I got such great responses to my last request about the nails and sunblock, I decided to keep the theme going (toddler grooming) and ask about my 14-month-old daughter's hair. It is starting to get longer and her bangs are getting into her eyes - we'd like her not to have bangs, but to grow it out long. She is starting to get that "baby Mullet" with her hair getting longer in the back. Should I go ahead and have it trimmed in the back so it will grown in more up top rather than just in the back? And what to do about the bangs while they grow out? She will occasionally wear a clip-on bow, but as soon as she remembers she has it in she takes it out. It also slides out when she rolls around on the floor or bends over a lot. Soft head-bands that are elastic and wrap around sometimes work too, but only until she realizes she has it on. Then off it comes. Thoughts from mom's of little girls? Thanks in advance!
PS - I should specify that we have been parting her hair on the left for many months and so the bangs are getting trained to the right already, but they tend to hang in her eyes anyway and I'm always pushing them to the side.
Try bobby pins.. they make cute ones.... to hold her bangs back. And, definitely, cut the back shorter til the front starts catching up. It will look so much better. I was a hairdresser in my former life...lol. Good luck!
Our daughter has long bangs as well. Her hair was all one length and I had her bangs cut to get them out of her eyes. I thought it made her look older so now I am growing them out. It is going to be hard since you say she pulls everything out. You will have to start telling her on a regular basis, "do not touch"..."no, no, no" and EVENTUALLY she will listen. :o) I put a barrette or bow in her hair and I also put a bobby pin next to the barrette or bow to hold it all better and make it tighter. Other times we use a headband, just the hard kind, cloth covered that slides all the hair back. I sometimes use a small clip. The little tiny clips that you can buy in a multi pack and just clip the bangs only off to the side of her part instead of just straight back. Another idea is a small rubberband (one made for hair not a rubber band..) and then take just her bangs and put them in the rubber band and off to the side where you have parted it. That might be the best trick for now since she pulls everthing else out. I like that one the best b/c it does not fall out when she runs around and plays. Lastly you can pull her hair back into a pony tail and then bobby pin or headband the bangs. If she has the mullet look, I would take her in to get it trimmed so it at least it looks like you cut it that way and soon it should grow as her bangs are growing. Some girls don't grow much hair until age 2 or so. The headband or the rubberband just with her bangs pulled back would probably look cutest if the back of her hair is still short. Stay on her not to touch it. She will look adorable!
When my daughter's hair was growing out, we trimmed it into a little bob, so that everything kind of got to the same lenght, it's grown out long now (she's three) but it only took this long because I kept it cut in a bob for quite a while. In terms of the bang, I just took the front section of hair inclding the bangs and tied them up on top, I always thought it looked like peebles from the flinstones, but it kept it out of her eyes and she didn't try to pull it out like the clips.
you didn' mention if her hair was curly, wavy or straight. If it is curly trim if necessary. My oldest daughter had curly hair, didn't like bows or clips. We did the best we could and just let it grow and it was beautiful all one length. However, she had thick curly hair from day one. My youngest daughter is completly different. She had thin wavy/straight hair from day one lost most of it and it grew very slowly for the first 2 years. My sister is a hair stylist and she helped me keep it trimmed. first as a pixie just becasue of how slow it was growing and then as the top caught up with the bottom we shaped it into a bob. Becasue she to didn't like bows or clips and because her hair was so thin we made bangs. now that she is 7 she is in the process of growing them out. She now wears clips and pony tails. with her hair thicker it is easier to put in pony tails and braids.
Good luck with whatever you decide. Hope this was helpful.
dollar tree has headbands that fit smaller heads. great to keep bangs out of the eyes.
We had the same issue with my little girl. We went ahead and trimmed the back but it didn't really make it grow in on top. The back still grew faster. As far as the bangs go I use the tiny little elastic bands they sell in the little girl section of hair stuff at Walmart. You get like 100 of them in all different girly colors and they can hold a tiny bit of hair or more. I also used them under clips so the clip would stay in longer. Anyway, hope it helps. And if it's any encouragement, my daughter's hair started growing normally right around 2 and a half- so there is a light at the end of this tunnel. :)
definitely get it trimmed. My daughter, who is 3 1/2, has been getting her hair trimmed regularly since she was 13 months old. Her hair always looked great - never looked awkward - and has grown in thick and is beautifully long. She still has bangs because she, too, didn't want to keep clips in - why fight it? It's a lot safer for your daughter as she's growing and exploring to be able to see what she's doing. when she reaches an age where the clips aren't an issue, then start to grow out the bangs. choose your battles. she has her whole life to be bang-less! good luck.
By all means cut the back. My daughter had hair that was thin and grew the same way. We started cutting it regularly and it thickened up and became beautifully long. As for the bangs, you just have to grin and bear it until they grow. You could try and emphasize for her to leave the bow in.
Once her bangs are in her eyes you should be able to part them in the middle and have them rest on the sides... yes I know this may seem a little odd but that is the only thought that I can come up with, taking into consideration the information you provided above. I would suggest parting while her hair is wet. You may even try clips while the hair dries. This will assist in keeping the hair molded in the place needed. (From my experience baby hair grows pretty quickly once they have their first hair cut.... it has nothing to do with the actual cut, but the diet when they reach that specific age)
I would trim them back. It will help with the even look but make sure not to go to short... she is a little girl and we want people to be able to tell that :)
I have a similar situation with my 10 month old's hair. She pulls off headbands and hair clips. What has worked for me is putting it in a small ponytail on the top or to the side. She has a lot of long hair on the top that constantly gets in her eyes, but like you I don't really want to cut bangs. I use these tiny plastic hair ties to put it up and no matter how much she messes with them they stay put. SometimesI put a pretty bow over the top of the hair tie so it looks a little prettier, but it's really cute with out one too. They look alot like the kind that are used on teeth braces, and come in lots of different pastel colors. A friend of mine got them for me so I am not sure where exactly to buy them though, Sorry.
