Giving Your Toddler Their First Haircut: 3 Things to Expect

Getting your child their first haircut at the barber’s can be an exciting experience for them. Instead of getting the usual trim at home, they’ll be seeing different things that can catch their interest. Unfortunately, not all toddlers react positively to this experience. In fact, it’s common for them to get restless or even agitated in this new environment.

Bringing Your Toddler to the Barber Shop

Once your child is at the right age, they will need more than just a trim from you to look nice and proper. This is why heading to the barbers is inevitable. However, this can be a distressing experience to children, especially since they may be encountering strangers for the first time. If you don’t want your child to cause a scene, it’s best to prepare yourself for what’s to come.

In this article, we’ll share three things you should expect as you bring your child to the barbershop.

Your Child Will Get Restless

Keeping a child in place is one of the many miracles that parents pull out of their hats. Sometimes, it’s just too difficult to keep them idle since children want to process as much information as possible. Since they’ll be in a new environment, they’ll likely want to get off the chair to look and touch everything around them.

Restraining them in place will just make them resistant and more uncomfortable. Instead, learn how to distract them by getting them preoccupied. You can bring their pacifier or tell them a story while they get their haircut. Feeding them is also a viable option, but it’s best to stick to biscuits and other hard foods since cut hair may end up landing on sticky food.

Your Child Needs Reassurance

When children encounter stressful situations, they want to receive assurance by being next to something or someone they’re familiar with. This is why having their favorite toy or comfort blanket can help them stay calm.

Besides their belongings, bringing their favorite person can also be a great way to keep them calm; It can be their older sibling, babysitter, or even you. As long as you’re next to them throughout the experience, they’ll feel much safer and relaxed.

You Need to Work with Your Barber

Since you’ll have to juggle different ways to keep your child comfortable, you need to work with your child’s barber. It’s not uncommon to take small breaks in between if your child gets uncooperative during their haircut. For this reason, you need to talk to your barber about how to handle your child.

Although a haircut won’t last half an hour or so, you may extend your time due to necessary breaks in between. Sometimes, you’ll also have to cut the session short because your child will no longer want to get their hair cut. Thankfully, you can ask your barber to clean their hair properly so your child can still leave the barbershop with a clean look.

Conclusion

You can’t keep your children at home forever, especially if they need a good clean haircut from professionals. Although cutting their hair was a part of your parenting routine for a long time, you have to learn to let them go. Like many milestones ahead of them, your child will surely enjoy getting their first and future haircuts as they grow older.

Our team at Elegant Barbers are ready to serve your special needs, especially if you have a special someone to bring with you. We can create a safe environment for your child so they’ll have an enjoyable experience. If you’re looking for a barbershop in Downtown Brooklyn for your child’s first haircut, visit us today!