Hello!

Hoping for some advice. Our (almost) 2 year old daughter pulls put her hair and more often than not, she is eating it too. We’re afraid that she’ll end up with it in her stomach and are stumped short of cutting her hair off. How do you stop a two year old who pulls out hair and eats it?

Posted by Megan 8.03.2013


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  • Sounds like she is sensory seeking. Search an occupational therapist to investigate further. Or provide her with other oral seeking activities such as chewy/crunchy foods, chewable necklaces, face massages etc.


  • I wouldn’t be too concerned yet. And it will come out of the other end ;) Just keep her hair short, distract and don’t give it too much attention. She’s a bit too young to develop a compulsion, so that’s highly unlikely.


  • Wow! This was interesting reading the answers to this!


  • I would be inclined to consider cutting it off. At least she won’t be eating long strands of hair. And it will grow back,ms he might have outgrown it by then. Good luck


  • How is this going now?


  • My Daughter did this also from around 19 months, then one day it just stopped. She hasn’t done it again, but still pulls at her hair while frustrated. We never got to a doctor we just figured it was a faze and would pass. Luckily the eating of the hair has.


  • A visit to the Doctor. Hope you have it all sorted now.


  • This doesn’t sound healthy at all! I would probably keep it short!


  • I hope you got help with this, it could get into her bowel and cause problems


  • I would keep it short and tie it up if possible


  • tier her hair up each day as best you can and see is that works.


  • The best solution take her to see local GP.


  • Hope u have been able to find the answer


  • I agree it’s a condition, similar to pika, don’t freak out but talk to your doctor, short hair may be the best answer


  • This is known as Trichotillomania – a compulsive urge to pull out your hair. It often starts in adolescence but it is not uncommon to begin as early as 1 year old. It might be hard to understand why some people would pull their own hair or eyelashes out — or why they wouldn’t just stop. But trichotillomania isn’t just an ordinary habit that a person can easily stop.

    Trichotillomania is a type of compulsive behavior. This means that people with the condition feel an overwhelming urge to pull their hair. They also may have other compulsive habits.

    People with trichotillomania may feel embarrassment, frustration, shame, or depression about the condition. They may worry about what others will think or say. They may feel nagged by people who don’t understand that they’re not doing this on purpose. They usually try to hide the behavior from others — even their families.

    Talk to your doctor and ask for a referral to see a child psychologist who specializes in the are of compulsive disorders.


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