My toddler has held onto my hair since she was an infant - it's her security blanket. That was fine - I was used to it. Now she has started fiddling with my hair so it is always tied in knots. I try to move her hand away when I realize she is doing it, but she just grabs it again as soon as I let go. If I put it in a ponytail, she either pulls the whole ponytail or, even worse, grabs little pieces of hair around the sides and ends up pulling the whole thing out. Last weekend I had a knot so bad it took hours to get it out. Help!
Give her a hair extension pony tail thing from Walgreens for like 10bucks that is all hers. My friend did the same thing worked like a charm. If it gets too tangled, it's only 10 bucks to replace.
Always stop her when she reaches for your hair. Tell her "don't touch Mommy's hair. It hurts me." And then the most important part is to put her down. Separate her from your hair. Always. She will learn.
Also give her something else to play with. Distract her before she reaches for your hair. You're teaching a new behavior. Taking away the hair and substituting something else.
My daughter used to do this. It was more soothing for her to twirl other people's hair instead of her own, even though she would settle for her own in a pinch. Basically I just kept moving her hands away or putting her down when she would do that. Sometimes I would get distracted and not realize she was doing it, but you just gotta keep telling her no, moving her or yourself away.
Diversion is the way to handle a toddler.. put something in her hand, or get her started playing with something else..
You will have to use your words to tell her, "no, that hurts".
This has become a habit, it will be up to you, to pay attention and each time, either put her down or move away from her, if she will not stop when you ask her to stop.
You could also cut your hair short..
It's time to give her something else to fiddle with. Depending on her age, you need to tell her no, and that it hurts. My daughter would only understand it hurt if I lightly pulled her hair so she could see what it felt like when mine was pulled. Maybe a blankey with a satiny edge she could feel instead of your hair, pick it up whenever she starts and put that in her hands instead.
Since she is a Toddler, you can explain... to her... and tell her.... that it hurts and tangles your hair, and tell her "no."
Give her something else, to comfort with.
Does she have a lovey? To hold/carry around?
My son did and he'd "twiddle" the ears on his stuffed animal cow, instead of me.
Just tell your Toddler.
Or give her a stuffed doll with hair and maybe she will twiddle that instead.
Once something starts to hurt and it tangles your hair and it is getting pulled out, it is time... to tell your Toddler.
You could cut it shorter.
you're the Mom, make her listen to your words!
Tell her it hurts, tell her it's your hair, & give something else to play with. The other posters have suggested great ideas!
sounds like it's past time to develop a firm 'no'.
and mean it.
no explanations. certainly no pulling her hair back.
just 'no.'
khairete
S.
I would explain to her that it hurts your head when she does that. You might try a necklace that she can fiddle with (maybe one with large sliding beads that she helps you to buy or make) instead. Or just her own hair.
I think a toddler would understand when you tell them it hurts and you can't play with mommies hair like that anymore. Can you get a doll with realistic-type hair for her to play with as a substitute?
Redirect her hands and tell her no. This will be good practice for you as she gets older and really starts testing limits.
You could consider getting your hair cut short enough so that knots are impossible. ;-)
