Hair Twirling - Waterbury,CT

Crystal,
I read your post and even had to show my hubby as what you described is exactly our daughter...and I mean to the T...LOL...My daughter twists her hair so bad they turn into dreadlock looking knots....I have tried detanglers and I actually just bought the Suave for kids 2 in 1 shampoo/conditioner which I thought seemed to be helping...only good thing about my kid is that she will only twist her hair when she is going to sleep, doesnt feel well or is tired....I have noticed that when I pull her hair all back in a pony tail it is a little better...she will twist the pony tail but she cant really get that into a knot...I wish I had some other advice for you...but I will definately be checking to see what advice others have to offer you....the only other thing I have tried is instead of combing/brushing straight down on the actual knot I try to pull sections of it out at a time and it helps to get most of it out....I also find that a brush hurts less and does less damage then a comb....Hope this helps!!
Meg :)

how about pony tails, or pineapples

put them in at night and maybe she'll just pet the tails

also try dollies with hair. let her get in the habit of petting their heads.

M

Maybe try a separate conditioner, or a leave-in? With fine hair, it may get limp, but it sounds like limp hair is better than a buzz cut. If it's long enough, maybe braids would help - they're fun to play with, but not twirl-able.

Ok. I try really hard to respond to the posts that don't get alot of responses. However I'm really unsure about what to tell you. So...here are my thoughts:

1. Have you asked her pediatrician? Maybe this is a sensory thing?

2. I hate to suggest anything that might encourage independence (pacifiers, blankets, stuffed animals, etc) but in some cases it's good. For example, if a kid gets dependent on a pacifier it's alot eaier to break than breaking a thumb-sucking habit because you can take away the pacifier but not the thumb. I'm trying to think along the same line here. You can't take her hair away. But maybe you can replace it with something you'll eventually be able to take away. How about a doll with silky hair? How about a small blanket with silky edges to rub between her fingers? Or maybe silky ribbons to tie around her pony tail(s) so she can twirl them instead of the hair? She could even just hold the ribbons in her hand or you could tie them around her wrist when she gets a bit older. They even make little clip in hair extensions. maybe let her play with those and see if she's happy just rubbing them in her hand or if there's something more to the twirling action than just the silky-sensory aspect.

I hope something I've written sparks an idea for you! Good luck!