Baby Powder is a Styptic powder used for preventing diaper rash and for cosmetic uses. Baby Powder is composed of talcum or corn starch, it can be used as a dry cleaning agent and freshener also. It is perfect to use after a warm bath and for diaper rashes of your baby. It is good for controlling Odor and moisture in gentle areas of a baby’s body.
Can you eat baby powder?
No. You should not eat or inhale baby powder or any other talcum powder because they can cause some severe health issues. If you are carving for baby powder it may be because of the iron deficiency you can take iron supplements to reduce your cravings.
You can also go with organic talc free baby powders made with cornstarch. Its not recommended to eat baby powder or any other talc you should take advice of your doctor or health adviser if you crave for baby powder.
Why People Eat Baby Powder?
People eat baby powder due to Iron deficiency. Eating non edible items like baby powder is due to iron deficiency, which is a condition called Pica. Pica is an eating disorder in which a person eats things not considered food. It is caused by nutritional deficiencies such as Iron or Calcium.
Pica can happen in adults who crave certain textures. Pica is usually diagnosed in infants and children. A person with pica might eat some harmless items. In later cases, the disorder can lead to severe consequences.
If a person is suffering from Pica, They eat things unknowingly. In this condition, they love to eat things such as :
- Ice
- Glue
- Chalk
- Baby Powder
- Sand
Unusual cravings may be a sign that our body is trying to replenish low nutrient levels.
Pica disorder is harmful if not detected early. Baby Powder is made up of talcum which is harmful, so intake of powder is dangerous. So, People eat Baby Powder because they are suffering from Pica disease as they suffer from nutritional deficiency.
What Happens When You Eat The Baby Powder?
Baby powder is made of talcum, so inhale of talcum powder can develop respiratory problems such as wheezing, coughing, and shallow breathing or lung irritation known as talcosis.
If the person is sensitive, then inhalation of talcum can cause asthma or pneumonia. There are many brands of baby powder, but the popular one is Johnson&Johnson.
Baby Powder dries out the mucous membrane. Talc alone in Baby powder is dangerous. It can cause
- Respiratory problems in infants
- Endometrial Cancer
- Lung Cancer and Chronic respiratory problems
- Ovarian Cancer
The effect of baby powder on the skin is beneficial and sometimes harmful. Like in Babies, we can use Baby powder to treat diaper rashes and keep the baby fresh with a good fragrance.
It can be used after a baby’s warm bath to make the baby feel new and comfortable. But in some cases, it is harmful as females using baby powder excessively in genetic areas can cause ovarian cancer.
A person eating baby powder can lead to respiratory problems due to inhalation of talcum present in it, which is harmful. So inhalation of talc leads to various issues sometimes it may be severe for some of people.
Other Uses Of Baby Powder
You can use it as
1. Pet Shampoo
2. Loosen up playing cards
3. Remove grease strains
4. Protect flower bulbs
5. Repel Ants
6. Plump Eyelashes
7. Make deodorant
8. Soothe your dry skin
Organic Edible Alternatives Of Baby Powder
There are many alternatives to baby powder that don’t cause harm when you consume them in moderate amount. Here is a list of things you can have as an alternative to baby powder.
Corn Starch
It is a widely used alternative to baby powder. You can eat corn starch when ever you crave for baby powder. It is available in various forms like pure cornstarch, blended cornstarch you can choose any of them as an alternative to baby powder.
Baking Soda
It is safe to use as an alternative to baby powder but in small quantity. A small amount of baking soda can relieve your indigestion but taking it in large quantity has its own effects. If you take baking soda in large quantity it can cause digestive issues because it has high amount of sodium.
Tapioca Starch
Tapioca is a white flour made from South Indian Cassava Plant, has some sweet flavor in it. It is also used as an alternative for wheat flour in baking. It is known pudding-like treat.
Arrowroot Starch
Arrowroot Starch is somewhat similar to tapioca, made from the Arrowroot Plant(Maranta arundinacea). It is an excellent alternative for people who are allergic to corn. Arrowroot Starch has no flavor so you can also use it in any sauces.
Kaolin Clay
Kaolin Clay is known as cosmetic clay, white clay, china clay used in many skin care products and toothpastes.
Rice Starch
Rice starch is a finely grounded rice flour. It is recommended to have rice flour when ever you have craving to eat baby powder because it has many nutrients in it. People used rice starch as face powder before talc.
Oat Flour
Oat Flour is made by grounding oats to flour. It is high in fiber, nutrients and is also a good alternative to baby powder craving.
What Happens When A Pregnant Women Eats Baby Powder?
During pregnancy, women experience a significant mental change. They become mentally unstable, So they get easily obsessed with different disorders.
During pregnancy, a woman has mood swings and irritation, which causes her to eat some weird things. They get addicted to a disorder called ” Pica,” which causes them to eat the baby powder.
Even eating cornstarch baby powder can cause complications to pregnant women, even post-delivery issues.
If pregnant women inhale the baby powder, they will have a lot of complications like chest pain, breathing problems, diarrhea, continued vomiting, etc.
Although eating baby powder causes less harm than inhaling baby powder, if you inhale baby powder during pregnancy, it may cause severe harm to you and your baby.
Pica is more common in pregnant women because of hormonal imbalance, and In pregnancy, your body has increased nutritional needs. It’s easier to have a deficiency if you are not eating good food.
So, in short, we can conclude pregnant women eat baby powder due to unstable mental state and affected by a disorder called ” Pica,” in which a person eats some weird items due to nutritional deficiency.
But eating baby powder for pregnant women can cause severe harm, so they should not eat baby powder or some weird things because it can cause harm to her as well as to her baby. So proper care of pregnant women is necessary as she has mood swings and unstable mental health.
What If My Baby Eats Baby Powder?
Baby powder, as earlier told, can have good as well as bad impacts. It depends on which way you use it. So In case, your baby eats baby powder accidentally no need to worry wipe out the baby’s hand and wash the mouth of your baby. Try to remove baby powder from the baby’s mouth as much as you can.
As small babies have low immunity and all organs of their body are in a growing stage. So if your baby eats or inhales baby powder, it can cause harm, so be preventable. Decrease the use of baby powder near baby’s surroundings and keep baby powder away from baby so that he/she cannot repeat the same mistake as they are small infants, so they are not aware of wrong and right.
So to prevent such measures to be kept. Keep your baby out of reach of baby powder. Decrease the use of baby powder unnecessarily.
Baby powder can cause harm as it contains talc. But if your baby eats baby powder accidentally no need to hesitate to wash the baby’s mouth properly and wipe out their hands not to repeat the same deed and be healthy.
As they are small, so parents have to take care of them.
Conclusion
So through this article, you came across a variety of questions. Can you eat baby powder? Why people eat baby powder? What is its impact on one’s life? Eating baby powder is a weird habit. It explains that a person is suffering from nutritional deficiency.
In this article, I have provided you with the best of my knowledge. All the answers you were seeking, I hope you got all your answers. If you have read this article with all your mental presence, you know every detailed information about baby powder, its uses, consequences, information about pica.
Hopefully, this article will help you know what things in baby powder can cause harm to your body and your baby and the alternatives to baby powder. Wishes to you and your family to be secured.