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Next to the dentist, the barber is probably the scariest person in your toddler’s life. Most likely, the barber is a complete stranger who holds sharp scissors just centimeters from your wary child’s head. Hence, getting a decent haircut for your toddler may seem impossible, but there are a few tricks you can pull to get your toddler through it.
1. Choose your barber wisely. Call several different barbers and ask if they specialize in cutting children’s hair. If you have trouble locating one, just ask several hair cutters if they have much experience cutting children’s hair. Their attitudes about this question should give you plenty of information. If they seem disgruntled by your question, cross them off your list and keep calling. If they start telling stories about the darling children who visit their shop (and they know them by name), make an appointment.
2. Wash your child’s hair before you go. Trying to get a small, frightened child to lean back into that uncomfortable sink for a shampoo is near impossible. The barber can dampen your child’s hair with a spray bottle, and your child may even think it’s funny.
3. Explain to your child that hair grows back. If your child has never had a haircut before, she may not realize that hair doesn’t contain nerve endings or that it grows back. Can you imagine your fear if someone calmly told you that you were going to have a finger cut off? Of course, you know the ramifications of both a finger chopping and a haircut, but your toddler most likely doesn’t. Snip off a piece of your own hair to show that it really doesn’t hurt. Then show her pictures of herself when she was a hairless baby to illustrate to her that her hair has grown and will continue to grow.
4. Watch the schedule. Don’t schedule a haircut when your child is apt to be tired or hungry. Schedule the appointment for his happiest, most alert time of day, when he has eaten and won’t be due for a nap.
5. Watch someone else get a haircut. If your child has older siblings, let her watch them get a haircut. Or take her along while you get your own haircut. She’ll be interested in the process and may want to “be a big girl.”
6. Make an outing of it. Tie the haircut in with a favorite activity of your toddlers: lunch at a restaurant or a picnic in the park, a visit to the playground or library, a fun playdate, or trip to the museum. This will transfer attention to the “fun” part of the day. If he begins to look anxious, gently remind him, “Let’s hurry so we can go play at the park.”
7. Positive reinforcement. Applaud your toddler’s cooperation, even when it’s slight. Don’t criticize when she cringes as the barber snips her bangs, but praise her when she holds still.
8. Become a barber yourself. If your child absolutely will not visit the barber without hysteric tantrums, learn how to cut hair yourself. You can buy inexpensive (less than $20) hair cutting kits from department and discount stores that come with an instruction video. It will take you a while to become proficient, but your child’s hair will not fall in your face, and you’ll even save a lot of money.
So arm yourself with one or more (or all, if your child is particularly afraid or stubborn) with these techniques, and your child will get a decent haircut.
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