Annie the Nanny
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My daughter won't stop pulling my hair
"Hi Annie
I have a daughter who turns one next week. She's normally pretty good, except she likes to pull everyone's hair. Nearly every time I pick her up, she tries to yank my hair, which hurts. She does it to her dad too, but not to her nan. I don't know why she picks us? Do you know how to get her to stop?
Linda"
Hi Linda
If you haven't done this already, probably a good place to start would be to ask 'nan' if it's ever happened to her, and if so, why it's not a continuing problem? I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that after giving her grandmother an initial yank, your daughter was firmly told no and perhaps put down on the floor to emphasize the fact, or something like that. Now, the question is how to get her to stop doing it to you and your partner. Firstly, she's doing it for a reason. No doubt she got a dramatic response the first time she pulled your hair and perhaps again after that. So, next time she tries, try not to scream or cry out, but instead take her hand when it's on the way to your locks and look her in the eye and say 'no, that's not nice.' If you want, add a quiet 'owee' for emphasis. Then put her down on the ground and ignore her for a minute or so. Pretend not to look at her, as it's perfectly ok to show your displeasure. Put her down and ignore her every time she tries. Believe me, she'll soon clue in that hurting you means losing you, even if it's only for a short period. Good luck.
Annie
Date Entered: 2006-06-13 11:42:39.0
Date Last Modified: 2006-06-13 11:46:13.0
Status: archive
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