To get 13 month olds face painted?

[RightAreYouSure]

It was at an event, is it really unreasonable?

Depends if baby was happy to have it done, if they cried and were clearly distressed over it then Yabu.

If baby was happy to do it then I don't see an issue.

Surprised they could sit still long enough. Does seem a bit odd, more for you than the dc at that age.

I asked to have ds's done before (maybe 18 months?) but they wouldn't. Company policy was no under-3s as the paint is too harsh on their skin

Well they're not really old enough to request it, are they? Was it to "match" siblings? Are you the parent?

I wouldn't have done it to my own DC because I was always allergic to face paint as a kid and ALWAYS got a rash, so I worry that would be the case for DC too.

*sorry if that was unclear- I wouldn't have done it to my own DC and definitely not anyone else's! I just meant if someone else wants to let their own kid, then fine.

Yes you were bu because it was for your benefit not your baby. Extra u points if you posted it on Facebook.

However it's not like you got her ears pierced, no harm done. Unless she has sensitive skin.

No, of course you were not unreasonable. Unless of course they hated every second of it.

My DC2 loves face painting. At 13 months she absolutely would have wanted it done, it wouldn't have been for my benefit. Probably did have it done at that age too.

would not recommend.

They still have very porous sensitive skin so young, and face paint is sometimes found to contain illegal quantities of lead.

not worth the risk for something that's for the parent benefit not the kids.

Painting a tiny design if they want it fine. Covering whole face could result in screaming child, face paint rubbed everywhere and if it was one of mine they would probably have an allergic reaction too.

Unless obviously upset by it no. I wouldn't though as they would just constantly smear it at that age and wipe it off. Plus not great for the skin. My son was almost 4 the first time he had it done.

Meh, I wouldn't have done it to mine but they hate getting their faces washed as it is...

At nursery they occasionally paint little things on DS's cheeks for certain occasions, that's fine by me.

Suppose it depends what it was? A little flower or something, fine, the full tiger-face (or equivalent) then maybe not.

Meh - completely up to you. The allergy thing is a bit of a red herring since that would be a risk whenever she first had it done.

I personally wouldn't since it would end up rubbed on me, her, her hands, the house, somehow on the Mona Lisa... but go for it if you have a child that doesn't have to be forced.

How? Anyone with experience in face painTing will tell you that it is very unlikely that a 13 month old will sit still, without moving their face, for long enough.try it yourself, use a clean painbrush and put water on it. Try to touch your baby's face with it. Likelihood is that you will poke her, she will move, be tickled and annoyed, and wipe it straight off.

If you want any design you can ask for a small flower on her arm so she can see what it is.

No idea why you'd do this. Probably not good for their skin, they won't sit still anyway and it's not for their benefit / enjoyment

Face painter here. I prefer not to paint any children under two. However I don't mind doing something tiny, like a heart or flower on the cheek of a younger child if they're ok with it.

I've had parents insist I face paint their crying struggling snot ridden chocolate smeared child before

I used to face paint kids at a soft play and parents would often ask us to paint their little ones. Some would howl crying and the parent would just encourage you to carry on regardless. Other kids loved the sensation of the soft brushes and sat really well.

I think it depends on the child, if they were happy and don't have sensitive skin then it's not really a big deal.

Professional face painter here (yes it's my full time job). I don't paint under 3s, 2 and a half I might do something small on their arm. They can react to it when they are small and it really isn't worth it, I wouldn't want them to develop anything lifelong from a reaction. Plus most insurance companies will not cover the face painter as the paint specifically says not to use on under 3s. Getting sued for a reaction with no insurance cover is not worth the risk for me.

Glad to hear from some face painters with standards!

Out of interest, how to you attempt to ensure your paints don't contain lead?

Morphene (sorry don't know how to tag) I have the msds available for all my face paints and only use high quality face paint (think theatre and film make up). From what I can see on the data sheet it contains no lead.

thanks for the info cats. Would you have that available if people wanted to see it?

I would love for DD to be able to join in with these kind of things, but when it looks like someone has just bought face paint from ebay I really worry it might be full of lead. There are so many recalls.

Is it totally nuts to ask a face painter if they have documentation for the paints?

I also face paint and I wouldn't do under 3's unless close to 3 and THE CHILD seemed really keen. I once had a mother complain to the event holder that I refused to paint her crying 15 month old. The child was howling and she said 'I'II hold her arms down, do something quick'. I refused politely. She called me a lazy bitch and marched off to report me.

Until they are around 3 they don't associate a face paint with some stranger coming at they with a sharp stick.

I only purchased my products from the snazaroo websites or the more technical stuff from Angels in Covent Garden. I wouldn't chance buying stuff from EBay or a retailer I was unfamiliar and I don't know any face painters on my local circuit who would

The place I worked at only purchased snazzaroo products from local shops. The information would be available on the bottom of the pots (unless is has worn off through use) but we wouldn't have kept any exterior packaging for them.

I usually keep all the data sheets at home but they are easy enough to pull up on my phone from my face paint retailer. It's not nuts if it's important to you. I don't use snazaroo as it's awful to paint with compared to the pro brands. Any professional face painter I know will be able to pull the data up for you.