't food for a reason, they could be very harmful to her digestive system. Make an APPT ASAP!

Answer 19

I used to rip up sponges and eat them. I grew out of it. Haha. Thank god. =]

Answer 20

Because she doesn't know better. she is angry and confused..... try keeping her away from paper and erasers. give her some snacks with a similar texture/shape/feel/etc. have her hold on to them at all times.

Answer 21

I think you should have a sit down with your daughter and ask her to her face why shes doing what shes doing. She might give you the answer, "I don't know." But just ask her if she misses her father. Or tell her your are going to spend more time with her. She might be doing this to get attention or she might just be going through a phase. But if all else fails take her to a pediatrician.

Answer 22

It could be some sort of problem induced by personal issues, so make sure she's not distraught about anything, make sure she's not being bullied or having friend troubles, and make sure you often assure her her father is all right and is helping the country. Still, it could merely be a bad habit like chewing on one's nails, and bad habits can only be broken through practice.

Answer 23

talk to a docter its probably just like people bite nails

Answer 24

Pica. It's a disorder some children, and adults, suffer from.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pica_(disor...