First Hair Cut for Boy?

I got my son his first hair cut when he was 12 months old and it was very hard on him. He screamed worse than for shots! It was very traumatic. The second one was not as bad but still tough. Even with snacks, toys, dvd, music, me to sit on, nothing worked. Just be prepared for the worst and hopefully it will be quick.

I'm not going to lie, my son's first haircut was not pretty! He wasn't thrilled, but had no choice because his hair was too long. Bring some distractions, they gave him a lollipop which worked for about 5 minutes.
Good luck and bring the camera!
Lynsey

my son is also almost 11 months old. His hair is getting long, into his eyes and over his ears. I have been putting off the first haircut for a while, but ppl keep thinking he is a girl. so, i'm actually thinking of cutting it today. i have my husband and sister in law here with me to help hold him down and keep him from squirming while i cut it. also, i have scissors that are rounded on the end, so i don't have to be to afraid of stabbing him, just hope i cut it straight :)

I would say, cut the hair when it's getiing too much in his eyes and ppl think he is a girl :)

My son was about 10 months when he had his first haircut. What a head of hair this kid had!!!
Most places will cater to you since it will be his first haircut. We took him to a "child friendly" place in our area. They were really sweet about it. We took pics and it was really cute! They even saved his hair, put it in a bag and wrapped a blue ribbon around it for us to save.
Your son doesn't seem to have much to have cut off, so I wouldn't think it would take long. Just have him sit on your lap and give him his favorite treat. Our place popped in a video for him to watch.

By the way, I cried my eyes out!!

Have fun!!

Just trim it yourself... it makes the prospect of getting the official "first haircut" less traumatic =). I always did it when they were occupied sitting in their high chair, playing or snacking.

Hi R.,
We got our son's first hair cut at 1 year. He frowned a lot and tried to see what was going on, but he didn't actually cry until it was over LOL. After that it took a few times before he didn't fuss about it. I agree with Jan, if there's a kid friendly haircut place near you go there! The one in our town has tvs, toys the kids can play with during the haircut, and they even have a firetruck seat for younger kids to sit in during the haircut. They're also much better prepared for the quick turns of the head :o) Also, if your son is really anxious, most places will let you sit in the chair with him on your lap.

We go to "Snip-its", a very fun place for kids. Since she is a girl I waited a real long time for the first haircut which may have contributed to her original fear of getting it cut. Taking him early is a great idea, so he knows it's nothing to be afraid of. At Snip-its the kids get to play with toys when they come in, they can blow bubbles right in the chair, and watch tv right in the chair. The place is brightly painted and what not too. They give you an option for a poloroid picture and a little certificate with the date on it saying it's the child's first haircut. (along with a lock of hair) Good luck!

Hi,

My son won't sit still so I have been trimming while he naps on my bed! This works if your son is a deep sleeper.

I place some towels under his head area. And while he's in his deepest sleep (in the first 20 minutes) I trim away. I've done this twice already (he's 20 months now) with good results. Last time it took two nap sessions, over two days, so he walked around with a funny mullet for a day :)

I recommend this method if you know the basics of cutting hair...

I took each of my kids for their first haircut at 1 year old. I went to a child-oriented place called Zippity Doo's (locations in Huntington, Merrick, Roslyn Heights). It's pricier than Supercuts, but there are kids' videos that help to calm the child. Also, for the first haircut, they let my child sit on my lap. After the first time, both my kids loved getting haircuts, but I know that is not the case with each child. And, of course, they give you a lock of hair the first time, for the baby book!

Our son's first haircut was at 10 months - he had a don king thing going with curls - we took him to Sara at kids kuts on Paramus - she is great with kids - Our son will be 4 and she is the only one he will let cut his hair.

We took our son to Sharkeys for Kids in Ridgewood for his first cut around his first birthday. He sat in a chair that looked like a car and was really excited about that. There are also lots of toys for distraction and the staff is used to cutting kids hair. My son was all over the place after 2 minutes and the hair dresser was patient. You also have the option to have him sit on your lap if he won't sit in a chair. Good luck! I found the first one to be the easiest.

