Cutting your childs hair? Anyone do it well?

[diddle]

My youngest son 15 months, hates the hairdressers so much os that we left last time with half a hair cut.
I am considering doing it myself with him in high chair in front of the TV.
Is it difficult? and is it worht it, or should i encourage him to go to the hardresser?

[yogabird]

yes i do both of mine. Get proper scissors from Boots or similar about £8. PLay at hairdressers while you do it I have girls though and only one style to my repetoire 'the bob' but it is easy,honest (think how many very simple minded hairdressers you have met) Although, of course, that doesn't in any way apply to all hairdressers and is not intended as a slur on the profession as a whole

[SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore]

Yes I do a good job but then I did start training as a hairdresser

You need hairdressing scissors to do it properly, any others are not sharp enough.

[ten10]

I do my DS's hair, but he is curly so I figure that any mistakes won't notice that much.

Otherwise have you tried shopping around, a couple of our local barbers/hairdressers have seats with steering wheels, or are in front of tvs where the kids get to chose a dvd first before they get their hair cut

[twinmumdandc]

I wouldn't say I'm doing it well, but it's passable, and (most times) better than half a haircut! Mind you, their first haircut was from a dog-groomer, and she told me that as long as you cut it lengthwise ie from front to back you won't notice any mistakes! My boys are now 20months and if I say we're going to cut their hair, they take me to the scissors. Great fun with less stress. Even if they don't like it you can always touch it up the next day!

[Heated]

I cut ds' hair using a mixture of hair clippers and scissors and am quite good at it! But wriggly dd has had a few 'emergency' trips to the hairdressers

But I definitely need proper hairdressing scissors, can anyone recommend where to get them from?

[Wonderstuff]

Lollipops are the key thing I find, was a revelation to me when we took dd to the hairdressers, keeps hands and mouth occupied, cbeebies may also help. Otherwise my dd puts up hands and turns head and makes grabs at scissors...

[MrsMerryHenry]

If your son's hair is curly, I'd say yes - do it, then correct your mistakes the following day.

If it's wavy or straight - don't do it unless you want him to look like a muppet.

Boots do good hairdresseing scissors. I always cut DS's hair in the bath as he's distracted (he's two). He still moves about but he's sort of 'imprisoned' in the tub, so can't go very far!

[MrsMerryHenry]

Also get a fine-toothed comb and get someone to show you how to measure the hair length (i.e. comparing the freshly cut length to the about-to-be-cut hair).

[PavlovtheCat]

I do it, then over the next day or so I redo bits. She has long hair and a fringe. She starts off well, wanting to play 'snip snip' or have a 'haircup' but she tips her head back too far, and runs around after a couple of minutes, so I spent as long as I can taking off a cm then whenever she is still I grab her to make sure any lose bits are gone. I am mostly ok in the first attempt but I always see bits or an angle that needs getting!

I took her to my hairdresser a few times and he said no problem doing it myself (i think he does not like children as they wiggle too much for him!)

[TeenyTinyToria]

Ds has straight hair with slightly curly ends to it - I wet his hair in the bath and cut it recently, and it bounced back when it was dry.

He ended up looking a bit like Joan of Arc in an old painting, crossed with a page boy. It grows fast though.

I think one of my mistakes was trying to do the fancy hairdresserly thing of snipping up the way so you don't have a totally straight fringe - he just had choppy patches.

[MrsMerryHenry]

Oh dear, poor Toria's DS! I've seen so many 'bad' mummy haircuts around but it makes so much more sense in terms of time and effort and money to DIY, doesn't it?

[lovelysongbirdie]

lol ttt

[ibblewob]

Err... no. My 3 year old DS looks (i.e., I haven't taken him back to the hairdressers yet) wonky, to say the least, and it was only his fringe!

[ibblewob]

Oh, also (and maybe slightly more helpful), my dad used to make quite a good job of DS's hair, but it would look uneven really quickly as it grew out. With the hairdressers I can leave it months and it still looks ok. I bribe him lots before we go!

[TeenyTinyToria]

I didn't really want to cut it, but dh said it needed tidying . Think I will be letting it grow long in future.

[Astrophe]

lol ttt, I have finally perfected the chopping up on the fringe, after a few dodgy attempts!

On DS (straight hair, long for a boy) I do a passable job - not amazing, but tbh as good as any hairdresser I've ever tried!

On DD, wavy hair to her shoulders, I do it and its alwasy fine - her hair hides mistakes.

[meandjoe]

i cut my ds' hair but only because it is really short at the sides, doesn't grow very fast but the top seems to grow really fast so he looks like he's got a mohecchan if i don't keep snipping the top. you'll see what i mean on the pics of my profile! it doesn't look too bad but it's so short and thin at the sides i'm not sure what else to do, the sides have barely grown since he was born!

[Weegle]

I do - DS, now 2.7 - and it's straight and has quite a long "floppy" style with layers... I took him to the hairdressers the first time, watched and learnt and just seem to have the knack. Everyone says it looks great and I've even been asked where I get his hair done . Another mum asked if I would do her DS but that made me too nervous! I sit him naked except pants on his toddler chair watching TV with a pot of raisins with a bribe of chocolate button if he lets me spray it wet (that's the bit he hates). He's very good and lets me take my time bless him.

[UniS]

I do boys hair with clippers. He sits on his dads knee and I do both of them in same session. very easy.

[nappyzonehasastroppytoddler]

My dd had to endure many a wonky fringe - since she started school i have took her to a proper hairdressers who commented on long bits around fringe area and hmmm whats happened here comments..... not learning my lesson i took my bacon scissors to ds and lopped his blond locks - first time it looked ok, 2nd time i was devastated as he had lovely blond locks and dh had to take the clippers to him andhe went from cute to thug in 2 mins. I have gone on to do the same again and he is now looking like he needs a hair cut - do i or dont i?

[changer22]

I do DS's (6) and DH's (!) very thick hair and I'm always amazed at how well it turns out. I try not to let this show though.

I'm very unsystematic - rather like my pruning - a bit here, a bit there...

[swampster]

Hijack! Nappyzone, please come over here and tell us if the world has really run out of Stacinators!

[cornsilk]

I I do my ds's when he is asleep and have done for about a year. I am an expert now!I just trim a few bits at a time, not a short back and sides. It's resulted in an oasis type look.

[littlerach]

I od dd2's as it is curly and doesn't show much.

It is also v long.

I used ot dd1's but it is straight and my lines aren't!!

[wasabipeanut]

I got proper hairdresser scissors from Boots after 16mo ds got mistaken for a girl 3 times during one Tumbletots class a couple of weeks ago. DH and I cut it while ds was in the bath with dh - I needed dh to hold him because he won't sit still for 2 minutes and I was scared!

Did a reasonable job if I say so myself - just trimmed the long, curly bits off the back and sides and took the fringe up a bit.

He can see how and everything and nobody has said "aaahhh she's lovely"