Toddler Haircut Hell. Help!!

[user1472151176]

Help! My son is 2 and a half (32 months to be exact) and cannot tolerate his hair being cut - at all!
I don't like him having long hair.
I've taken him to hairdressers and tried myself with scissors and hair clippers but nothing calms him. I've tried distraction with food, iPad, games, friend/family present - nothing helps.
I've forced him into clipper haircuts and I think it's made everything 100 times worse. Now I don't know what to do?! He's getting worse and I don't see any light at the end of the tunnel. His dad uses the clippers on his hair and he watches that too.
His communication still isn't great. He says it hurt this time.
Where do I go from here? Will he outgrow this?

[magicroundabouts]

I had the same problem with my eldest, and I know you say you don't want to do this, but in the end I gave up and let his hair grow out into a shaggy surfer style. I bought some hairdressing scissors and gave him a (bad) trim every couple of months. I took it slowly and if he was uncomfortable I'd stop and try again the next day. Favourite programme on iPad and the promise of sweets helped too!

The good news is he did grow out of it. First proper haircut with no screaming at just turned 4. Probably could have tried sooner tbh but didn't want to risk it.

[dingdongdino]

First I get out my phone and put on YouTube then sit my DS on my knee and I wear a robe too. He watches my phone which I hold. It's a bit scary otherwise.

[Runningbutnotscared]

I agree with magicroundabouts, the problem is yours not your sons.
He doesn’t like it, so perhaps don’t do it for a while? Forcing him will make it worse.
Try a softly softly approach? It worked for us as my ds hated his hair being cut and now he tolerates it for a lolly.
But we visited the hairdresser a few times with no hair cut, and we went to the hairdresser to watch his daddy get a haircut, we talked and talked and talked about it. We pretended to cut each other’s hair.
The hairdresser kept insisting on clippers, which I initially gave into, it didn’t end well. They must feel very odd if your not used to the feeling. I now insist on a scissor cut which I think also helps.

Perhaps six months of perpetration and then his first successful haircut.