My 15 month old daughter started pulling out her own hair about a month ago. She now has several bald patches and continues to pull at the hair that remains. She does not cry or wince with pain. I mentioned my concerns to my pediatrcian who said that it may be developmental and something she will hopefully overcome. She is a very calm baby and also tends to suck her thumb frequently. I was wondering if any Moms have been through this type of situation and if anyone has any further advice. Thanks so much.
Hi K.,
I have a friend whose youngest son did that at about the same age. He used to pull the hair out of the crown area and they used to call him "The Fryer." He is now 3 and seems to have outgrown it. I believe it is called trichotillomania. You could google it for more info. I would keep her pediatrician advised if it continues though. Good luck to you and your daughter.
Wow, my daughter (who is now almost 13)did the very same thing. She actually used to swallow it and we were worried it would get wrapped around her intestines since hair does not digest. We offered her alternatives such as a doll and told her she could pull out the doll's hair instead. This did work for us, thankfully. It was a developmental issue for my child and she did eventually stop. Good Luck, I know this can be frightening.
L. S
this may have no sim. with your daughter but my brother had this and as adult still does..he has adhd with mild torets syndrome..his son now pulls his hair out and has same
Have a friend whose son is about the same age and is pulling out his hair as well (mostly while sleeping!) ... She consulted with a pediatrician and was told that this is probably due to his molars coming in ... all at the same time! She's taking him today to get a buzz cut.
My daughter went through the same thing at her age. She is three now. It always amazed me that her pain tolerance was so high and still is. I was very concerened and was told that it could be developemental by her pediatrician. She was currently being seen through Early Intervention for physical therapy because she had neck surgery. I spoke to my therapist and Early Intervention Coordinator about this issue. They also thought it was a developemental problem. She was barely speaking but was extremely smart. She knew more and could follow 2 and 3 step commands but could not communicate with us. They said that she was probably very frustrated and this was her way of showing it. I had her seen with a speech therapist and we worked on some basic sign language signs and once that was mastered and her vocabulary increased the hair pulling out stopped. She was two when it stopped. Good Luck!
my neighbors girl did the same thing the were able to give her a barbie or barbie head and she used that instead also had to cut hair almost shaved because she was so bad
