Daughter uses hair as comforter, pulling out and knots. Any advice.

My 23mth old girl has always sucked her right thumb, however since easter she been playing with her hair using her left hand as a comforter mainly when she goes to bed. This has become a problem as she twists her hair into knots and her whole left side of hair has thined out dramatically. Her right side is untouched. I have tried other ways of distracting her such as putting dolls in her cot and silk/satin ribbon. etc. I have just cut her hair short as recommended by our doctor (said it was just a habit) so she can't grip it as much. She is still trying. Has anyone been thru the same thing any tips out there. Thankyou.

One of the girls at my preschool used to do that. If you are still looking for ideas I'll ask her and get back to you!?

Have you tried getting her to seek comfort from something else, maybe a blanket or favourite toy-I know if is just replacing one thing with another but at least when the time comes you can wean her off an object-her hair will be there forever!

I would try something soft like hair like a polar fleece blanket. you can get some that are like a teddy that has a blanket attached. my little boy had quite a thing for polar fleece and no other blanket fabric would do! Hope you find a good substitute soon...

I was going to also suggest getting her to pick out a new comfort toy and make a big fuss over it. Sometimes you need to go through a few toys until they find one they really love.

Good luck!

Hi,
My son, now 4yo, did this at the age of 3. He also sucks his thumb. Before using his own hair he would use mine, he changed to using his own because I cut mine too short for him to play with (because I was going bald). He ended up with a perfect circle bald spot right on top of his head! I cut his hair and grew mine.
Now when he wants what he calls his "yum hair" I pull one out and he loops it through the hand that he sucks his thumb on. This may not sound like a really good solution but at 23mths it can be VERY hard to transfer their dependance from one thing to another. So I would consider giving it a go.
You could also try putting a hat/beenie on her head and tying it on. Again at 23mths she may just pull it off anyway.
I hope you have some luck with this. Cheers Kaz.

Both of my brothers girls did this fromt he age of 1 - 6. They tried everything to stop them doing it.They tried tying it back all the time, giving her other things to use inteasd, telling her off, cutting it short, putting hats on, putting mittens on her hands. In the end she would do it and hide the hair under her bed. If it is getting really bad please just go and see a specilist. My brother and his wife waited to long and asked to many people for advice before getting the correct advice. My Niece is now 9 with lovely long hair but for years she would pull it out.