WHY NOT PRINT THIS PAGE AND LET YOUR CHILD COLOR IN THE NUMBERS
EMBRACE TEXTURES
Your child will probably be very texture-orientated for life. Take them to a fabric store, ask them to feel lots of different fabrics and tell you which they like or don’t like. This will save you from buying them clothes they refuse to wear, and will also help you to identify the fabrics which give them the most pleasure to hold. Get creative, make some fun inner cuffs for school shirts and browse our fiddle toys.  Teach them to reach for textures to comfort and soothe themselves.
REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY
Use reverse psychology. If you tell them not to pull and they do, buy yourself some fiddle toys and explain you use them to calm yourself down. After a while, either let your child earn their own fiddle toys or leave yours unattended and see what happens.
CONSISTENT REWARDS
REWARDÂ EVERY PULL FREE DAY. The effort required to be pull free is like trying not to blink all day. Base rewards on what you can see, not what the child tells you.
MANAGE ANY SLEEP PROBLEMS
Use a sleep app to find out what is really happening with regard to your child’s sleep. Embrace herbal remedies. Most people with trichotillomania have problems getting to sleep due to over-thinking. Fragrance and sleep music in the child’s bedroom can help, and make sure there is something of their favourite texture in the bed too. Be prepared to stay in or near the room with them as they fall asleep but please don’t have a conversation at sleep time except to return them to their bed. Use a weighted blanket or a weighted “snake” over the shoulders to keep the child’s arms down, especially at night. The weights add to the feeling of security and can assist in falling and staying asleep.
Un-notice it
Unnotice it. If you notice your child pulling, instead of making it into a battle, distract them. Redirect them to other activities, such as colouring or playing a game with you that keeps their hands busy. This will also give you a chance to talk to your child about what they may be thinking and/or feeling. Try talking about their day while doing these activities.
COMMUNICATE
Open up communication. Don’t ask probing questions that will make the child think there is something is wrong with them. You will probably notice your child is already self-conscious, and they may be showing signs of anxiety. Talk about your day with your child while doing something together. Acknowledge feelings, use phrases like “it’s ok to be scared” and reinforce what they have said, even if it sounds over-anxious (e.g., “you’re worried what other people think?”). Do plenty of listening, smiling and nodding.
RELAXATION RECORDINGS
Keep a relaxation recording such as our Flight to Freedom or Eyelash Growth playing in the child’s room at night.
REDUCED SUGAR
Reduce sugar intake as much as you can, especially after lunch if there are sleep problems.
INCREASE ACTIVITY
Increase activity. Throw a foam ball around the room, go for a run, play a bat and ball game in the garden. Know your child though, and if they are particularly indoors orientated, encouraging them outside may just result in another battle.
ART THERAPY
Ask your child to draw the tric monster, paint it and maybe write a little about it too. This helps to see it as something outside of you, which can be defeated. We would love to see your pictures! Click contact us and we’ll tell you where to send them. You even might see them on the website!
You are not alone and it is nobody's fault
Children can stop Hair Pulling or Skin Picking
coaching for children
Someone who understands
coaching.care produce a number of products to help your child to stop skin-picking or hair pulling:
Hypnotherapy recordings, fiddle jewellery, barrier gloves, and many more. Please browse the store area. They donate ALL proceeds of sale to support our website.
We can contact your doctor, your child’s school, or anyone else and provide them with information on the condition if they’re having difficulty understanding it. You can also refer healthcare professionals to our information pages here.
