As a new parent, not being able to figure out why the baby is crying is one of the most heartbreaking and frustrating moments. If they’re not hungry, not sleepy, have a clean diaper, and are completely healthy and still keep crying, it’s hard to figure out what could be wrong. But there may be a reason your baby is in pain that you may not have even considered.
According to both Mommyish and Today, stray hairs are actually one of the most dangerous things for babies. It may sound completely insane, but it’s real. Because stray hairs have the ability to easily wrap around a baby’s toes, they can form what it called a “hair tourniquet.” These can cut off blood supply, slice through the skin, and even cause an immense pain that just can’t be verbally communicated by a baby.
Hair may seem soft, but it actually has a high tensile strength, which means the amount of force it takes to pull something is quite high. So once it wraps and knots around something it’s not only difficult to take off, it is rare that it will unwrap itself.
Parenting and youth development expert Dr. Debi Gilboa told Today that hair tourniquets are a risk many babies face, as she explains:
“This is something all pediatric interns are taught to look for when baby or a preverbal toddler is inconsolable,” she said. A hair tourniquet happens because a lot of parents have long hair and babies tend to grab it or a piece of it can end up in places like their diaper or sock without you [even] noticing. “If you feel like your child is behaving in a way that’s unusual, pay attention to it. You’re usually right,” Gilboa said. “A hair tourniquet is a great thing to check for and it’s not hard to spot. There’s not really any way to prevent it, but they’re not that hard to remove. Use something like a bobby pin, so it’s thin and not sharp, slide it between the hair and the skin and it pops right off. If you feel uncomfortable call your doctor.”
Toes are, more often than not, covered and stray hairs can easily become stuck in the fibers of the sock, which is hardly noticeable. Next time you just can’t figure out why your baby just won’t stop crying, check for hair.
