A three-year-old girl in Wales, United Kingdom, is literally ‘eating the house’, including the sofa, glass, and walls. Wynter munches on potentially dangerous items and her mother needs to be vigilant to prevent her from ingesting inedible objects, as per reports.
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According to Metro, Stacey A’Hearne, 25, has caught her daughter eating sofa foam, plaster off the walls, and chewing on the side of her high chair. Not just this, A’Hearne has also seen Wynter breaking photo frames in the house and attempting to eat shreds of glass. To make matters worse, Wynter has also started chewing on her cot and blanket, which she sleeps on.
The young girl was diagnosed with autism and also suffers from the unusual feeding disorder pica. Pica causes cravings for inedible objects and ‘occurs in children who actually start seeing the world through the oral cavity’, according to the National Library of Medicine (NLM).
“She is literally eating the whole house. I bought a brand-new sofa, and she’s taken chunks out of it. ‘She’s really fussy with normal food, but she’ll sit and eat a sponge. She’s smashed about eight photo frames and tried to eat the glass. No matter what, she finds a way to eat things that she shouldn’t. Luckily, she’s never really hurt herself, as I very closely monitor her. But it’s a full-time job watching her,” Metro quoted A’Hearne.
How did it all start?
{{/usCountry}}“She is literally eating the whole house. I bought a brand-new sofa, and she’s taken chunks out of it. ‘She’s really fussy with normal food, but she’ll sit and eat a sponge. She’s smashed about eight photo frames and tried to eat the glass. No matter what, she finds a way to eat things that she shouldn’t. Luckily, she’s never really hurt herself, as I very closely monitor her. But it’s a full-time job watching her,” Metro quoted A’Hearne.
How did it all start?
{{/usCountry}}Wynter was growing up like a normal child but had a habit of putting things in her mouth. At first, A’Hearne didn’t consider it a serious issue. However, when Wynter turned around 13 months old, she became non-verbal and started putting things in her mouth frequently, reported WalesOnline.
When she took Wynter to doctors, they told her about her eating disorder, pica. In January 2024, Wynter was diagnosed with autism, too.
“Pica can be more common in children who have autism – which Wynter has, too. I think it’s a sensory thing, and she craves the different textures. She has very severe autism, which means she doesn’t speak much and has some behavioural issues,” Metro quoted A’Hearne.
According to A’Hearne, Wynter’s autism has affected her sleep, and she experiences pica at night.
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What’s the way forward?
According to Metro, A’Hearne has discovered that providing ‘sensory playtime’ has helped distract Wynter from her pica cravings. She also mentioned, “It is exhausting to have eyes on her 24/7, but I’ve got into a good routine, and I understand her needs.”
“Children with autism like sensory things, such as things they can touch or sounds. I’ve got a chewable necklace for her specifically designed for people with pica that she can chew on with different textures,” Metro further quoted A’Hearne.
A’Hearne also told the outlet: “Things like different-shaped pasta is something she’ll eat – which she can touch or play with. The doctors said there’s not much we can do. It’s not good for her, but it’s not extremely dangerous – as long as it’s not glass. I just have to keep a really close eye on her and hopefully, she eventually grows out of it.”
A’Hearne is also a mom to one-year-old Everly.