I am aware this is an old thread, but i just thought i'd balance the argument a little.
My daughter of 8 months wears her hair in a pineapple style, she wears headbands (favored over clips that she could choke on as they slide out of her fine hair). Her hair is 4inches long on top and i'd rather "chav it up" with her hairbands than find out she is going blind by leaving it dangling in her eyes.
I'm not a "chav", i don't live in a council estate, though if i did that wouldn't make me any different, maybe a little better off financially!
And, as well as working full time, i also make and sell suitable soft elastic headbands, for people in my position, who want to protect their daughters eyesight. In all honesty, i love the way they look.
Why on earth are half of you generalizing the mums into "chav" category and "that type of Mother" for the choices they make and how they dress their children? it's indirect bullying, stereo-typing and only leads to discrimination.
Round of applause for you.
i agree, share your opinion on whether you like or dislike the headbands, but surely we don't all need to be shoved into a "scummy" category.
For the mums blessed with hairy babies, or babies that need help keeping the hearing aids in, i hope some of you think before name calling - that sort of thing happens in the playground, probably due to children being raised with the same narrow minded views.