Our son was 18 months old for his first hair cut and not because he didn't have any hair. He has this beautiful head of blond curls and it was painful to see them go. We took him to a normal salon, not one of those "kiddy" places and he sat fine. I was more traumatized than he was. Good Luck

I cut my son's hair when he was 15 months old. I did it while he was in the bath, and my husband distracted him by sitting in the tub with him. Because the front wasn't too long, I was able to trim around his ears and at the back pretty easily and quickly; about 4 quick snips per side. Once I finished the left side, the guys simply shifted in the tub to face the opposite direction and I finished things up. Granted, things were a little uneven, but at 15 months even a lopsided haircut with a couple of super short areas looks quite sweet.

Since the first time, I have trimmed his bangs. We gave him some bath toys to hold and I was able to snip away the long pieces. Fortunately, he looks good with short bangs! And, as my husband reminds me: It will grow back; Our son is only a baby and will forgive me; and I'll get better with practice!

Good luck to you. Have fun with it, and be sure to save the first locks. There is something very special about them.

Hi R.,
I am a hairdresser with 30 years experience. The age doesn't matter. If you think it's too long, get it cut. I do recommend finding someone who is patient,& will explain to the child what they are doing as they are doing it. It is not an easy task cutting kids hair. I always considered it a successful haircut if there is no blood drawn. Don't expect perfection if they are squirmy. Also, try to get the same person to do haircuts when needed, so that your son can get to know them and feel comfortable with them. I found lolly pops to be helpful too. Good luck!

my son was pretty young. he was about 5 1/2 months old.. and he had such a head of hair. i had my nieghbor come by and cut it.. just a little. then he had a real hair cut at 8 months old. He screamed. and he continued to scream until he was about 15 months old. i should have stuck with the neighbor for a while. oh well. live and learn.

Rachael,My name is J. C.I have been a hairstylist for many years.I have done countless first hair cuts.I would love to give your son his first.It might help if you stopped in my shop once before his appointment to let him play with our toys. Check New member perks on Mama source,you will find my address and also a coupon that will save you some money. call ###-###-#### ask for J..

Hi R.,
I have a son also born in April. I was wondering the same thing. Thanks for asking.

Aww, my son just had his first barber hair cut yesterday (he's almost 19 months and has a ton of hair). If its just his bangs perhaps you can just give them a quick snip if he's feeling mellow. I gave him his first trim a couple of months ago. As far as barbers go ask around. My son can be very squiggly right now, but the barber was quick and put him at ease and did a very good job.

Good luck!

Wait until he's a year old, or else he won't speak. This is an old latin american superstition.

When you do get ready for the 1st cut, just have him watch his favorite show while you cut away. Zero squirming! This is what I did w/ my daughter.

In my son's case I waited until he was 3 b/c he was born sick and my husband and I promised him to the Virgin. On his 3rd b-day we took him to the salon and had him eat a forbidden treat while the hairdresser clipped away. A little squirming, but we played freeze whenever it got close to becoming an issue.

I guess boys are squirmier than girls.

No coping required. If it doesn't come out even, its not the end of the world!

My son was 15 months and his hair was wild by then (super curly). We took him to my hair person who has a son his age and specializes in curls, and he sat in my lap with a lollipop while she cut his hair. He did great! And I have cut his hair every 4-6 weeks since. I just do it in the bath and he's terribly wiggly which scares me with the scissors, but we're managing that way until it's important for the haircut to actually look good.

ouR BOY had his first around 9 months and has had several more since and is overdue for another. The first one we took him somewhere that specializes in kids cuts and that went very well. He played with the cape the whole time - however she was very quick. I guess they have to be.

The others we have done at home ourselves - me and my husband - which I don't recommed because they squirm too much and if you aren't experienced you won't be able to cut there hair quick enough.

