To take my 3yo with me to the hairdressers?

[mangolover]

Posting here because it's only just occurred to me I might be being really cheeky and I might turn up and piss them off.

I've got a hair appointment tomorrow. Cut, blow & foils so will be there a while. It's a new place I've not been to before. It's newly opened, went in today and door was locked (had to buzz to get in) and there was only one client & one hairdresser there. Nice waiting area close to chairs.

I've got a lot going on this week and tomorrow was the only day I could fit it in. I'm desperate for a tidy up.
Dd is 3, she will be 4 in April. She's really good, but I don't have anybody that could watch her in that time so I'd have to take her with me.
I'm thinking a little bag of snacks and an iPad for some games.

I'm being a cf aren't I?

Stating the obvious here, but why don't you phone the salon and ask what their policy is? They might think that other people's children are adorable and welcome you with open arms or turn you away at the door. They are the only ones who can agree.

I wouldn't mind someone taking their child to the hairdressers with them
but I would want the parent to make sure the child was well behaved and the stylist had peace to do her work.

I dont go to the hairdressers to be pampered or to have time off, its not a treat, so I wouldn't expect peace and quiet but again, I would expect my stylist to be able to work well on my hair and not be distracted.

I can't believe some people are saying 'Just take her with you', rather than 'Phone and ask'

Imagine the awful position the hairdresser's going to be in if she has to say no.

She's going to have to turn the OP and her child away, and lose money for the next 3 hours.

Just pick up the phone.

I wouldn’t. I changed hairdressers a few months ago and my first appointment took 5 hours! It’s rare that I’m there for less than 2 hours. I’d be pissed off if I went and there were kids watching iPads with no headphones and constantly asking for the loo/a drink/food. The loo at mine is through the backwash area, but also has a door to the back yard where the bins are, door isn’t always locked as it’s where staff go out to smoke, it’s not the responsibility of the staff to keep an eye on your daughter and whoever is doing your hair will be annoyed if they keep having to stop for you to take DD to the loo/adjust the iPad/open a snack/have a chat. It will take longer and isn’t fair on other clients if you run late. My hairdressers isn’t really geared up for people who want to wait, no sofas to sit on, just a padded box. I do wonder if they’ve done it for this very reason....

OP do you know for sure if you are the only client there? I'd just ring and ask if it's okay, I wouldn't assume.

my friend is a hairdresser and she's decided to have particular days where children aren't allowed. Even if the client is prepared to leap out of the chair mid-cut and stop their child running off, it's a pain for everyone.

I really don't think you can, for a cut & blow dry, possibly, but not for foils, it's far too long to ask her to sit still. Inevitably she will require some supervision so your hairdresser will have to stop and start with you a bit which will make her late for her next appointment and all the rest of her appointments for the day. As a PP said, there are also scissors, chemicals, straighteners etc so just not safe for her to be running about.

OP knows her child. The posters saying ‘there’s no way a three year old would sit quietly for that long’ do not.

My eldest would easily have been fine for that length of time. There wouldn’t have been the slightest risk that she’d wander around the salon or out of the door. I’d have her on my lap for the hair wash then put her in a chair next to me or in reception with an iPad or colouring book, or in her pushchair for a nap. She wouldn’t have chatted to anyone and would only have talked quietly to me if she’d been next to me.

My youngest, on the other hand, would have been left at home...

Like I said the salon was locked shut yesterday and I know I'm the only person booked in so I don't think anybody else would be there

How do you know that? Is there only one hairdresser? Just ring and ask if you’re determined to take her!

God the miserable people on this thread! She'll sit in the corner quietly and bother absolutely no one OP, you're fine.

I once went for nearly a year with shocking regrowth and desperate for a cut as I had no one to watch the kids, DH and I worked my shifts/his shifts around the kids and we had no support nearby.

Finally got to the hairdresser and explained why I looked like I did/had taken so long to get there. Hairdresser sympathised and said we’ll have a relaxing few hours.

About 10mins later a woman comes in with 2 kids, 1 around 3yo and one around 5yo. Has no appointment but wails about just having moved house, is super stressed and really NEEDS a ‘boost’ so just HAS to get her hair done and she knows everyone understands. The other hairdresser there said ‘of course’, mine just looked at me but didn’t say a word. I thought, whatever, they will be good no doubt.

5yo was fine, sat quietly in the waiting area. 3yo. Well. Sat between ‘stressed out’ woman and myself at basin with sultanas (my kids ate them when young, I seriously can’t stand the smell but at least at home you are not trapped with it), and the kid had some child’s show on a device which you could hear every word and then wanted to go to the toilet so woman is yelling out to 5yo (as she had head back in basin), who did not know where toilets were (weird that she was getting a 5yo to take the 3yo but each to their own), mum is saying hold on, 3yo screeching they have to go now, staff saying they’ll take them. I just said finish my rinse off, forget the treatment, forget the cut, I’m getting the hell out. The other mum starts going on about how stressed she is and it’s not a big deal. Was to me and pretty sure my hairdresser wasn’t happy about losing out on the treatment, cut and blow dry. I never went back. Took around another 9 months to get to a (different) hairdressers again. But hey at least stressed mum left looking okay.

