A mother has pleaded for help with her daughter’s rare condition which sees the young girl ‘eat the house’.
Stacey A’Hearne, 25, must constantly monitor three-year-old Wynter to stop her munching on potentially dangerous items.
The youngster was diagnosed with autism and suffers from the unusual feeding disorder pica – which sparks cravings for inedible objects.
Stacey has caught Wynter eating plaster off the walls, sofa foam and gnawing on the side of a high chair.
Worryingly, she has watched her daughter smash photo frames and attempt to eat the shards of glass.
The little girl has even started waking up in the night to chew on her cot and blanket she’s sleeping in.
The mum-of-two must be on ‘high alert’ due to the severity of Wynter’s condition.
Stacey, a full-time carer for Wynter, from Blackwood, Wales, said: ‘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.’
Stacey first noticed Wynter putting things in her mouth as a baby and didn’t think it was anything serious.
Wynter was hitting the usual milestones – like talking and walking – until around 13 months old, when things changed ‘overnight’.
She became non-verbal and her unusual eating habits began to escalate, prompting Stacey to reach out to her healthcare visitor who made some referrals to the doctors.
In January 2024, after further tests and being diagnosed with pica, Wynter was also diagnosed with autism.
Stacey said: ‘Babies always put things in their mouth, but when she was doing it a lot I started to think it wasn’t normal.
‘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.’
Stacey – who also has one-year-old Everly – was a full-time mum to her daughters before becoming Wynter’s full-time carer.
She has caught the tot eating wool from the inside of her toys, plants and candle wax.
‘I put Wynter in the highchair with snacks, but she’ll choose to eat the highchair. Her autism really affects her sleep, and she wakes up quite a lot,’ Stacey said,
‘Her pica really comes out to play at night. She wakes up at 2am and I’ve found her eating the cot and the blankets. It is exhausting to have eyes on her 24/7 but I’ve got into a good routine, and I understand her needs.’
Stacey has found that providing ‘sensory playtime’ has helped distract Wynter from her pica cravings.
She added: ‘Children with autism like sensory 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.
‘Also 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 is it’s not glass. I just have to keep a really close eye on her and hopefully, she eventually grows out of it.’
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