17 Month Old Eating Dirt

I agree that you should take her to see a doctor. He can check to see if there is a medically-based reason for the behavior, and also if she has been poisoned y lead or contracted any parasite due to the ingestion of dirt. Then once you have found if there is a medical reason for it, you can start working on modifying her behavior to correct the problem. Good luck!

First of all, yes kids eat dirt. It may be perfectly normal but if she is literally scooping it up and eating it with a shovel then you may want to talk to your dr about it. That can actually be PICA which is where there is a craving for strange things because of a vitamin or mineral defeciency. Sometimes pregnant women will eat laundry detergent or dirt. When my son was anemic he would beg for the dog's food. Like I said, it is probably just a coincidence but you may consider checking into it.

I had to laugh a little when I read the title to your question. In this age of new worries and inventions, this classic problem comes about.

My daughter wasn't a dirt eater but it reminds me of when I was pregnant. You know how pregnant women crave things, well I LOVED the smell of dirt, even wanted to eat it but didn't. It was very strange. I never did inquire as to what it might have been but I have never been one on good nutrition so the vitamin or mineral suggestion certainly makes sense. Don't stress, sweetie, she'll be ok, I just don't know about your potted plants if you have any! wink

It does sound like it's PICA. I've heard of children eating paint chips and other things simply because they have some type of nutritional deficiency. I would take her to the dr. and get her iron checked. She may be anemic or have some other nutritional issue.