A helpless mother-of-two has revealed how her daughter suffers from a rare condition which sees her ‘eating the house’ – including the walls, sofa and glass.
Stacey A’Hearne, 25, from Blackwood, Wales, must constantly monitor three-year-old Wynter to stop her munching on potentially dangerous items around the house.
Her little one suffers from pica – an unusual eating disorder which sparks sufferers’ cravings for inedible household objects.
The little one has even been caught smashing up a photo frame to try and eat shards of glass and even took chunks out of a brand new sofa.
‘She is literally eating the whole house,’ Stacey said.
‘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 each a sponge.
Stacey A’Hearne, 25, from Blackwood, Wales, must constantly monitor three-year-old Wynter to stop her munching on potentially dangerous items around the house
Stacey bought a new sofa and her daughter quickly took chunks out of it
Little Wynter will eat foam, pictured a piece of her high chair missing
The little one also wakes up and nibbles on her cot
Stacey, a full-time carer for Wynter, first noticed her daughter’s unusual eating habits when she was a baby, but didn’t think anything of them as she hit the usual milestones.
But since Wynter’s cravings got worse and she became non-verbal, the mother-of-two has made a desperate plea for help – and is exhausted monitoring her 24/7.
Stacey has caught Wynter, who also has autism, eating plaster off the walls, foam from inside the sofa, and gnawing on the side of a highchair.
She has even watched the toddler smash photo frames and attempt to eat the shards of glass.
And the little girl has started waking up in the night to chew on her cot and blanket she’s sleeping in.
The parent must be on ‘high alert’ due to the severity of Wynter’s condition and hoping to help other parents of children with pica.
‘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,’ she said.
‘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, three, has developed an unusual eating disorder called pica
Stacey also has another child, pictured above is one-year-old Everly who does not share her sister’s unusual disorder
Wynter, 3, with her little sister Everly
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.
Stacey reached out to her health care visitor who made some referrals to the doctors who said her daughter had the eating disorder pica.
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 issue’.
She has caught the tot eating plaster off the walls, wool from the inside of her toys, plants and candle wax.
She said: ‘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. 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 play time’ has helped distract Wynter from her pica cravings.
She raises her two daughters with her partner, their dad, Ryan, 30, who doesn’t live with them.
The Welsh woman, pictured above with her one-year-old daughter Everly is desperate for help, even though doctors insist there’s nothing she can do
Stacey A’Hearne, 25, has a three-year-old toddler called Wynter, who developed an unusual eating disorder which causes her to attempt to eat inedible object
She said: ‘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’.
