You are barely two feet tall and you see this tall stranger coming at your head with a pair of ominous looking, shiny, pointy things and he says, "Don't worry, this won't hurt, just stay still." Yeah, right!
A trip to the barber or hairdresser can be quite traumatic for a toddler. Here are some tips that can help you ease your child into it and hopefully make subsequent visits go a whole lot easier.
Call different
hairdressers and find one with experience cutting children’s hair. Try to
avoid new hairdressers. Although the end cut may look good, they tend to
take more time getting there. An experienced hairdresser will get the same
job done in less time.
Go
with washed hair. It's easier for your child to be able to just hop up in
the chair and get going. They can always use a spritz bottle to dampen the
hair.
Let
your child know that the hair will grow back and that cutting hair doesn't
hurt. Snip a piece of your own hair to prove it.
Make
appointments when your child is most likely to be fed, awake and happy. A
tired, hungry child is less likely to sit still.
Encourage
your child to watch someone else getting their haircut first. Go a few
minutes early to the appointment so they can look around a get a little
more comfortable with the surroundings.
Make
it a part of a fun day. Go out for lunch, a haircut and then to a movie or
the park.
Positive
reinforcement. This is my favorite one. "What a big girl!" and "You are
such a good boy!" will work wonders. It makes them feel grown up and they
tend to concentrate on how well things are going.
Hairclipper
Sets. After many trips to the hairdresser, I finally chose this route.
Even though my children sat well and didn't move or cry at the
hairdressers, this way ended up being more fun. My son was quite easy to
do as we chose a short boy's haircut, and my daughter just gets a trim, so
I can handle that. These can save you money in the long run and you can
get your child to help set up for the haircut at home. If you have a
sewing machine, you can even have your child go to the fabric store with
you and pick out a special fabric to make a cape.
Have
fun! Hope some, or all, of these tips help you and your child.
Questions & Answers by Mandy
Mandy is a licensed Cosmetologist that spent 4
yrs managing a "For Kids only salon". She is also the owner of
The Parent Packs and
an Independent Consultant of
Big Yellow Box by
Crayola™.
Q: I have a
22 month baby girl, and she has curly hair. The last time I cut her hair she was
10 months, but now it is a very difficult for me to comb her and looks curly,
but a little dry. Do you suggest a short cut , please I don't know what to do?
A: A shorter
cut is up to you, yes it would make it a little easier but only if you cut it
pretty short. Your best option would be to have some layers put into her hair
and to use a detangling spray (No more tangles is my fave, or you can make your
own by adding about a nickel sized amount of leave-in conditioner with 4 oz of
water.. make sure you shake it before each use!) You can use the detangling
spray on DRY hair or wet hair. The detangling spray will help some with the
dryness. If the ends of her hair are fuzzy looking it's probably just the
remainder of the baby hair growing out and once you trim those ends off it
should look better.
Q: I have an almost 3 yr old whose hair I have
never cut. It is almost to her bottom now. I am contemplating trimming it, but I
don't want to lose the gorgeous curls in her hair. Several people have said to
make sure that I only trim it a tiny bit at a time so I don't lose the curls. If
I trim it more than an inch at a time the curls will be gone forever. Do you
know if this is true?
A: Hair grows from the top down...by cutting an inch or two off the bottom it
will not pull the curl out IF the hair above where your cutting is curly. If the
curls are at the bottom of the hair only, then yes you will cut the curl out.
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More Parenting
You are barely two feet tall and you see this tall stranger coming at your head with a pair of ominous looking, shiny, pointy things and he says, "Don't worry, this won't hurt, just stay still." Yeah, right!
Call different
hairdressers and find one with experience cutting children’s hair. Try to
avoid new hairdressers. Although the end cut may look good, they tend to
take more time getting there. An experienced hairdresser will get the same
job done in less time.
Wahl
9288-400 Comb N Cut
