At Thumbsie® we love receiving your feedback and hearing about how our products have helped children stop thumb sucking. But recently, we received a lovely bit of extra feedback – and we just had to share it with you.
Many young children can develop issues with hair twirling – and one happy customer has reported that a Thumbsie® helped her daughter overcome this habit too!
As many of you will know, Thumbsie® was founded in 2013 with the idea of creating fun and fashionable thumb guards to help children end their thumb sucking habit.
Over the last eight years we have received thousands of orders, and many hundreds of positive reviews.
Recently, a mum got in touch to say that her daughter had not only overcome thumb sucking but hair twirling too – all with the use of a Thumbsie®.
Hair twirling from an early age
Our customer said:
” I just wanted to say a huge thank you for creating a product that actually works! My daughter is 3.5 years old and has sucked her thumb since she was 3 months old.
“With the opposite hand to the one she sucks; she’s been pulling out her hair leaving her with only half a head of hair.
“I have tried for so long to get her to stop but as she does this in her sleep, we were at the end of trying things. Until we found the Thumbsie!
“Two weeks and she’s completely stopped, no hair pulling, no thumb sucking. I could literally cry with happiness. We still put it on at night to just beat the habit completely but what a difference. Her hair is growing, and she looks likes she’ll have a little girls hair style soon instead of half a head of hair.”
The mum went on to say that with the use of a Thumbsie® both habits were broken within two weeks. She initially thought that Thumbsie’s® thumb guards were expensive, but after trying them out – and seeing such great success – she would have been willing to pay double or more.
After the hair twirling and thumb sucking stopped
Hair twirling, or pulling, is a common behaviour among many children. While the exact cause is not clear, it is believed that it can be a way of dealing with anxiety – in a similar way to thumb sucking. It is also thought that hair twirling can start as a coping mechanism to help a child deal with stress or fatigue.
It most cases hair twirling is a passing phase. Children often outgrow it by the age of three or four.
In extreme cases, however, hair pulling – known as Trichotillomania –can lead to hair breakage and even bald patches. It can also create mental health challenges such as low self-esteem or feelings of shame.
Some positive steps can be taken to limit hair twirling, including focusing on high-energy activities such as running or cycling to unleash feelings of anxiety. You can also find a replacement object to fill a child’s hands – for example, a Thumbsie®. Other possible replacements include a soft blanket or a toy animal.
After all, if your child’s hands are full, it will be much more difficult to hair-twirl.
Jo Bates, the founder of Thumbsie®, said:
“I was really thrilled to receive this lovely feedback. I’m delighted to know that Thumbsies®are not only helping children stop thumb sucking, but that they can also have a beneficial impact on other long-term habits.
“Experts say that finding a replacement activity for a child’s hands is one way of limiting hair twirling. It appears a Thumbsie® can be one good option!
“Hair twirling, like thumb sucking, can be a troubling habit if it continues for a long time. To be able to help one of our customers quit both habits is truly wonderful.”
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