My 3 year old daughter is chewing on her hair. She doesn't eat it or bite it off. Any advice on how to break the habit? Her hair gets so yucky when she does this and I hate to have her in a pony tail all the time.
Thanks for the help
My cousin's girls does this too. She tried to just pull it back, but htat didn't work so she cut it off. By the time it grew back, the probelm solved its self. GOod luck.
I chewed on my hair and mom always told me it was nasty. Then when my 5 YO started doing it she and I told her the same and she refused to stop. It occurred to me that if I ignore it, she might stop. Sure enough, she stopped!
Have you noticed if there's a specific time that she does it? When she is nervous? tired? She might have an oral need to chew and maybe if you find something else for her to chew on- like chew tubes made of aquarium tubing (you can get some pre made on the abilitations website) or those stretchy plastic key ring bracelets (you might find them in the auto dept of Walmart.) That way you can easily clean it when you need to and she still has something to chew on.
hi J., your daughter may be nervous or just needs something to put in her mouth or its a habit. some children have this and they substitite the object with something else! like a lolly pop, candy, gum ect.. or try to let your child see herself in the mirrow with her hair in the mouth, maybe this will stop once she see herself . best of luck ! god bless
My son has Sensory Processing Disorder. I have learned that these types of things are coping skills. Don't worry, I'm not implying that your daughter has SPD!!! It's just that every single human being has some sort of sensory issues in life and we find ways to cope with our anxiety. This is very normal. Some examples are biting our nails, twirling our hair, chewing on pencils, tapping our foot, etc. This is why babies often like to suck on pacifiers or stroke blankets and lovies. It's a normal part of life. Anyway, even if she doesn't seem nervous or have anxiety, you are likely to find her doing it anyway. I'm sure you've had times in your life where you've been biting your nails, for example, and didn't even realize it. You don't necessarily find you are nervous. Suggest something more appropriate to chew on. When she chews on her hair, suggest she chew a piece of gum instead. Or chew on a straw. Something along those lines. She'll eventually stop but you may have to remind her 10,000 times. :)
This can be really dangerous. She can ingest hair and end up with it undigested in her stomach.
Just remind her this is a bad habit and is yucky. Put her hair in pony tails. If this does not work, cutting her hair is a good idea. The is a Berentstien Bear Book about bad habits. My daughter always responded to books that spoke about manners, habits, etc.
We are also Jr. High sweethearts! Just dropped off our daughter at College for her freshman year!
My daughter started chewing on her hair when she was three. Shes four now and still chews on her hair. Just wanted to let you know your not alone. Hope you get some good advice.
Very dangerous, Please see the link below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hairball
The only way to keep her from doing it is to keep her hair out of reach.
