Hair pulling

Gurgle expert Eileen Hayes says:
I would like to reassure you that this is really very common, and you should try not to worry. It obviously seems stressful when you see your baby pulling out clumps of hair, but it is really quite a common comfort habit. This may seem strange that babies get comfort from this, but they certainly do, and actually you do see quite a number of adults who still twist their hair, turn sections around, or run their fingers through it when they are pre-occupied.

It might be possible for you to give her a doll with hair that she can twist and pull and some small children will turn to that instead, but it can be quite difficult to break these habits that children find comforting. I have heard of children who did pull out very large clumps, which is more worrying, but if it is a small amount it is probably best not to be too stressed about it.

Try substituting some other comforters like a piece of soft cloth, or the doll with hair. You could also keep her hair fairly short so there is less to pull on, but most of all don’t worry as many children will be doing the same.

Both my little girls did this, I think they found it a comfort it stopped after a while and aged 6 and 4 they both have long hair down the backs.

Hi, I'm a first time mum with a beautiful little girl who has just turned two. I have recently been finding hair in the morning wrapped around the teat on her dummy (which she only has to go to sleep and is left in the cot in the morning). I took her to the doctor as I found it worrying that she may be pulling her hair out and I was concerned she may also swallow it. The doctor reassured me that it was quite common to lose more hair after being unwell and as this was the case with Lily, he said her hair will stop falling out so easily in a couple of months. He said it wasnt being pulled out as it would be missing in clumps. Since then, the hair around the dummy has stopped, however, I woke this morning to find a large amount of her hair rolled into a ball on her cot sheet. I watched her fall asleep tonight, and as she fell asleep on her stomache with her dummy in mouth, her back hand was constantly twisting, stroking and pulling at the back of her head. Once she was asleep, I turned on the light and her hand hand strands of hair around her fingers. Is this common? Does anyone else know of this happening and have any advice? Please help.