Published on 12, July, 2020
Desperately seeking some advice, my 4 year old daughter has severe pica often eating things like chalk, crayons, paper, ink from pens, stickers etc but the most worrying is plants. Any and all plants, leaves, flower buds it's all going in her mouth she can't seem to stop and it's become an compulsive obsession. Our garden is safe, it's a sensory garden but I'm terrified about poisoning/tummy problems elsewhere and it's happening often. Shes super quick and often tries to grab things while walking and puts them straight in her mouth, if you attempt to retrieve it it's swallowed.
We've tried giving regular snacks, chewy lanyards but nothing seems to satisfy the urge.
I've heard of people sprinkling cayenne pepper, black pepper, or chilli pepper, on their gardens, to keep away pests and animals, and although I don't think your daughter as one of those things, maybe you could put some kind of natural deterrent on the plants, to keep your daughter at bay.