Hi All,
My 6 month old has always been interested in touching my face and sqeezing my nose when I am holding her or feeding her. She especially likes it now since she is really able to grip and hold things. Lately, when I am feeding her a bottle she has started to grab hold of my hair and pull it hard! I usually touch her hand, gently pull it away and say, "Don't pull Mommy's hair." I read somewhere that you should not just say No, but rather, say No to the action they are doing.
Does anyone have some other suggestions. I feel that this early "discipline" is really important and I want to make sure that I am doing it the best way.
Thanks.
My daughter used to do the same thing until I started pulling the little hair she had. She finally stopped. This is considered early discipline, if you don't start it now, it will be too late later.
I agree with the other responses. You should express your self (to teach feelings/emotions) that it hurt "Ouch...that hurts mommy! Be easy...gentle...etc". :)
Starting at about 5mos or so I began taking their hands in mine and caressing them or myself and saying "Gentle, Easy, Suave". I had them touch both of us so that they knew what it felt like to receive that kind of touch as well as give....
Helping them to use words to express excitement (or any other emotion) can take a while.
You are doing great!
K. H, mama to
Catherine, 4yrs
Samuel, 1yr
When my daughter kept on pulling mine even after doing the thing these moms have said, I finally put her hand on her head and she pulled her own hair. She did not like it. It hurt her so then she realized what she was doing. It took a couple of times but she got the picture pretty quick then. She is now 17 and still does not like her hair pulled.
S.
Brittany 17
From what I've heard, what you're doing is all you can really do with a 6 month old. They don't understand your words really yet, so the pulling the hand away is the right action. But getting into the habit of saying, "Don't do such and such." instead of yelling "No!" is great. When they get older, they start ignoring "no" so you have to explain what they are doing wrong and stop them from doing it. It might also help to hold her hand and/or put your hair back where she can't reach it. Maybe also say "Ow!" and make a sad or hurt face. She may understand that as well.
Hi J.,
There are many wonderful responses here. My sons are grown now, but I have always had long hair. I did my best to keep it pulled back, but the reality of the matter is, they can still get a strand or two. Also, not everyone in their young lives will always have their hair pulled back. I did give a gentle tug to the hair on my child's head when he struggled to understand the pain his actions created. The one mom who directed her child's hand to the child's own head had a great idea. Of course we want to explain what is happening at the time. The baby is simply learning by touching. He is learning textures, but he is also learning emotions and responses to his actions. When he learns now the pain induced by pulling hair, he will be a better playmate.
Anyway, that's my 10 cents. Enjoy your little darling! : )
You can say no but realize that your infan is discovering texture. A child should be discipined when they are doing something wrong. An infant has no idea that this is hurting you. You can say ouch, and as she learn what ouch means then consider discipline.
Sound good to me. Why don't you wear you hair pulled back too.
