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Who could imagine that a simple, seemingly harmless hair or thread could pose such a threat to a baby? I was shocked when I first heard about hair-thread tourniquet syndrome. This is an actual condition where a hair or thread becomes wrapped around an appendage and cuts off the circulation to that appendage. Essentially, the hair or thread strangles the toe, finger or genitalia of an infant.

Unfortunately, this may go unnoticed until it is too late. Once the blood flow has been cut off, it is possible for the skin and tissue to die and even possible for auto amputation. This is where the affected body part can literally fall off. This is the extreme but if the problem is not recognized, the potential for amputation may become a reality or permanent scarring can occur.

There are things that we can do to prevent such a horrific condition. First and foremost, be aware of your child's body. Always check for stray hairs or fibers on their hands, toes and genital area. I am diligent when checking the areas where my son spends a lot of his time his crib, his play yard, the living room floor. Checking his hands and feet has become a necessary ritual.

Check items and clothing for loose fibers or threads. Always look in the fingers of gloves or mittens and remove anything that seems questionable. Check socks and shoes for anything that could potentially wrap around your babies perfect little parts. I turn these things inside out and trim any dangling strands. Inspect your child's diaper before securing it in place. If you see a hair, remove it.

If a hair is wound tightly around an appendage, you may see swelling or change in color. It could start out red as blood is trapped and can eventually become purple and even black. Check the base of the appendage and see if you can detect foreign material cutting off the circulation. If you are able to free the hair or thread, do so immediately. One point of caution, if the color of the skin is purple or black, you may want to get the child to the emergency room immediately rather than removing the stray hair yourself.

In any case, see your doctor as soon as possible. Even if the hair is removed, damage may have occurred and should be treated to prevent further injury. There are so many scary things in the world that we want to protect our children from. It is hard to believe that an innocent hair or thread could cause such destruction. Just stay alert to prevent any problems and act quickly if something like this should happen.

Learn more about this author, Bonnie Christiano.
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