Updated: March 24, 2021
Originally Published: March 4, 2017
In family dynamics, food preferences can vary significantly among siblings. For instance, one may meticulously scrape off frosting from cupcakes, while another indulges solely in the icing, leaving the cake untouched. Meanwhile, my youngest has taken his culinary experiments to an unusual level — he consumes the entire cupcake, including the paper liner. When it comes to lollipops, he doesn’t stop at the candy; the stick is fair game too.
On the bright side, his unique eating habits generate minimal waste. On the downside, it’s undeniably strange. While I respect diverse snack choices, munching on a pizza coupon as if it were a slice of pizza borders on perplexing.
The first incident occurred when he was just 2 ½ years old. Upon entering the bathroom, I discovered him munching on a toilet paper roll. I was taken aback — how could a toddler bite into toilet paper like it was an apple? My initial reaction was a mix of admiration for his bite strength and horror at his choice of snack. I pried open his mouth, but by then, the damage had been done.
After that, I observed him eating a tissue, and later, sitting on the couch, he started tearing apart a baby wipe as if it were popcorn. Concerned, I reached out to his pediatrician, who recommended a series of blood tests to check for nutritional deficiencies. To my relief, all results came back normal; he was healthy, with adequate vitamin and mineral levels.
The pediatrician diagnosed him with pica — a condition characterized by the compulsion to eat non-food items such as paper, dirt, or chalk. While pica is often associated with malnutrition, my son’s case was likely behavioral, with the expectation that he would outgrow it by age four. However, I personally found the suggestion of attention-seeking behavior questionable. He never exhibited signs of craving attention; rather, it seemed more like an absentminded habit, akin to a person twirling their hair or nibbling their nails.
As time progressed, his preference expanded from soft paper products to regular paper — including pages from books, notebook edges, and junk mail. Since it did not interfere with his diet and he managed to avoid choking hazards by consuming paper in small bites, I chose to overlook this quirk, holding onto the hope that it would soon pass.
His paper consumption became so commonplace that it barely registered with me. I recall a dinner outing where he ordered chicken strips served in a basket lined with checkered paper. Guess what he devoured first? Not the chicken. A concerned diner approached our table, pointing out that my child was eating the straw wrapper. I expressed my gratitude for her concern and promptly took the paper from him, only to return it shortly after she left. If only she knew, I thought to myself, it’s like living with a goat.
Now, at 11 years old, his penchant for paper has diminished to a more manageable level, if we can consider cupcake wrappers and sucker sticks “manageable.” Seven years post-diagnosis, he still enjoys his unique recycling method, yet I’m hopeful that it’s finally tapering off. After all, while “my brother ate my homework” could serve as a plausible excuse here, no teacher would ever accept it.
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In summary, my son’s peculiar eating habits have shifted over time, from a concerning behavior to a quirky aspect of his personality. Though his affinity for paper may not be conventional, it’s certainly a memorable part of our parenting journey.
Keyphrase: Child Paper Consumption
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