Oye... how time has flown. She is 5 months now and her personality is really showing. She is just like her daddy, rotten (the good cute rotten, hehe). I have long hair, down past my shoulder blades and I try to keep it up, either in a pony tail, french twist with a clip, or braids, but yet she finds away to get ahold of the smallest fraction of my hair and yanks very hard. It hurts! And then she looks at me and smiles and lets out a big belly laugh. Grr.. of course I can't help but giggle with her (which I realize I am just encouraging her with this) but now she has also become a pincher since she has realized she can open and close them little fingers and grasp ahold of the backs of my arms. Again - OUCH!
Anyways, I am more or less just sharing a good, but painful, experiences but to make a question does any one else have hair pulling kids?
Toni - She just turned 5 months old. I don't think she is intentionally pulling my hair. It is her refulx that she has just learned with the open and closing of the hands. Now later on down the road if she is doing it on purpose - yes - I will correct her. But right now she is a 5 month old baby. No discipline is needed for a learning baby. Another key word used "kids". I agree kids need corrected, but again she is a baby. Thank you for your input though.
My 6 month old does that!
He pinches hard, but I think it is more of a "look- I can open and close my fingers" kind of thing like you said. He also loves yanking on my hair (also long). However, I do love it when he finds it comforting to hold my hair when he gets tired or excited or something =)
Oh lordy, yes...it's just awful isn't it! My son pulls hair, sticks fingers in your mouth, pinches, etc. He's 18 mos and is growing out of some of it, but then also figuring out that he gets a reaction with some things and just this week did it to his sister when he was mad about something. Ugh. It's a long road! At 5 months I'm sure it's nothing too serious but in a small way I agree with Toni. I think maybe her answer came across kind of harsh, but my son was doing these behaviors at 5-6 months too and now it's a year later and we're still working on some of it...so, I would try to stop laughing at this and find something else to giggle about! I do understand though...it's hard when they're so darn cute! ;)
my 13 month old DD FINALLY stopped this. I have sideburns LOL from new growth as resulyt of the MANY chunks she ripped from my hair. They love our reactions. Hair pulling & nipple biting were my DD's favorite past time until just recently. Pinching, biting, all of it is normal, and thankfully eventually stops. Try hard not to react, at all, hard as it is, thats (IMO) all you can do.... it will pass :)
Because Mommy's so funny when she jumps and yelps!
It's a game to her and she does not realize she is hurting you.
Be grateful.
Some kids discover this kind of 'fun' while they are still breastfeeding and being bitten there is not in the least bit amusing.
Do your best to find other ways to laugh and giggle together. Redirect her. Discover tummy flubbies.
When she pulls hair or pinches - try your best to not react/jump/yelp.
Take her hand(s) out of your hair and say "No no, Sweetie! That hurts Mommy" and find something else to get her giggling.
Yep - my 5 month old does it, too. He doesn't laugh as much as my older kids do when they see my distorted face as I react.
Ah, fine finger motion is SO much fun! And look at the show Mama gives her when she uses her fingers on Mama!
You're right, she's not deliberately trying to give you pain. She's just doing the best she can (she thinks!) with what she has.
So say, "No, we don't pinch hair; here's something you CAN pinch," and give her what's handy and safe: a teddy bear, a towel, a... (you fill in the blank). "No, we don't pinch people; here's something you CAN pinch." Let her do her practicing, but on something that won't cry or say, "Ouch."
Does she like you to hold her? Maybe if you set her down when she pinched, she'd decide this game isn't such a great one.
And maybe you want to, um, get your hair cut? No, forget that - you'd have to get it all shaved off to keep those little fingers from being tempted!
My daughter does this once in a while and she is two and half. She usually doesn't hurt me though, I have curly hair and I think she likes to watch it spring back. When she did pull and make it hurt I would say "OUCH! That hurt it's not nice to hurt people." So my lovely daughter grabbed her own hair and pulled then looked at me like, 'No it doesn't"....sigh.
At 5 months she's just exploring and learning cause and reaction. My daughter just turned 5 months too and has also found my hair and knows what gets a reaction out of me. Use it as a learning experience and gently let her know "Ouch honey, that hurts"...that's about all you can do at this point. Good luck. I myself have given in and have an appointment to tame my locks this weekend : )
my 4 month old is that way, he's also already a biter :( even though he has yet to get a tooth. We breastfeed so I am often having to say ouch _____ hurts mommy and redirecting him. he pulls my hair and will pinch my breast when he nurses and will chomp down on me as well. We have a favorite bedtime lovey that I give him when he nurses so he can pull and pinch on that, but it's really just a lot of telling him it hurts (because sooner or later he will start doing it on purpose) and giving him something he can grab, twist and pull on that isn't attached to my body.
