My Toddler Ate Play-Doh! What Now?

Play-doh's soft, malleable texture, distinctive scent and bright colors seem to attract the attention of young children. Unfortunately, many young toddlers are more likely to eat it than to play with it correctly. If your toddler ate Play-doh, he is one of thousands-- or perhaps even millions-- of children who have ingested the product in recent decades. You yourself probably swallowed a mouthful at some point in your early childhood.

Why Toddlers Eat Play-doh

In infancy, babies explore objects by tasting them. This is how babies originally learn to tell food from inedible objects. Many toddlers still carry some degree of oral fixation. The desire to explore objects by mouth may persist well into a child's preschool years. Although a toddler may chew a block and immediately realize that it isn't food, Play-doh's inedibility isn't nearly as obvious. It smells good, tastes salty and is easy to swallow.

Older toddlers and preschoolers may also get carried away with "playing kitchen," and might swallow Play-doh because they forget that they are only playing a game. A young child's ability to tell fantasy from reality is poor, so it's easy to forget that the pizza-shaped Play-doh cut-out isn't actually real food.

What's in Play-doh

If your toddler ate Play-doh, you can generally feel rest-assured that he won't suffer any lasting harm from it. According to Hasbro, the manufacturer of Play-doh, the product is primarily made of water, salt and flour-- three completely edible ingredients that your toddler is likely to eat at any given time. It is non-toxic, non-irritating and non-allergenic, so it is generally safe for a toddler to eat Play-doh.

But is it REALLY safe? Yes-- it really is. In fact, the colors used in Play-doh are the same used in foods and cosmetics; most have been reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration for health effects. Hasbro states that there is no MSDS sheet required for Play-Doh; in other words, there are no special instructions regarding the storage, safety or handling of Play-doh. You do not need to call your pediatrician or a poison control center if your toddler ate Play-doh.

Possible Risks

Your toddler may experience a mild tummy-ache after eating Play-doh. If your toddler ate Play-doh in large amounts, he may even throw up a bit. If this happens, simply provide him reassurance and remind him not to eat Play-doh again. If the vomiting persists, it may be a sign of an allergic reaction to wheat flour, one of the ingredients in Play-doh.

If your toddler has a diagnosed wheat-allergy, this is the only circumstance under which you should contact a health care provider if she ingests Play-doh. Children with severe wheat allergies may experience rash, wheezing, hives, vomiting and other serious problems after eating foods that contain wheat. Seek emergency care if your child ever eats a known allergen.

Otherwise, you can let your toddler play with Play-doh worry-free. He'll eventually outgrow the desire to put it in his mouth.