Hair Pulling
Every morning, my two year old seems to have less hair on the left side of her head.
She's pulling it out, a comfort/coping mechanism she has developed that grew out of, I'm sure, a lifelong habit of playing with my hair and her own, especially when tired or facing some emotional/developmental challenge or period of stress. I've researched this, and although I'm going to keep a close eye on her for future obsessive/compulsive type behaviors, what I've read so far is that it's not unnatural. And it's not, at this age, trichotillomania
She'll pull out a handful of hair with barely a grimace of pain, wrap the hair around her fingers, then suck on her fingers with the hair. She's been a finger sucker since birth, so this hair pulling is in addition to the existing comfort measure.
I've tried putting a glove on the offending hand when she is tired, at the advice of a friend. She likes the feel of the material between her fingers, and she rubs the gloves the same way she rubs the pulled hair. But she takes off the glove, and although I'm feeling desperate, I'm not quite desperate enough to break out the duct tape *smirk*
I've talked to her about it. She's very bright and has an uncanny vocabulary and understanding at her age, but trying to get her to stop the behavior doesn't seem to be working, as it's more an unconscious, habitual thing. We've bought her dolls that have hair, so that she can find a more constructive outlet. But she still prefers to pull her own hair.
So far, our efforts have not been working.
She's dealt with a lot of stress recently. Change is not something she deals with well, and CHANGE has been the number one component of her life in the last 6 weeks.
Suggestions? Ideas? I'm open to trying just about anything.
She's pulling it out, a comfort/coping mechanism she has developed that grew out of, I'm sure, a lifelong habit of playing with my hair and her own, especially when tired or facing some emotional/developmental challenge or period of stress. I've researched this, and although I'm going to keep a close eye on her for future obsessive/compulsive type behaviors, what I've read so far is that it's not unnatural. And it's not, at this age, trichotillomania
She'll pull out a handful of hair with barely a grimace of pain, wrap the hair around her fingers, then suck on her fingers with the hair. She's been a finger sucker since birth, so this hair pulling is in addition to the existing comfort measure.
I've tried putting a glove on the offending hand when she is tired, at the advice of a friend. She likes the feel of the material between her fingers, and she rubs the gloves the same way she rubs the pulled hair. But she takes off the glove, and although I'm feeling desperate, I'm not quite desperate enough to break out the duct tape *smirk*
I've talked to her about it. She's very bright and has an uncanny vocabulary and understanding at her age, but trying to get her to stop the behavior doesn't seem to be working, as it's more an unconscious, habitual thing. We've bought her dolls that have hair, so that she can find a more constructive outlet. But she still prefers to pull her own hair.
So far, our efforts have not been working.
She's dealt with a lot of stress recently. Change is not something she deals with well, and CHANGE has been the number one component of her life in the last 6 weeks.
Suggestions? Ideas? I'm open to trying just about anything.