Dr. Robert Needlman
Specialist in pediatric behavior and development.
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 Ask Dr. Needlman
Thumb-Sucking and Hair-Pulling | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Needlman,
My almost 22-month-old son is a serious thumb-sucker. While sucking his thumb, he also holds pieces of his hair between his fingers. He also pulls out hair, which has caused a major bald spot on his head. Yesterday it was actually red from irritation. What can we do about this? Our pediatrician has suggested giving him a silky blanket, but he hasn't taken to that at all. We're very concerned about this. Thank you.— Worried in Ohio, Cleveland | | | ANSWER |
March 15, 2001 | | | Dear Worried,
This is actually not that uncommon of a problem. In older children and adults, the symptom of hair pulling is called trichotillomania. Many psychologists assume that it is a symptom of an underlying psychological problem. In young children, however, it's just a habit, nothing more.
Perfectly healthy children pull and play with their hair for the same reason they suck their thumbs--it gives them pleasant self-stimulation. It isn't painful. Usually they do it when they're tired or bored. Sometimes they stroke a soft cloth or run the fringes of a blanket through their fingers (a behavior that is called, poetically, silking).
What seems to work best in most cases is to cut the child's hair short, so that there's nothing for him to wrap his fingers around. You might think this would be upsetting to a child, but I haven't found it to be.
You have to keep the hair short for a fairly long time, at least a few months, until the child forgets about his hair-tugging habit. Having a silky is a good idea, but if your child ignores it, there's not much you can do about it. I wouldn't make any special efforts to stop the thumb-sucking at the same time you take away the hair-tugging. It's important that children have ways to calm and comfort themselves.— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P. |
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