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abbysmom , 24 Mar 2014

My 3 year old won't stop eating hair

Please help me, I am a loss as to what to do to help my child. She started eating hair when she was 10 months old. Stated out that she would just find it on the floor while crawling and would put it in her mouth (not uncommon for an infant). But then I started finding it in her poo. When she turned 2 years old she started a new day care an no longer had easy access to finding my hair in the carpet so she began pulling out her own hair and eating it. I would find it in her poo and she developed a bald spot behind her left ear. I consulted with a therapist I know and she recommend that we ignore the behavior since she might be doing it for attention getting purposes and that seemed to help her to stop pulling but she is still eating it. The director at her day care told me today that she tried to eat one of her hairs she saw on the directors sweater, she tried to eat a puzzle piece, and some mulch on the playground today. Occasionally she complains that her booty hurts and I still find hairs in her poo but it's getting harder to monitor that now because she is potty trained so it's not like I can examine it in the toilet. Does this sound like pica or trichophagia? Any helpful suggestions on how to get her to stop? I am seriously worried about her health.

5 Answers
trickie
March 31, 2014
hi abbysmom!
my hunch tells me that there's nothing to worry about, but i think that if you're worried about it (and you naturally should be) - you should go to a therapist that specializes in trichotillomania in children (and not just "some therapist you know").
the trich related problems tend do disappear in toddlers when they grow, but trichophagia can be a dangerous behavior to have, so i'd consult an expert just to be on the safe side.
TrichMaster
April 26, 2014
Hi Abby's Mom. I started pulling at the age of six. I have noticed that a lot of trichsters start as early as six. However, I'm not saying it can't occur in a three year old. Does she eat sugar, nuts, soy? Some foods trigger trich I know to be a fact.
Smith
December 11, 2020
Hiiii......... I'm smith and I'm eating hairs for last 3 year..... so how can I leave these addiction..... I'm very very depressed please help me

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