Hi doctor, My daughter, who is 11 years old, is found to chew sponge. She will not swallow but used to chew it. Could it be due to any deficiency? Otherwise, she is normal and healthy. Please help.
Hi. 11 year old child chewing sponge could be due to two possible reasons which are as follows. This could be a habitual thing. It has been noticed in some children that they have a habit of chewing things, lip-smacking, making noisy sounds during breathing, etc. For these habitual things,proper counseling is needed. One should not be angry with the child as this will lead to an increase in the related habit. The second cause could be pica. In pica, there is iron deficiency anemia and the child usually eats wall surface, whitewash, sponges, etc. In pica, children usually have anemia or low hemoglobin in simpler words. I suggest you do a complete blood count to look for anemia. I recommend you to give her a deworming drug like tablet Bandy plus (Albendazole) single dose at night time and advice complete blood count with proper counseling.