Reasons Not to Eat Play Dough

Lumi Dough Arts & Crafts

Did you ever eat play dough when you were a kid? If you did, then you mustn’t have forgotten the bitter taste of clay and its gooey feel. There is nothing tasty about play dough; however, its smell is intoxicating. Plus it does tempt one to take a bite. If you’ve heard the song ‘Don’t Eat Play Dough’ by SPOOF QUEENS, you will understand how tough it can be for kids to resist eating dough. However, eating kids play dough is something that every parent should stop their children from doing. The simple reason that kids should not eat playing dough is that it is meant strictly for playing.

What If Your Child Loves Eating Play Dough

A number of clay or play dough manufacturers have realized that children not only love to play with dough but also love eating it. Every child likes eating play dough – there is no doubt about it. He or she might not eat it in front of you, scared that you might scold him. However, once you turn your back and walk away, the toddler would stealthily pull out a roll of play dough and put it in his or her mouth.

Thankfully, most of the play dough varieties manufactured today are non-toxic. Being toxin free however does not make them safe for eating. Eating dough is not a good habit and can cause problems. You however do not need to panic if your kid has eaten just a bit. Consuming just a small amount of dough will not harm the kid.

If you give your child homemade play dough to play with, you shouldn’t worry at all. Use toxin free, edible elements to make homemade clay so that the kid doesn’t end up consuming anything that is toxic. Homemade clay has a lot of salt and baking soda in it. That is why if your child tries to eat it, he or she will spit it right back.

By chance, if the kid swallows just a little bit of it, there will be no harm done. To ensure that your kid does not throw up or fall sick because of having swallowed in the play dough, make him drink a few glasses of water. Drinking water will not make him or her feel nauseous.

Do not use any edible ingredient that your child is allergic to, in the play dough.

In Case Your Child Doesn’t Stop Eating Dough

The taste of play dough is so bad that no matter how tempting it might look and feel to chew on, no toddler can eat it twice. In very rare cases, a toddler doesn’t give up eating play dough. While not all clays are toxic, why let your child nibble on things other than food? Mentioned below are a few ways in which you can stop your child from eating dough:

1. Do not offer your kid play dough to play with until he/she turns 3-4 years old.
2. Be around your kid when he or she is playing with dough.
3. Other than the times when the kid is playing with play dough, keep it out of his/her reach.
4. Gently make the child understand that eating play dough can be harmful.
5. Use or keep only the edible varieties of dough at home or buy Lumi Dough for kids.

Having got a clear picture of why eating play dough can be harmful, you should now make sure that you read the ingredients of play dough carefully.