New York: A three-year-old girl at Blackwood in United States’ Wales has been diagnosed with a rare disease called pica. It sparks cravings for inedible objects.
Extremely worried about her unusual feeding disorder, the girl’s mother Stacey A’Hearne has pleaded for help.
Stacey said her daughter, Wynter, has also been diagnosed with autism and is eating all objects in the house.
“I bought a brand-new sofa and she’s taken chunks out of it,” Stacey was quoted as saying by Metro.
The three-year-old does not like eating normal food but prefers strange things like sponges, glasses and even cots and blankets. Her mother said it has become a full-time job for her to keep a watch on Wynter lest she gets hurt.
Stacey saw her daughter putting things in her mouth as a baby but didn’t think it was serious. Her growth continued normally till she turned 13 months old when things started to change, reported New York Times.
As Wynter’s unusual eating habits began to escalate, Stacey reached out to her paediatrician, who referred her to other doctors.
In January 2024, the girl was diagnosed with pica and autism.
Even as doctors have said there is nothing much that can be done, Stacey has found that providing ‘sensory playtime’ helps distract Wynter from her pica cravings.
“Children with autism like sensory things they can touch or sounds. I’ve got a chewable necklace for her specifically designed for people with pica, that she can chew on with different textures,” Stacey told Metro.
