my name is ericka, im 26 years old, and i am a hair twirler.
the WORST thing you can do is try to force your daughter to stop this.
the BEST thing you can do is to cut her hair short until shes old enough to be nice to her hair. this meant that i had a bob until i was 8 or something. :P i would twirl it until i cut the circulation off my finger.
and still, even today, i twirl my hair when im bored, relaxing, whatever. its some sort of comfort, and i really like doing it. i cant explain it, it just happens.
its possible to twirl short hair, but its not as possible to cause any trouble from it.
anyway, i reassure you mom, this is normal, and healthy behavior, no harm will come from this, i swear. :D just keep her hair cut shorter until shes older and she can deal with it better or something. just please please dont force her to stop! that will only make it worse and she will just do it when you arent around.
the less attention you pay to it, the easier it will be for her. perhaps when she starts doing it, ask her if shes hungry, thirsty, bored, tired.... and do appropriate things. distract her with an art project or something. at night time, you really cant do much, shes going to do it. just dont let her feel like its something bad, its not. :D
ok! if you have any questions please write to me. again, i twirled my hair from a young age, and i still do it, nothing bad ever happened to me because of it. mom just made sure my hair was short until i could take care of it myself, or something. :D