PICA--

Definition
Pica is a pattern of eating non-food materials (such as dirt or paper... or lint). This pattern should last at least 1 month to fit the diagnosis of pica.

Well, I guess my daughter has Pica. At first I looked this up just get the information on the word Pica so I could add it to this funny blog... but as I read the article it is a big concern. And maybe I should contact our pediatrician... but not before I share Lily's quirky habit.

When she was sick a few days ago, I laid her in bed with me to sleep. I watched her for 45 min as she pulled lint off her afghan blanket and ATE IT! I've seen her do this for about a year. It used to be that she just pretended to pull things off my shirt and eat them while I rocked her to sleep (as early as 5 months old). That is when I knew she was almost asleep and it was my cue to lay her down (not fully asleep of course!). I figured it was just that she had learned a task and was practicing its motions (like eating cheerios). It has has since developed into eating the lint on her blanky. We see it wrapped around her paci in the morning. She does it only when she is falling asleep or is in those first stages of sleep.
As I watched her for that 45 minutes I was amazed at how she would search with her hands for the right amount of lint, then yank it off, remove her paci and shove it in. She continued until she fell completely asleep.
WHO DOES THIS? We think its so funny. However, as I looked it up it is very common among children to eat non food items (not just put them in their mouths, but to pick a specific substance and eat it... Like Lint) However, the reasons are a lack of nutrition in some area... well, what does lint substitute? Fiber maybe... hehe... And there are serious complications like lead poisoning for those who eat paint chips (isn't their mother watching them??) or other harmful substances... but for other things a hard mass can form in the stomach... So maybe I should ask the doctor... I mean lint over a year's span may have begun to form a whole new afghan in there... I'd hate to see the colors of that one!