Eating Powder

I don't know, but eating that stuff can be REALLY dangerous. He can inhale it into his lungs, or the powder could damage his stomach lining... if he ingests a lot of it, I'd call the poison control center. If it's become a habit, don't have any in the house or keep it out of his reach? How has he been allowed to eat it regularly?!

Call your Pediatrician for an appointment.
And get a proper diagnosis.

Put the powder away where he does not know where it is.

Put it out of his reach if you must keep it in the house and call the dr or poison control center. They will know what to tell you to do. My mom had to do that with me when I drank some bengay or something like that when I was little. It smelled like mint. But powder that's just weird. And could hurt his lungs like the others have said.

He could have Pica. I was told about this during pregnancy (apparently, it's more common in pregnant women and children) and it can be a severe iron deficiency or chemical imbalance. Did he do this once, or is it now a habit? If he has done it more then once, please take him to your doctor. The talc in powders are very dangerous on the lungs. Really, eating ANY powder can be dangerous!!

What type of powder? Make-up, baby powder, foot powder? There's a host of types, if he's eating any significant amount it can be just like eating medication or cleaning supplies and can hurt him. Call poison control and put the powder out of reach. Assuming he's not in active danger, I would call his ped. PICA (compulsive eating of non-food items) is not normal and can cause damage.

What kind of powder? If it's regular baby powder he can suffocate, it coats the lungs and it can't be flushed out, then pneumonia sets in, children have died from this. Please consult his pediatrician about this.

It is called PICA. It is where a nutrient or series of nutrients are usually missed by the body. Have the child checked for Diabetes, celiac disease, thyroid disease, pituitary problems. Time to call the doctor and if they don't take it seriously call a major teaching hospital to get a second opinion in place.

It smells good so he probably thought it would taste good too?
If he get attention for doing it, it could become a habit.

Ask him if he'd like some water with it, surely it has to make his mouth dry.

Just kiddin... put it up out of his reach and tell him it's dangerous to eat it!

It could have been a curious moment, it could be he thought it would taste good, it could also be PICA, a disorder where people eat something non nutritious habitually.

The condition is called pica and depending on what the child is ingesting can be harmless (dirt, paper, ashes) or dangerous (glass, cat litter, lead, nails). My thought is that the biggest danger about ingesting powder would be if he accidentally inhaled some and it got into his lungs and caused an infection. Most baby powder is made from corn starch and no longer contains talc, but if the one you are using does, this could be a dangerous substance to inhale. Check the label. If you are concerned about what could be causing this call your pediatrician's office and talk to the nurse.

No, not okay! Do you mean like baby powder? One time will not hurt him but if it's a habit then yes. Can you just not buy it? I never used it anyway for my baby. It could also be sensory seeking behavior. Does he do any other "wierd" things?

Meh, my kids ate a lot of strange stuff. Still do to some extent. They are as normal as my gene pool can produce. :)

I wouldn't think it's strange but that's because our 3 year old has ALWAYS loved eating lotion! Both kids thouroughly enjoyed eating dirt and my son used to eat rocks and leaves:)