kittens eating litter instead of pottying

Im not sure where to put this thread but here goes.
My kittens are 4 weeks old on monday. I tried introducing them to food but they ignored it. But when I put them in the litter box to see if they will go potty they eat the litter! Go figure, wont eat the food but will eat the litter! Is this normal? What should i do to get them to try solid food? And what should i do to help them to understand that momma does not need to lick thier butt anymore and that they should go potty in the litterbox and not eat the litter?
BTw-it's the regualr non clumping clay litter.

Kittens eating litter is pretty common actually. They are on some brand new stuff and it moves under their paws and it sticks to their paws, and they can scoop it and play it in. Think of it like kids in a sandbox. They are still to young to understand what they are in there for. Mom will be there to show them. I generally use dried beans for young kittens just because it feels like litter and they don't want to sample it- I mean come on, who can eat a dried bean anyway? Once momcat enters the picture she shows them what the litter is for. It is good that you aren't using clumping litter, though a kitten would have to eat a lot of that stuff to do damage, but it does stick to their paws after they wet themselves and it can build up between the pads and cause a bad infection-

I have a pretty good mental picture of this, and I can't stop laughing now . My "twins" used to spend hours playing in the litter, just kicking it about. Luckily as adults they've more or less grown out of it, although Kagami still gets into moods where she'll get in the litter and dig for ages when it's completely new.

please get your kittens checked out by your vet, or at least call your vet about this. eating litter can be a sign of anemia or calicium imbalance and could be serious.

the not-eating-food part worries me, because cats who do not feel well won't eat food but will eat litter (or lick concrete).

it might be something they will outgrow, but it's better to be safe!