Check out these 5 tips on how you can easily and successfully cut your toddler's hair.
One of the unexpected bonding opportunities with my son that I have discovered during the quarantine was when I gave him a haircut. However, it was not at all a blissful experience during the first time that I cut his hair. As I had imagined it, there was a lot of resistance and running, even a bit of crying. In the end, though, I was able to put him at ease and was eventually able to successfully give his hair a trim.
5 Tips On How To Easily Cut Your Toddler’s Hair
I personally enjoyed the experience of being able to earn the confidence of my son when it comes to cutting his hair. So from then on, I have been religiously giving him a haircut every two weeks.
Let’s face it, not all toddlers adore haircuts and my boy is one of the many who do not enjoy it. Nevertheless, there are ways to overcome the struggle and successfully cut your baby’s hair yourself, especially these days when barbershops are not yet allowed to operate.
Also, I find it risky to be going out so my family and I try to minimize our interactions outside the house.
Also, I find it risky to be going out so my family and I try to minimize our interactions outside the house.
Anyway, aside from safety reasons and the opportunity to bond, it’s also a practical option to just cut your baby’s hair yourself.
What you will need
Before proceeding, you might want to prepare the following essential barber tools and materials for your do-it-yourself (DIY) haircut:
1. A toy, book, or any item that your child enjoys holding.
2. A pair of scissors that is ideally a barber’s scissor but since you most likely do not have one, a sharp scissor with preferably blunt tips. Ensure that the scissor that you will use is sharp so that cuts are precise and to avoid pulling your baby’s hair which will surely hurt his scalp (BUY YOUR SET HERE).
3. A big shirt that you can drape your baby with.
4. Talc-free baby powder but since I do not have this on hand, I was forced to use talcum powder.
5. Spray bottle with water, but I personally do not use this.
Cutting your baby's hair
Now that you are ready, here are some tips on how to successfully cut your toddler’s hair:
1. Make sure that he is relaxed and at ease
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind when cutting your toddler’s hair is to ensure that he is relaxed and at ease. This is where the toy or book will come in handy.
Let him hold his favorite toy or book because this will give him assurance that the haircut is not something to be feared and that he will, in fact, enjoy the experience. For our baby, we play his favorite children’s videos on the tablet just like how they do it at Cuts 4 Tots.
Aside from these, it is also important to talk to your child throughout the process. Tell him that it’s okay and that it will not hurt.
Converse to him when you are cutting his hair, ask him if there is something that he wants or if you would like to have a break for a short while. What I also like to do is to sing together with the video that my son is watching.
Converse to him when you are cutting his hair, ask him if there is something that he wants or if you would like to have a break for a short while. What I also like to do is to sing together with the video that my son is watching.
2. Make sure that he is comfortable
Ensure that your baby is comfortable throughout the haircut. You can pick a quiet corner in your house so that there will be no distractions when you do it.
You can also put him on a chair or have him stand up if he chooses to do so. Feed him before you start the haircut because a hungry baby is not one that you want to mess around with.
You can also put him on a chair or have him stand up if he chooses to do so. Feed him before you start the haircut because a hungry baby is not one that you want to mess around with.
Also, drape him with a big shirt or towel to minimize the amount of hair that will come in contact with his skin. You would be surprised how those tiny hairs could cause so much irritation to your baby.
What I do is to regularly brush off the hair with a piece of cloth, like a face towel or folded shirt, with baby powder. The baby powder helps a lot in relieving the itch and irritation caused by the little hairs that fall.
3. Do not rush the haircut
Take your time in cutting your child’s hair. Above anything else, this is a safety precaution to avoid any unwanted incident involving sharp scissors, blades, or razors.
Also, while this article is not a hairstyle tutorial, you may want to ensure that you are giving your baby a decent haircut.
By cutting the hair slowly, you can control the length of the hair that best suits your child. You have the freedom to adjust the haircut accordingly based on how you want it to look afterward.
By cutting the hair slowly, you can control the length of the hair that best suits your child. You have the freedom to adjust the haircut accordingly based on how you want it to look afterward.
4. Cut the hair by section
Related to the above tip is to cut the hair by section. Do not cut the hair in big chunks so that it will not look uneven, or much worse, an inverted bowl.
Take small sections of the hair using your forefinger and middle finger and cut the ends slowly. Once you get the hang of it (after several haircuts, of course), you will be able to gauge the amount of hair that you are confident enough to chop off in succeeding haircuts.