I am a professional barber and would love to help you out. I feel that it is very important to get him used to where you will be taking him for haircuts. Bring him there just for a little bang cut so he knows what it is about. I have alot of children and you want to make sure you have someone who has patience with children. If he gets to out of control crying and fussing that is normal until he gets comfortable with the barber. I have experienced this many times and after the 3rd time they come in with a big smile on their face. I put cartoons on the tv or the mom or dads show videos from their phone while getting cut. You can also have him see other children getting cut especially with clippers so they see and hear and will become familar with what to expect. Hope I helped and let me know if you have any other questions

If you want to do it yourself, I recommend using a high chair. I have no training but I can trim bangs even on my very squirmy son. Now he is 3 and knows to stay still. When we had a haircut by a professional he saw her cut his father's hair first and she was quick about cutting his. The first time he wiggled but now he doesn't anymore. Also, I like his curls longer so we only do maybe 3 full haircuts a year and I trim the front in betweeen.

My son was 10 months old when we brought him for his first haircut. We wanted to wait until he was 1, but it was getting much too shaggy. We went to Sharkey's in Greenwich, CT (a chain kids' salon) and for $28!!, it was the WORST haircut ever! The woman didn't layer his hair and it was all crooked and horrible looking (even though he sat perfectly still!) I was so upset when we walked out of there. However, we decided to try another kids' salon called Snip-Its on Central Ave in Hartsdale and the woman was EXCELLENT. My son was hysterical the whole time and would not sit still but she was sooo patient and understanding. We had to take several breaks just so she could finish the job. All in all, it was a great experience and I would definitely recommend it. Good Luck!

R., I've been cutting my son's hair (born May 2008) since he was born...of course keeping a lock of hair from the first time I snipped it. I'm not a professional hairdresser, but my son's hair has been complimented a bunch of times. I basically attempt the layering thing on the top, by lifting a row (from back to front) and snipping about a half inch. Then repeat that across the top of his head, row by row, from left to right. It usually takes about 2 or 3 rows at most. Then I lay him on his back (on changing table) and snip over his ears. I also have started expanding and applying the same row/layer technique on the back of his head. Please keep in mind, that I do plan on getting it professionally cut for his 1st b-day, but this saved us some cash along the way!

I have 3 kids and all three of them responded very differently. My first had a major haircut at almost 2 years old and she kicked and screamed. It was awful! But I think that was because she was the child that never wanted anyone but Mommy to ever touch her. The second one had to start getting haircuts at 7 months because he had so much hair growing over his eyes. He was fine, I think because he saw his big sister get a haircut first and just followed suit. The third just had his first haircut at 15 months and he was ok in the beginning of it, then just got a little impatient towards the end, just didn't want to sit still anymore, but no screaming.

One thing I do suggest to you that is fun, take before & after pictures. I love having them to look back on!

We first cut my son's hair at 13 months because it was looking pretty raggedy. We went to Charles Kids Salon on Route 4 because they know how to handle a squirmy kid and they don't try to get him to sit still. They have cute cars for the kids to sit in and for the first hair cut, they'll give you a certificate, a lock of hair, and a polaroid picture.

I would highly recommend going to a kids specialty salon even though it is more expensive. I started getting tired of paying for this expensive haircut every month and took my son to Super Cuts - big mistake! It wasn't much less and the woman was a wreck and wanted him to stay still - ultimately she nicked his ear and he was bleeding! NEVER again - he loves getting his haircut at Charles Salon (Carol is the best), so we go there regularly now (he's 4 and we've been going since the first hair cut, with the exception of that one time).

We gave our daughter her first haircut when she was about 15 months old, when the hair was just getting too long in front of her eyes. We did it at home and she squirmed but I held her down while my husband cut. She didn't cry at all. At 22 months, she had her first cut at a kids salon. There, she caused a much bigger fuss but they were very professional and were able to trim her hair well in 5 minutes, despite all the tears. Now, she doesn't cry at all (she's 2.5 years old). Start the haircuts at home first and see how he reacts. Ask your husband to help for that first time. You'll be more nervous than your son but if your portray calmness, he will too. Good luck!

Hi,

My son is 14 mo and has needed a monthly haircut since he was about 10 mo old. I did take him to a hairdresser once - and it was fine - he sat in my lap. But I actually enjoy cutting his hair myself. I now do it while he's in the bath tub (he loves baths.) so he's happily entertained with his bath toys and not paying too much attention to my going at his head with a pair of scissors. Just get one of those small scissors. His first cut, we only had big ones and that was far scarier for me (I don't think he even noticed).

Enjoy!

-M.