Attack of 'The Claw'

A little while ago I saw some of the spongy pink curlers at the store and decided that Ava needed (yes, needed) some for her hair -hair that is getting quite long on top. So, like any good mother should, I bought them and came home to experiment. I'm here to say that things didn't go well with my little experiment. I was pictureing cute little ringlets on the top of her head and, instead, this is what I got. The Claw. Ya, you know the one - the one that we all had 15 years ago. It was bad news. Apparently I need to hone my skills. Any suggestions? Clearly I'm a little out of my element here.