What do you do when your baby eats human poop?

Answer 1

At such a young age, a pica diagnosis is very difficult.

Instead, your child may just be going through a developmental phase. There is a lot of study, made famous by Freud, on the stages a child goes through in their sexual development. A toddler (around 2 years old) is in the anal phase- they derive pleasure from everything and anything concerning the anus. They are naturally curious of their bodies and of what comes out of their bodies. Your child may be experimenting with their themselves, which is perfectly natural.

However, eating feces is a health risk for your child, as feces can often contain dangerous bacteria and e. coli. The simplest solution would be to keep your child out of any places where there may be feces- change their diaper as soon as possible, and don't throw diapers away where they are accessible to him. If your child has no access to feces, then it will be impossible for her to eat them.

Answer 2

While eating excrement is not a good thing by any means, and does present health hazards, typically if an infant does not eat a huge amount (something I've never heard of and think is nearly impossible), the effects will usually confine themselves to nausea and vomiting, as your child's body rejects this orally ingested toxin in the usual way.

Zoonotic diseases that travel from dogs to humans are quite rare, and feces is not the usual vector for such transmission.

Clean your child up, observe carefully, and expect emesis.

Also, feel free to verify this information with your doctor, the ER, or (best, to my thinking) POISON CONTROL, a free service open 24/7/365 for exactly this problem. They can be reached at: 800-222-1222.

Transporting your child to the ER exposes an infant who is not compromised or in serious danger to all the myriad dangers of the ER (it's where really sick people go). While the ER is sometimes necessary, when you can reasonably avoid it, you're advised to do so.

Answer 3

First, probably 90% of all humans (including you and me) tasted their own feces once before age 2-- it's very common. That said, you should call your doctor to learn about current measures they recommend. When I had my child, it was simply wipe out the mouth with a clean washcloth. Wash their hands with soap and water. And clean up the feces while explaining that feces should not be eaten. It is probably the time you should make "yuck" faces and "eww" when you talk to your young child, to convey how yucky it is. Of course, feces do not taste good, so it should be the only time the kid tries it.

Note: PICA is eating strange things. Talk to your doctor if your child is purposely eating non-edible things.

Answer 4

Wet a washrag & wipe inside the baby's mouth and changing his diapers more frequently so he doesn't get the chance to play in it.

Discuss this with his doctor for more advice.

Answer 5

Right away. It can lead to the transmission of parasites.