ds craves for sponge instead of food

[tcmum]

my ds is 3yrs 10mths and for the last eighteen months we have had to deal with his unhealthy appetite for sponge.
it started small, he would chew on the sponges in the bathroom, then he was taking bites from the sponge and spitting it out and then the sponges just disapppeared into his belly. ds worked his way through washing up sponges,bath sponges, the lining of my ironing board, sponge balls, even the filling of my sofa.

My docter said "it's just a phase"
I found this didn't seem the case it was becoming a bad habit he got to the point where he was refusing to eat and having a major tantrum when I wouldn't let him fill my shopping trolley with sponges in Tescos

We ended up gutting the house of all sponge and foam including teddies and dollies that contained his favorite filling.

Everyone thought it was hillarious but i was going out of my mind with worry.

well it wasn't there anymore and so he didn't eat it at home but as soon as we visited friends or reles he would sniff out the nearest bathroom in search of his little snack

now he has moreorless got over this craving he still has the odd nibble on the playschool dice but the worst is over.

I would love to here from anyone else with a similar experience.

Amazing.
Never heard of this in a child but we used to have a golden labrador which did the same.

Not in a child, but I had constant cravings for sponges during the last 2/3 months of my last pregnancy. Sponges full of soap were even nicer. It turns my stomach just to think about it now, I can't even stand touching them normally.

I have to confess to buying lots of different ones at the time, but my favourite was a bob the builder one from Safeways - yum yum. Every time dh lost me in the supermarket or DIY store, he would always find me in the cleaning section drooling over the newest taste on the shelves! (I also had a constant desire to buy new mops and I still have a bottle of nearly every brand of floor cleaner that has ever been made) - hormones eh!