is it ok to et my 10month old chew and eat paper?

[Stangirl]

Well, is it? She's obsessed. I almost always tear it out of her hand and root it out of her mouth but I'm sat here on the sofa with morning sickness and have watched her open a tampon and now merrily chew the cardboard applicator.

I used to eat paper - and rubbers...

Grandad used to tell me that it was made from old rags, though it didn't put me off.

Actually, I'll occassionally eat those little bits out of a ringbound notepad when I tear out a page - I'm starting to think that I may be a little bit strange...

I don't think that there's anything wrong with it, but I wouldn't encourage it, just keep telling her that its dirty or similar and hope that its just a stage.

I wouldn't.

Ahh so your sitting there with number 2 on the way - then you should know this...

With number one I used to throw myself across the room and rugby tackle him to the floor and remove the paper at break neck speed...

With number two I glance in the room (occasionally) and spot her eating the paper and think, Ooh, that gives me time to get a washing on .

I think it's fair to treat both your children the same way so start as you mean to go on!

I'm generally pretty relaxed about elf and safety, but I think paper would be a potential choking hazard at 10 months, and makes it difficult to teach her (for example) that paper is okay to put in your mouth and chew, but burst balloons or plastic bags are not.

give her a cheap packet of wipes to take out one by one...

well, I wouldn't be rugby-tackling my kid to the floor and doing the Heimlich manoevre

but I wouldn't sit passively and just watch either

your child could choke...do you realise that ?

why is she playing with tampons ? They are a very conveneniently windpipe-shaped object, you know...

My DS choked on wrapping paper at that age - it was a scary moment, so I would say don't do it.

If she wants to chew, give her something plastic....or a breadstick?

plastic ????

nooooooooooo

sneak runs into livingroom to remove magazine from 1yr olds gob.....

Choke? I didn't think of that with paper TBH.

I better clear my name here!

I obviously don't just leave her eating paper in all seriousness but Im not as paincky as I was with first.

I will take it off her and swipe my finger in to remove it, do all the ah ah's etc. but sometimes I do see her with paper and carry on doing whatever until I see her chewing away! .

Thanks everyone. I'll stop her doing it. I've got one cat that loves chewing plastic - I have cat teeth marks over everything from plastic macs to the buggy cover to prove it - and a child obsessed with bits of paper. Unfortunately I also have a DP who leaves everything on the floor and I am now in a constant run around the house picking it up so the rest of the household doesn't choke. His latest obsession is making fires and leaving kindling on the floor for our baby to pick up. I was almost pleased the other day when he got a splinter and finally saw one of the potential problems of just leaving the wood lying about.