Contact:
Joy Nguyen
Lovey Babies
Ph. 877-399-6217
loveybabies@yahoo.com
www.loveybabies.com

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Home-based Internet Company Offers Customized "Real-Hair" Doll;
Stops Babies from Pulling Mama's Hair

Dallas TX - March 5, 2002 - It all began as an act of desperation late one night in October of 1999. Joy Nguyen needed to find a solution to her 14 month old son's constant hair pulling. It seemed he would never fall asleep without clutching a fistful of her hair, a painful and frustrating ordeal. So she assembled a makeshift doll with leftover fabric, yarn for stuffing, and a hefty lock of her own hair flowing from the head. Within days he was attached to it, and the hair-pulling stopped.

Overjoyed and relieved, Nguyen soon realized that other mothers may be in a similar predicament. "After doing some research, I noticed there were no specific products to address the issue of babies who pull their mothers' hair for self-soothing," explains Nguyen. A little over 2 years later, Nguyen owns and manages a unique web site, offering a custom doll-making service that incorporates locks of customers' hair and their choice of materials, including organic fill and 100% cotton fabric.

"It started small, but the response was more than expected, so we have grown quickly and added many choices," Nguyen announces. The site now allows customers to choose from dozens of colorful fabrics and hair types, including mohair, acrylic, wool, silk, rayon, synthetic hair, natural hair, and of course mother's own hair. Each hair type is available in a variety of colors. Dolls come in three different sizes, and customers can even choose between organic fill and poly-fill. Nguyen explains, "Although there are hundreds of combinations available, the web layout makes ordering quick and easy."

Feedback from relieved customers has been overwhelming. "Around the age of one, my daughter became almost obsessed with playing with hair," says mom Margaret Mitchell, "pulling it out of the head of anyone who was holding her. Soon she turned to her own hair, and bald spots were forming. I was concerned, but couldn't find any answers. Last fall, I came across Lovey Babies and had a doll created. That was the answer! Her hair has grown back, and her hair pulling is confined to the doll. Problem solved!"

Until now, resources have been sparse. Pediatrician Jeffrey Hull, M.D., developer of the SleepTight Video, coined the term "silking" to describe the habit of "stroking something soft for self-soothing purposes." It is not usually considered a problem until it interferes with normal activities or hurts someone. On the other end of the spectrum, compulsive hair pulling is recognized by the psychiatric profession as "trichotillomania," an impulse control disorder. Little is known about it and treatments are limited. Nguyen clarifies, "Most of my customers buy the dolls as loveys for their children, but the dolls are very versatile and can address a variety of needs. Each child loves their doll a different way." More information can be found at www.loveybabies.com.

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