One To Watch Out For: Hair Tourniquets!

So, your baby is crying. Scratch that, screaming.

You’ve fed her, burped her, changed her, cuddled her.

She’s had her medicine for colic or reflux (if your baby has colic or GERD).

So, what on earth could be the matter?

TIP: CHECK HER FINGERS AND TOES!

(If you have a boy, it never hurts to double check his willy too…)

Hair tourniquets are a bugger. They’re difficult to spot but boy oh boy, they can cause some major issues!

What IS a ‘hair tourniquet’? Sounds bizarre?

Well, these occur when a stray strand of long hair or a thread finds its way to a finger or toe (usually toes) due to being attached to socks or babygros. Over time, this strand becomes wrapped and gradually tightens around poor baby’s affected digit(s).

Photo credit: Scott Walker, story hosted by Today.com (click image for source).

What are the symptoms?

A very distressed baby for no apparent reason.
An indentation or red ring on the affected digit.
Occasionally, they can cause infection if they’ve damaged the skin, so you may notice weeping.

Oh no! I’ve spotted one – what should I do?

DON’T PULL IT. You could tighten it and make it worse. If it is bleeding, you are best off seeing your doctor.

Soak the digit in warm water as this makes hair expand, making it easier to grab onto with tweezers.
Sterilise some tweezers, get a magnifying glass, gently lift a section of the tourniquet and snip with a sterilised pair of small scissors.
Failing this, you could use lubricant on the area and gently slide the strand off the digit.
Attend A&E as this will be treated as an emergency due to the risk of nerve damage or issues with the digit.

If there are any signs of infection or prolonged discomfort even after this, speak to your GP.

I hope that this information has been useful! It’s heartbreaking to see our little ones unhappy, so it’s always handy to be equipped with all the possible information.

Love from Katie. Xx

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