Making Haircuts Fun For Kids
Many parents face an uphill battle with their young children and the child’s fear of haircuts. For many kids, sitting in a big chair with a stranger holding a pair of scissors or clippers that buzz and are aimed at their heads have them screaming and squirming making the whole haircut process distressing for everyone involved. Trying some of the helpful tips below should help kids find the fun in getting a haircut and have parents stress less and relax during the salon visit.
Preparing yourself and your child for the upcoming adventure can go a long way in making the haircutting experience successful. Let your child watch you, your spouse, a sibling or even someone else at the salon get their haircut. This way your child sees another person comfortable and enjoying their haircut and stylist. This also familiarizes your child with the layout and atmosphere and sounds in the salon. Talk to them about what they see. Schedule the haircut at a time when they are not hungry or tired. On the scheduled day, arrive 15-20 minutes early to help everyone maintain the relaxed feeling.
Making an adventure out of the day will give kids something to look forward to. Make the haircut the first stop in a fun-filled day. When kids have other fun places to look forward to visiting they will be less likely to fight the haircut and more likely to be excited to get it out of the way to move on to the next fun adventure of the day. Letting them know a trip to the park, a movie, their favorite restaurant or a library visit once the haircut is over adds a sense of fun to their big day. Letting them know they’ll be rewarded with something they really enjoy if they behave during the haircut can help them see the fun in getting a haircut. Ice cream or extra television time or even just staying up a little later before bedtime can act as a great incentive to keeping kids behaved during the short time it takes for the haircut.
Giving your child a sense of comfort and security can really help you both have fun if your child just doesn’t want to sit alone in the chair. Let them sit on your lap during the haircut, or try letting them sit in their own car seat or booster seat. Kids will feel more relaxed and secure with things they recognize and are familiar with. Bring along items your child is familiar with like their own books or their favorite toy or blanket. Bring a spare shirt in case your child is afraid of the cape.
Some kids don’t like being sprayed with water from a bottle, ask the stylist to use their hand to wet your child’s hair and having the stylist ask the child to help them wet their hair can help form a relationship between your child and the stylist and also keep it fun. Building trust between the stylist and your child is important to forming a relationship to keeping haircuts fun for kids.
As parents it is essential to understand the fear many children have of haircuts and that their fear is valid. If parents know and can talk with their child about what is scary about getting a haircut it helps in knowing how to overcome the worse part. Is the buzz of the razor the scariest, is it the scissors, or the stranger? Don’t be unrealistic in your expectations as a parent, sitting still for a haircut can seem like an eternity for a child. Putting a plan of action in place with familiarizing your child, preparing for the day and having a reward of added fun after the cut can help everyone have fun on haircut day.