Take small sections of the hair using your forefinger and middle finger and cut the ends slowly. Once you get the hang of it (after several haircuts, of course), you will be able to gauge the amount of hair that you are confident enough to chop off in succeeding haircuts.
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| Here's how to cut the hair by section (photo courtesy of pexels.com) |
You may want to begin with the sides, cutting little sections until you get the length that you desire. Using that length as a reference, you may work through the rest of the hair, working through the sideburns, the back of the hair, the top, and the front.
The key is to follow the shape of the head and the shape of the face. Remove stray hairs, especially at the back of the ears, the side of the sideburns near the eyes, and the back.
The key is to follow the shape of the head and the shape of the face. Remove stray hairs, especially at the back of the ears, the side of the sideburns near the eyes, and the back.
The front, especially, should look neat and textured and not single-length bangs, so it’s really important to cut the hair in small sections.
If you are comfortable and confident enough, you may use a razor (I use a disposable shaving razor) to further clean up the sides and back. Run it also through the hair to add more texture.
5. Give your baby a bath afterward
After the haircut, immediately give your baby a bath to remove the hair on his body. Do not leave the hair on his body for a long time because it will cause itch and irritation. It’s definitely not a good experience and your baby would not look forward to it.
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| The finished haircut which looks quite decent |
That’s it, those are my five top tips on how I easily and successfully give my toddler a haircut. Would you have anything more to add? I’d love to hear how you personally cut your baby’s hair. Share them please in the comments section below.
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Excellent post. I think during lockdowns we've all had to learn new skills. Haircutting being one! This will help many people out!
ReplyDeleteMy kids are all older. However, for the boys, I used to give them Buzz Cuts.
ReplyDeleteI was always too scared to cut my toddler's hair. I probably would have made it look crazy.
ReplyDeleteAHA! there you go! Good thing I have girls! Cutting their hair is not an option!!
ReplyDeleteGOod job dad for safely doing that!
These are great tips for how to cut your toddlers hair. Especially the tip about sectioning the hair. Very important.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip but truth be told... i don't think its going to be easy. Plus scary part is the "what if the kid suddenly moves" im just too scared to do this haha
ReplyDeleteGreat tips here! Toddlers can really hate going to the hairdressers so good to know how to pull off a hair cut yourself.
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful and cute! Cutting hairs of a kid is so hard so this is so helpful!
ReplyDeleteThis is really great information! I learned a lot reading your post today. Thank you for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteI needed these tips during lockdown. I did cut my boys hair but didn't have the proper tools. I think I'll invest in good cutting scissors. Thankfully, my boys are great with getting haircuts but I know it is a challenge for many parents.
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips - cutting a toddler's hair can be challenging! . But I would not have been cutting my toddler's hair -- it was not my style. LOL If my son had been a toddler during the lockdown, he would have ended up with a huge afro!
ReplyDeleteSuch great tips! We have two toddlers at home and having their ipads is a must!
ReplyDeleteI cut my son's hair. Lucky for me, he's relatively easy to manage.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent guide for anyone looking to cut their toddler's hair. It can be so hard to get them to sit still, especially in a shop. Doing it at home would make it much easier.
ReplyDeleteLove these tips! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post! Did you come up with this during lockdown :-D ?
ReplyDeleteI have two girls, so I only ever trimmed their hair. I know a lot of younger kids are nervous about haircuts, and it would be nice to do it at home.
ReplyDeleteI did this when my children were still toddlers. It was difficult to do especially when they started squirming. I will share your tips with my friends who have small children. I am sure they will find these tips very useful.
ReplyDeleteMy father was the one who gave me a haircut everytime I needed it. It was practical (like what you said) and the barber was on call. ha.ha..
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips! I was thinking about cutting my son's hair yesterday but I didn't know where to start.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a sign to cute my kid's hair haha. Those are some great tips and will keep them in mind.
ReplyDeleteThose are some wonderful points to keep in mind. It's good to know these beforehand before trying it out
ReplyDeleteI'm currently social-distancing because of the Covid pandemic so I'm thinking of doing haircut for my child at home. Thanks for this post I learn things to do!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips on cutting toddler hair. Very useful for mom like me. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThese are such handy tips...Lockdown has definitely taught us new things and cutting hair is one of them!
ReplyDeleteA good distraction is a must! You can't do it alone so ask for someone's help just in case the toddler goes to tantrums. Good tips!
ReplyDelete