Your Baby's First Haircut
Adapted from JOHNSON'S® Your Baby and Toddler: from Birth to 3 Years, the Babycenter article ''Ask The Experts: Baby's Haircut" and JOHNSON'S® Everyday Babycare: Feeding Your Baby, DK Publishing, Inc., 2004.
Your baby's hair is changing. It's growing longer and thicker. His newborn hair (if he had any!) might even have been replaced by hair of a completely different color. As his hair gets longer and thicker and he begins to experiment with finger foods, you'll notice that a lot of his dinner ends up? in his hair. Which makes now a perfect time for your baby's first haircut.
Try the Professionals
Whether you choose to go to a salon or do it yourself, your baby's first haircut is a momentous occasion. If you wish to go to a hairdresser or barber, try one who specializes in cutting hair for children. He or she will know how to work quickly so your baby is in and out of the chair in as little time as possible! Although you may think your baby doesn't have enough hair to warrant a "professional" cut, there is a distinct advantage to starting early: if your baby gets used to the experience now, you may be able to avoid the potential frenzy that often accompanies toddlers' trips to the hair salon or barber.
It will help if you hold your baby in your lap. Salons often have fun, themed chairs for children as well asage-appropriate video tapes to distract your baby from the scissors snipping around his ears!
Ways to Help Calm
For some kids, the formality of a trip to the barbershop is frightening: entering a strange, funny-smellingenvironment; getting teased and cooed over by the assembled patrons there; climbing into a large, odd-looking contraption; and being wetted down and wrapped in plastic garments. If you suspect this might be the case, try cutting your child's hair at home while he sits on the floor and looks at something other than his own tense face in a mirror ? his favorite video, perhaps, or a simple puzzle you've set up to distract him. If his fear is really focused on those scissors, try substituting clippers or a long-handled razor instead. Having a friend or sibling nearby can also help put your child at ease.
If you do go to a salon or barber, ask the haircutter to just wet your baby's head with a spritz of water. He is too young for an adult, salon-type shampoo. If you wish to shampoo your baby's head, do so at home before bringing him to the salon. Now that your baby's hair is thicker, it's a good time to switch from an allover baby wash to a shampoo. Make sure it's a shampoo specifically developed for babies and gentle to his eyes.
Your Baby's Shampoo
JOHNSON'S® Baby Shampoo is THE classic baby shampoo, and for a good reason. Its special NO MORE TEARS® formula is as gentle to the eyes as pure water. Hypoallergenic and allergy-tested, it cleans your baby's hair gently and rinses easily, to leave it shiny, manageable and clean, all without tears. If your baby's hair is especially thick or curly, you may want to try JOHNSON'S® NO MORE TANGLES® Shampoo + Conditioner. It's the same gentle NO MORE TEARS® formula, so it's as gentle to the eyes as pure water, but it's a convenient shampoo and detangler in one. And it leaves your baby's hair shiny and silky soft in one easy step. To help relax your baby at night, try a warm bath and shampoo with JOHNSON'S® Baby Shampoo with Natural Lavender . It's the same gentle NO MORE TEARS® formula, enriched with lavender and chamomile, ingredients shown to calm and relax.
Whether you go to a salon or a barber, or you choose to cut your baby's hair at home, be sure to keep a curl of his hair for your scrapbook!
