Children are naturally very curious so if they see something they have not encountered before they will want to know about it. Usually once they are given some sort of short explanation they will move on and forget about it. One way to explain it to children could be saying "it's called alopecia. It's like an allergy, only she is allergic to her hair." I was never teased but I did encounter a lot of questions which can be awkward and uncomfortable if you don't know exactly how to explain alopecia or just don't feel like going into it. These people mean no harm. They are just curious but it can be very annoying and seem rude. It's up to you whether you want to ignore them or use it as an opportunity to spread awareness about alopecia. I think it's good to try and not seem upset or overly defensive in front of Kaylie when this happens and just deal with it calmly so she doesn't see it as such a negative thing. I've heard that kids with alopecia usually don't care very much about not having hair until they reach middle school, which was true for me, but it is very hard on the families.
Everyone has a different experience with alopecia but I was lucky to never be teased in school and I had no problems making friends. I remember after 8th grade I went with one of my closest friends to go try on my first wig and she said "You are so pretty and have such a nice personality that I think everyone at school just forgot that you don't have hair." I think this is pretty much true with people. They may be curious at first if they see someone who is different but after a while they just see you for who you are.
My mom found the NAAF website VERY helpful when she was trying to figure out the best way to deal with everything so you guys might want to check that out and feel free to ask me anything else! I'd love to know how Kaylie does in preschool!

Yeah at her age I didn't think about my hair much and I never felt like I had anything to explain to anyone. My parents explained alopecia to my school teachers and other parents so that they knew what was going on which was good. If she feels comfortable explaining it to people as she gets older I think that is wonderful. As a kid I was also kind of shy and I did not really like explaining alopecia to random people who would ask why I always wore a hat. For me it was personal so I just told my friends about it. It should always be her choice who she talks about it to, however she shouldn't feel like it's some secret that she has to keep because that can be very stressful. Now when I explain alopecia to people I say it is an autoimmune condition called alopecia which means that my white blood cells attack my hair follicles and my hair falls out. Two things I am careful to explain are that I am completely healthy (there are no other side-effects), and also that it is not contagious. It's not important to get into the medical part that much, sometimes I just say I have a hair-loss condition but people usually have a bunch of questions. Sorry that was really long hope some of it helps! Does your grand-daughter start kindergarten in the fall?

It's awesome that you care about your grand daughters so much! I went through elementary and middle school with no hair so if you have any other questions or concerns, feel free to ask me! I'd love to help!

Thanks so much! Your granddaughters are so adorable!