2yo letting 6mo pull her hair

[WindyCityMom]

My 2yo frequently puts her head in my 6mo's face so that she'll yank her hair. I know that this has to hurt like crazy- my 6mo sometimes gets a small handful of her hair out! I don't really know how to handle this- my 2yo does this on purpose. I don't know what kind of reaction she's looking for from me but it worries me that she's letting her baby sister hurt her on purpose. How would you discourage this? I believe in the whole "natural consequences" thing in most occasions but my 6 month old has yanked out handfuls of hair multiple times! Eek!

[WindyCityMom]

anyone?

[MovnMama]

Have you talked with your older DD? What reasons does she give (if any)? Maybe it's a weird "everyone makes sacrifices for the baby" thing. Whatever the reason, it's probably something that I would stop, or try to.

Good luck!

[WindyCityMom]

I've tried to talk about it with her but she doesn't really respond (she's a pretty distracted, spirited kid, and is only 2).

I think it amuses her but I don't get why she keeps doing it if the baby is literally ripping her hair out and hurting her!

I don't know *how* to put a stop to this. We usually do a natural consequences approach... i.e. you put your head in front of baby's face, baby will pull your hair. But after 50 times the "natural" consequence (pain!!) is not sinking in. I don't get it. She doesn't seem to be starving for attention in any other way.

[Anastasiya]

It may very well NOT hurt her. I can pull (and I used to do it to make people gasp back when I was young and stupid!) HUGE clumps of my own hair out. It feels kind of nice and tingly - a pleasant sort of weird pressure - but not painful in the least. It's actually a neat sensation for me, and if I had compulsive tendencies I can see how it might even be soothing.

So, that would be my guess. *It doesn't hurt her.* And she thinks it feels somewhat neat, so she allows it.

[CalaRei]

It's possible that's the only way she has that "entertains" the baby. Kind of how some adults let youngish children grab their glasses and pull their hair - it keeps them happy, even if they are being push-overs.

Maybe try to work out a special game she can play with baby? My boys liked feeling silkies or blankets flutter on them (like a primitive peek-a-boo I guess) or watching bubbles float around.

[WindyCityMom]

They play together She "reads" to the baby, she plays peekaboo.. I don't think the hair pulling is a form of entertainment.

It does hurt her because she sometimes lets out a yelp of "youch!!" or something of that nature, and tells me "mammaaa baby is pulling my hair!".