Hair in Toddler NOT Growing

Hi C. - you're probably not crazy. : ) Yes, curly hair definitely can do strange things. I have a dear friend with beautiful curls and she often adjusts her length and style just by using her fingers or a brush to blow dry her hair rather than a diffuser.

I wonder if what you're noticing is just changes in how her curls are falling - maybe a change in shampoo or you're not using the same amount of conditioner as before or not handling it as much while it's drying. Very tight curly hair can also be dry and prone to breaking. just some thoughts!

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It is most likely getting broken off in the bed at night when they sleep. Baby hair is fragile and if you run a heat source it tends to make the hair even more brittle so more breakage can occur. You may consider adding conditioner use to bathtime and more vitamin e to the diet. Hope this helps!

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I used to play with my hair which turned into a nervous habit. Is her hair should length? It could just be wearing on shirts, etc., especially if she has really fine hair. I would add vitamin E, Omega-3, and zinc to her diet too. Best wishes.

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My son had this same problem when he was four- it turned out to be cradle cap! Which was actually very easy to take care of with a treatment of baby oil on his scalp (afterwards you remove the flakes with a comb) and using dandruff shampoo during subsequent washings for a while. Good luck!

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While these are all extremely thoughtful and helpful responses, if it were my daughter I would at least ask my pediatrician - or nutritionist, if you prefer the alternative health route - if there is a way to screen for a possible mineral or vitamin deficiency that may be at the source of this concern. They may already be aware of a common reason, and not have to do any invasive screenings like lab work, etc. But go with your Mother's Intuition; if you already feel like it's more a matter of breakage than nutrition, go with that! Best wishes for a happy resolution.

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I have heard sleeping on silk pillow cases helps if there is a lot of tangling or breakage. It's more breathable than slick polyester pillowcases, which could also help.

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C.,

Not to worry about this, I am a hairstylist! It is very common for hair to break, rub, and fall off like the other mothers explained in their experiences. You can put a little bit of baby oil on her hair before she goes to sleep so it will slide across surfaces like her pillow & won't rub off as easily. I had to do this for the back of my daughters hair for about 3 weeks and I haven't had to do it since...

Hair is made of keratin, which is made of protein. To help her hair grow a little, try increasing her protein & folic acid intake. You can search to see what kinds of food will do this. You will see a difference in 2-4 weeks.

Good luck - C.

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This is what seemed to happen with my son. Not to mention that his toe nails were always looking awful and didn't grow and we had problem with his teeth. We decided to start giving him calcium and it made a huge difference.. we finally cut his hair for the first time when he was 2 years old lol!!

is it that his head is growing?

Is his head growing?
That seemed to happen with my daughter for a little while. (when she was a couple months old). Her head was growing so fast it looked like her hair was receding. Your son is older so I don't know, but maybe.
Otherwise I would look into his nutrition, and mention it to his doc at his next visit.

If you are concerned, I would go to the pediatrician. It might be a nutritional thing. Also, while my son was much younger, his hair got shorter, and lighter, and it is only because it was lighter that I knew it had to be falling out, I never saw in the bath or anything. It was just a phase for him, since he was so young, but again, if you are concerned, see your doctor.

This same thing was happening to my baby. Everyone kept asking me why I kept cutting her hair. I would explain that it was shrinking! Then when I got worried about it I looked close to her ends and it was breaking! I stopped putting her hair in tight pony tails and I would only comb it if it really had to be combed.

When I was younger my mom would fix my hair with fresh tomato juice, but I really didn't want to put it in her hair because I thought it was just an old wifes tale. Regardless I tried it and it worked!
Is your daughter's hair wavy? Maybe you're doing what I was, pulling too hard when you fix it??? also Try giving her some salmon. It's filled with omega 3 fatty acids and it has lots of protein. Which will help strengthen her hair.
-Good Luck!!!

I'm a hair stylist so don't count this out. My first guess would be that your childs hair is damaged and splitting. If you're still using a Tear Free kids brand shampoo (johnson and johnson, or whatever the brand) that will do it. That's quite frequently the problem with other people that are hesitant to get a hair cut while trying to grow it out. They wait too long, the hair gets damaged from lack of care and regular cutting and therefore "doesn't seem to grow" but in reality it's just splitting. Suggestions??? Regular trims (this means every 4-6 weeks regardless of whether or not you're growing it out or wanting a new style) and using a good shampoo AND conditioner. I would suggest a leave in conditioner as well to help the damage heal. Let me know if you have more questions. ____@____.com also I'd be glad to take a look at it in person if you need to. I'm in Utah.