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Worried about DD(4) pulling her hair out :(

8 replies

JackiePaper · 25/11/2011 09:49

DD is 4 just started in reception and seems happy at school. She has started some quite worrying habits though, the worst of which is pulling out her own hair. She seems to be doing it at night in her sleep - she's twissling her hair into knots and then pulling it out, this morning there was a good handful of hair on the floor by her bed that she'd pulled out. She also bites her nails which i know is fairly common but she's started biting other things too. She bites her water bottle - we have gone through two that she has destroyed since september. She's also biting the end of her coat sleves, which are now in tatters.
I'm really worried because aside from these behavious she's a happy little girl, enjoying school and no problems at home. I guess I'm just asking for advice on what to do, cos I feel like i need to address this somehow but I'm not really sure how.
I was brushing her hair this morning and there's a big bald patch on the one side where she's pulled all her hair out :(

OP posts:
531800000008 · 25/11/2011 09:52

distract/divert if you see her pulling in the daytime

gloves at night might stop her getting a hold in her sleep

if no improvement see GP

sounds like anxiety, such a stressful time for them

JackiePaper · 25/11/2011 11:14

thanks for replying, might make a GP appointment. I guess it must be anxiety, but she seems happy and says she loves school!?!
It's hard to distract her because she's either doing it in her sleep or whilst she's at schoool when i'm not there :(

OP posts:
DingDongDialsMavislyOnHigh · 25/11/2011 14:41

Hi I work in the field of trichotillomania, (hair pulling) I am on my phone at the moment so will reply to you properly later. But please try not to worry too much. The vast majority of young children who pull do grow out of it on their own but there are things you can do to help her, I will pm you this evening of you like ?The above advice is great, unfortunately g.ps are not always that well informed on the subject Smile

thisisyesterday · 25/11/2011 14:43

my friend's little girl used to do this and in the end they just kept her hair really short until she grew out of it.
would tying it up at school help? in plaits or something?

Charleymouse · 25/11/2011 15:05

Hi DingDong could you please advise me also as DD age 6 has restarted doing it (when awake, she twizzles it round and round and ties knots in it) although I think it is stress related as someone at school is picking on her.
Cheers CM

JackiePaper · 25/11/2011 15:46

Dingdong - that would be great, thankyou very much. Thanks for all the advice, I do tie it up, in plaits mainly but it doesn't stop her. She seems to mainly pull it at night when she's asleep which is pretty hard to monitor. It's the biting that she does at school.

OP posts:
JackiePaper · 25/11/2011 19:53

well ive just put her hair in french plaits before putting her to bed, she has got a bald spot on one side tho :(
anyone else got any experience/advice?

OP posts:
DingDongDialsMavislyOnHigh · 25/11/2011 21:07

have PM'd you both Smile

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