12 mo pulling own hair

[VoyageInTheDark]

DD2 has been pulling her own hair as a soothing mechanism for months but it seems to be happening more and more frequently and she's pulling out quite a lot of hair. It used to be just when she was going to sleep but now she does it in the buggy, in the highchair etc.

She also tries to pull my hair and her 4yo sister's, who understandably is not happy about it!

Is this something she will grow out of? Has anyone managed to successfully wean their child off hair pulling??

I have ocd and anxiety and I know compulsive hair pulling can be found in people with ocd so that makes me extra concerned that this could be a long term thing 😟

Sorry no advice but I did this around the same age as your DD and now I'm left with bald patches . In my case it was a response to stress xx

Ive been pulling out my hair since i was about 15. I just found it relaxing. Still do it now (48) but not to the extent I was doing it before. Unfortunately my daughter has picked this up ( Im guessing from watching me ) she's been doing it from around the age of 11 and is 16 now. Spoke to the doctor about it when she was 13, as she has got a few bald patches, and he referred her to CAHMS, and whilst they were very supportive, there just didn't seem to be any reasoning behind why she does it. They suggested fidget toys but it didn't help.
I watched her last night and she just sat there pulling out her hair, and twirling it around her fingers. She says that its also her way of relaxing. Its exactly like me. Im hoping that she will "forget" to do it when she finishes her exams and starts work. Her bald patches are fortunately underneath her top layer of hair so you cant see them. No advice Im sorry but hopefully your little one will grow out of It, or hopefully be distracted by other stuff in life to the point where she "forgets" about doing it (Hope I make sense) . Wishing you all the best xx

Can she have a baby doll with long hair?

Baby Annabelle is soft bodied and suitable from 1year old.

A friends child did this as a baby/ young toddler. My friend cut her hair into a short pixie cut and it seemed to break the habit. My DD also did this as a baby - particularly in her cot at night. We bought “Scratch Sleeves” which are a silky material and this minimised hair pulling.