Why they do it.
Twirling hair is a sensory experience. “That repetition of rubbing the hair and twirling it on their finger feels good to them,” says Irwin. “Repetitive behaviours can be self-soothing and self-stimulating,” she says. Some kids might do it when they’re nervous or anxious, like when they are put on the spot or asked to speak in front of a group. For others, it’s a way to handle boredom.
How to handle it.
If you’d like your kid to stop, you’ll have a challenge ahead of you, because they’ll often do it when they are away from you, like when they’re trying to fall asleep at night, says Ponti. Irwin suggests putting a hair elastic around their wrist and teaching them to spin that around their wrist instead of twirling their hair. Some parents have had luck with putting a bead on a bracelet and showing their kid how to twirl that when they are bored; others put their child to bed with a doll that has hair, with the instruction to twirl the doll’s hair rather than their own.
What if I ignore it?
This habit isn’t a huge deal and your kid might just stop doing it on their own. But if it escalates—if your kid is pulling hair out, picking at their scalp or pulling out their eyelashes—then you’ll want to get professional help.
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