Babies tend to do a lot of things when the period of teething comes. So, do babies pull their hair when teething? Yes, they often do that.
Infants while they are teething also have a tendency to bite as their gums feel tender.
This is normal behavior at this stage not only when they are teething, but when they are upset or even angry, they express themselves through biting, pulling, and pinching.
Babies go through many phases of teething. One, in particular, is when infants are going through wide-tooth movement and may pull their hair while they are ardently chewing on things to relieve the pain.
It may also be due to an overproduction of saliva and drool that may run down the face from the mouth, which could potentially make some parents believe it is from hair pulling.
Teething is the process by which baby teeth grow in and start to emerge from the gums. This causes discomfort and can cause twitching or chewing, and pulling at hair is also one of those symptoms. There goes the answer to, do babies pull their hair when teething?
But, if it is too frequent there’s a possibility that your baby is experiencing a more serious medical condition that you should see a doctor about.
This can be Torticollis (in which the neck muscles are too tight) or Trichotillomania (in which repeated pulling of one’s own hair could be caused by obsessive-compulsive disorder).
Is it normal for babies to pull their hair?
Pulling hair is a normal occurrence when it comes to babies. This also applies to the question, do babies pull their hair when teething? It’s their way to express some emotions due to their inability to talk.
In the period of six months up to their first year, pulling and twirling hair is a common behavior. Generally, girls are more likely to display this behavior than boys, though it can affect both genders.
Sometimes they are not quite sure how to stop and they don’t realize it hurts them. Other times, they may be uncomfortable or irritated in some way, and hair-pulling makes them feel better for a short time.
It is important to limit the time your babies spend with their own hair or anything else that could get into their mouths by keeping them away from such things.
If possible, watch them closely when they do play with something like this, and remove anything that might be nibbled off from their mouth as soon as you see it happening.
What causes a child to pull out their hair?
Do babies pull their hair when teething? Yes, teething can be the reason why they do that, but there are some other factors that could be underlying.
One of the most common causes of hair pulling is trichotillomania (TTM). Trichotillomania is classified as a body-focused repetitive behavior that involves repeatedly pulling out one’s hair.
The person, in this case, a baby, usually does so to release tension or uses it as a coping mechanism. Hair pulling can be difficult to control, with the baby usually unable to resist the urge once they start pulling their hair.
Hair pulling may be done to relieve the discomfort that the infant is feeling. Sometimes this can lead to cyclical problems as newly grown hair can itch, causing children to pull out their hair even more to alleviate discomfort.
For someone diagnosed with trichotillomania, babies will typically not pull out large amounts of hair at once, but rather pull out small strands of hair from time to time in many areas.
Do babies pull their ears when teething?
The answer is positive when it comes to the question, do babies pull their hair when teething? But when it comes to pulling their ears, it could be a bit ambiguous – it’s a yes and no type of an answer.
On one hand, we blame teething for pulling out one’s ears, on the other hand, tugging ears can also be a sign of an external or middle ear infection.
If you are concerned and you are not so sure what is the real reason behind ear pulling, visit and consult with your healthcare provider.
But in many cases, most babies instinctively pull their ears when they are teething. This is done by pulling the skin on top of their heads, and it’s a totally natural response to the development of new teeth.
Although it does seem as though some adults have that same behavior when they feel the pain from a particularly sharp tooth coming in, so sometimes adults might also yank or stretch their earlobe while teething.
For more information about this phenomenon, it is best to consult with your pediatrician or a nurse.
They’ll be happy to give you more specific details about why it happens and what you can do to help manage pain during this process.
Why does my baby pull her hair while feeding?
When babies’ are breast- or bottle-fed, they do things to occupy their little hands, such as yanking hair or tugging their ears.
Babies may eventually associate those actions with the satisfaction of filling their tummies and repeat them throughout the day as a way to comfort themselves.
This is a common question new moms ask before they’ve found their baby’s sleep cues and have learned the correct feeding technique.
But some babies pull their hair during breastfeeding, even when doing the “right” thing!
So, what’s happening? This may be due to poor latch – your baby may not have the right angle for a good latch. It could also be caused by gagging or reflux.
In addition, it can be a sign your child is frustrated and needs more soothing from you. Some other possible causes are that your milk supply has decreased to make room for growth or that the baby needs more time at the breast.
Summary
Every parent can be a little too sensitive and even scared when the baby is doing things that might not seem so “normal” to adults. And it’s okay to be concerned. That’s why we are here to help you with all your questions and dilemmas.
You might have noticed that your baby, at a certain stage of its life, starts doing things like eating non-food products, getting scared of the dark even if it’s too young, or pulling out its hair and ears.
Therefore, many of the parents wonder, do babies pull their hair when teething? Is that common behavior?
It is. Many infants are doing this in order to express this feeling due to the inability to talk. But, hair pulling is not the only thing to tug. They often do that with their ears as well, or even start pinching when they are being fed.
All this is a very often situation when it’s teething time for babies. However, if you notice that this is happening more often, and the baby is losing hair or its ears are being hurt, make an appointment with your pediatrician.
This way you can make sure it’s just a phrase or rather a trichotillomania behavior.