God the miserable people on this thread! She'll sit in the corner quietly and bother absolutely no one OP, you're fine.

Do you have the lottery numbers while you're at it?

I seriously don't get this thread at all.

The OP could simply have rung and asked a million times over by now.

Entirely depends on your child. My dd has always gone to things like the hairdressers and dentist and any other appointments. If I ask her to sit on a chair, look at books and play quietly with her small toys she would and does. If your child can do the same then it should be no problem, and if your app is not overly long.

This happened to me as I had no childcare. They wouldn't allow the child to be near me because of the chemicals in the foils and next to me. A member of staff looked after her. I was very embarrassed, but I know better now!

I would check first. Some places won't allow it for health and safety reasons. Others would be fine. You can't guess

I take iPads, kindles and all sorts of entertainment to the hairdressers. But I am bored and restless after about an hour of foils. It is not relieved by a child wandering over, in a well behaved fashion, to stare at you whilst making toddler small talk.

My hairdresser is a local salon who do children and families so there are kids in there. But at certain times of the day and usually to get there’s down along with mum or dad. Think other salons would not be open to this.

If you do this, call first and ask. Maybe just get colour and go back for blow dry when you can. Or switch to a mobile service.

Any reason why you are not asking ?

Phone and ask the salon if it's acceptable. If it's not you go without or get a mobile hairdresser in.

I'd hate someone's 3yo yapping at me whilst I'm trying to speak to the stylist, the noise of the ipad, the parent having to "shush" and check every 5 minutes.

Any time I’ve had a cut and colour it’s taken at least 4 hours. Even the loveliest 3yo in the world won’t just be sat in silence for that long, surely?? You’re saying the salon will have no other customers, but if I went to book in there and saw a 3yo sitting on an iPad and munching rice cakes, I’d change my mind. Pp saying their children chat to everyone in the salon and everyone loves it - if I was a customer I would be furious. Hell is other people’s children, sorry!

Good grief, it’ll be fine. Your child sounds like she’ll just be quiet and get on with her own thing. And there are no other customers to mind? I wouldn’t take my children to the hairdresser normally but I don’t mind if another parent has a well behaved child there. If I hear them say “mummy I need a wee/I’ve finished my picture/please open my drink” I just think lovely - not my child and I can lie back in peace!

People who bring loud or naughty children to the hairdresser are another thing 😬

I have to bring my 4 year old with me for a bit when I get my highlights done - she's generally there for about an hour or 90 mins until my husband is able to pick her up. .

She sits and plays on the ipad and when my hairdresser has a few minutes free she sits down and lets my daughter play hairdressers and brush her hair, and they all let her "help" by brushing the floor and passing rollers and she usually gets a biscuit. It's a small village hairdressers though and quite family friendly, not an expensive trendy place, and she adores my hairdresser and loves going. They also have a few things for children to play with like a big box of megablocks.

If I didn't bring her for the first bit it would be very difficult for me to find a time slot I could actually go. And I know she is very good and can be trusted around things like scissors.

I'm sure lots of people would say IABU but my particular salon don't have a problem with children.

You don't know that you are the only client booked in. Hairdressers are capable of doing to clients at once, while your fouls are on they could be cutting someone else's hair.

Why bother asking if you are going to take her anyway, even although most people have said don't. 🙄

I love the relaxing child free peace at the hairdressers and groan inwardly when I see small kids there.

Most of them are actually incredibly well behaved and manage to occupy themselves with their screens or colouring.

I sat beside a mother with a 3yr old in the hairdressers recently .He whined constantly, not quite a cry but more of a low ultrasonic sort of squeal. He wanted her phone but she had decided that was the day you not allow him her phone. My hairdresser works in a little converted cabin and it was a nightmare.In saying that your child sounds quite different and I think children need to learn about waiting and patience. Best of luck.

I know because she had the book infront of me and said I could pick any time at all this afternoon as nobody else was in. There had been an apt that had been cancelled.

Like I say the door is locked so dd can't escape, she's the type that wouldn't say anything she would just sit still and be boring.

But obviously I will call and ask. When they open. At 12.

Just wanted to know what other people did and what the norm was and how cheeky I was being ect. Obviously I've never taken them before. I've had mobile for the last 4 years.

My boy would sit like a jumping bean and pester loudly for things.

But she would sit so still and probably come and whisper something if she needed it. She's shy and just no bother at all which I think I massively take for granted. You just wouldn't know she was there

I’ve never had foils so don’t know how long that would take, but fwiw if you know your child then totally go for it. My toddlers always came with me to all sorts of appointments, I trusted them to sit still and they never got up and wandered / disturbed anyone. Not all toddlers charge around everywhere!