A woman, using the example of her child, told what pica is and what it is eaten with (9 photos + 1 video)
25-year-old Stacey A'Hearn from Blackwood (Wales) literally has to keep an eye on her three-year-old daughter Winter, as she constantly strives to chew foam rubber or chew glass. The baby suffers from pica, an eating disorder that causes an irresistible craving for inedible objects. 
Winter was caught breaking a photo frame (and not just one, but all the ones she could reach) and trying to eat the glass shards. The girl also feasted on plaster from the walls, plants, candle wax, chewed on her crib and gutted the sofa to try its soft filling. 
“She's literally eating our house,” Stacy says. “I bought a new sofa, and she tore pieces out of it.” She's very picky about regular food, but she can sit down and eat a dish sponge." 
Stacey first noticed her daughter's unusual eating habits when she was still a baby. The baby tastes the object, it seems like there’s nothing wrong... And since all other indicators were completely normal, she didn’t attach any importance to it. 
However, since then, the child’s craving for inedible objects has intensified, and Winter has practically stopped speaking and making contact. She was diagnosed with autism. 
“No matter what, she finds a way to eat things she shouldn’t,” Stacy said. “Fortunately she has never harmed herself as I keep a very close eye on her.” But looking after her is a full-time job.”
Until the age of 13 months, the girl developed within normal limits - she walked on time, spoke, etc. But then, according to Stacey, everything changed overnight. The child became silent, and the eating disorder began to worsen.
Doctors explained that pica often occurs in infants and then can go away without a trace. It is more common in children with autism.
“I put Winter in the highchair with snacks, but she prefers to eat the highchair,” Stacy says. “Her autism greatly affects her sleep, and she wakes up often. At night this disorder is worse. She wakes up at 2am and I find her eating the crib and blanket.”
Stacey has another child, 1-year-old Everly, and doesn't exhibit any strange eating habits.
“Children with autism love sensory things that they can touch or sounds. I have a chewy necklace for her that has different textures and is specially designed for people with eating disorders. She can also eat different shaped pasta that she can touch or play with.”
3-year-old Winter with her little sister Everly
“The doctors said there was little we could do. It's not very good for her, but it's not very dangerous either - unless it's glass. All I can do is keep a close eye on her and hope she grows out of it over time.”
