My toddler keeps eating Sand!
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My 2yo will lick his hands after playing in the sand rather than eat fistfuls, but he definitely knows it’s wrong and will look for a reaction from us before/whilst he does it. He’ll have a cheeky look on his face and the more I react the more he does it. He’s a little older though, so I can warn him that if he does it again we’ll have to play inside etc. which is what I’ve had to do several times! obviously it isn’t great for them to eat in any large quantity, but I don’t think it’s causing any serious or permanent damage (my main concern is if any animals etc have been in it, so I do try and keep the lid on!) It’s most likely a sensory seeking behaviour that he’ll grow out of. I’m sure you’re doing lots to try and discourage it already, so just keep going and he will learn!
It is definitely a sensory thing.. od still speak to the HV to see if she can recommend something in exchange of the sand .. I asked my HV and she said she will let me know who to contact
There will of course be substitutes for sensory play, ground up cereals for instance, where baby can safely explore- but without getting rid of the sand entirely, it won’t eliminate the risk. I know my HV is completely useless, perhaps OP will have better luck. But other than suggesting what we have above (trying to discourage, removing little one from the sand pit, and providing sensory play activities) there isn’t a lot else you can do- It’s completely age appropriate behaviour for 16 months, which is why they don’t look into Pica until children are over 2yo. Sometimes deficiencies (like iron) can lead children to ingest non-foods, but again for under 2s, I doubt they would look into this unless it was an obsessive behaviour with other non-foods alongside the sand.
My daughter used to do this ... (only at school) so they got her this sensory stuff to bite onto. Speak to your HV and see if she can help you in any way x