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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

1 year old will not keep a hat on

31 replies

lummox · 09/06/2006 09:24

ds has just turned one and the weather has just turned very sunny.
when i put his hat on for playing outside he immediately removes it.

every time.

time and time again.

are there any top tips for keeping hats on? we've tried hats with elastic round his chin, but he makes it his life's work to get it off.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

compo · 09/06/2006 09:25

Sounds exactly like my ds!! te only thing we do is smother his ears, back of neck and forehead in sunsceen and try and lay in the shade as much as possible.

LucyCampCat · 09/06/2006 09:31

Yep the joys of a one year old! I used to sneak it back on the dd's and hope they hadn't noticed, sometimes it would stay for at least 5 minutes before they noticed!

sunsceen all the way I'm afraid.

is it sunny in France too then lummox?

mazzystar · 09/06/2006 09:31

You could try wearing one yourself.

Or just keep reinforcing the message that he has to wear one - don't give up on putting it back on.
My DS now 20 months took some persuading last year ( thought it was hilarious when I put his on) but now insists on wearing one.

Original poster

lummox · 09/06/2006 09:36

Hi LCC - yup it's lovely here, thanks. Good to know i won't be the only one relying on sunscreen.

sorry if this is a daft question, but do you put sunscreen on their hair/heads? ds is still a bit sparse in the hair department, so i think he needs something, but it seems a bit weird to put sun cream on it.

mazzystar - funnily enough when i wear a hat (cue lots of oohh how lovely it is to have a lovely hat type conversation) he just wants to take that off too.

compo - how do you get a one year old to lie in the shade?

OP posts:

hunkermunker · 09/06/2006 09:40

DS1 won't wear one - and used to take other children's hats off last summer too

mazzystar · 09/06/2006 09:42

mine goes round trying to put other kids back on

doesn't make him popular

popsycal · 09/06/2006 09:49

ds2 was the same (15 months) and I was in despair.
then he tried on his brothers pirate style hat from next (will find you a link in a minute) and he loves it!
no peak at the front but it covers his head and neck

popsycal · 09/06/2006 09:51

\link{http://order.next.co.uk/page.asp?b=X37&p=614&o=1\bandana one}
ds1 has a black pirate one and now ds2 has the one in tat link!

it is meant to be 3 to 9 year old but ds2 is fine with it - very adjustable
cheap too

popsycal · 09/06/2006 09:52

oh it is only showing one colour.
our local next shop had 3 choices

nailpolish · 09/06/2006 09:55

get a length of ribbon, sew it to hat and tie it under his chin

nailpolish · 09/06/2006 09:55

oh ive jsut read OP

Original poster

lummox · 09/06/2006 19:37

popsycal, thanks. looks very cute, and you never know he might just take to it.

thanks to all, though. i'm glad we're not the only ones. we went out and bought a tent/marquee type thing this afternoon and kept him underneath it best of three.

hunkermunker - i can see that coming just around the corner. hope being branded a hat thief before eighteen months won't do him too much harm.

OP posts:

TinyGang · 09/06/2006 19:56

Mine are 4yrs and I'm still saying 'put your hat on'

bobblehead · 09/06/2006 21:36

My dd is awful for pulling hats off (her own and others!). I have found if I leave a selection lying around amongst her toys for a few days she will pick one out and start bringing it to me to put on. Admittidly it does onlt stay on for 5-10 mins before we go through the whole thing again, but at least I'm just gently replacing a hat every so often instead of wrestling a screaming baby! And sometimes she does forget to remove it....

(she is 12months btw)

biglips · 09/06/2006 21:40

mine is 20 months old and only starting to wear her hat - victory!!! but she only wear it outside (meaning once we get inside a shop she takes it off) or when its sunny, as soon the sun goes behind the clouds she flungs her hat off....oh well im getting there!

Callisto · 09/06/2006 21:48

Reverse psycology might work - my dd thinks it is very funny if I put her hat on and she grabs it and puts it on her own head.

kitbit · 10/06/2006 08:07

Give choices - offer 2 hats and ask which one he prefers! Also, I don't put ds's hat on until after we've left the house (he's 20mths) I wait until we're halfway down the road and in the middle of a song or he's distracted with a drink then I lean down to point something out to him and when I stand up oh! his hat has appeared

We also play games of hide and seek at home with his hats and play the "hat on, hat off" game where I pretend I can't see him when he hasn't got his hat on. I say "where's x? where is he? can't see him anywhere..." then he grins and puts his hat on and gets "oh THERE he is!!!" huge cuddles, tickles and kisses. After playing this for a few weeks on and off he now responds to me saying "where's x?" when we're out and puts his hat on yay!

When all else fails...extra suncream!

Original poster

lummox · 10/06/2006 08:15

thanks again.

kitbit - like the idea of not being able to see him until he puts his hat on. disappearing games are a big thing at the mo.

not sure i can give him a choice yet, though, as i don't really think he would understand - he's only twelve months - or am i underestimating?

callisto - reverse psychology might just work, but i think he would get his hat and then want me to put it on again (so that he could pull it off again and so on and so on and so on).

biglips, bobblehat and tinygang it's good to know there are plenty of other children diong this. But TG - at 4? [despair]

OP posts:

ruty · 11/06/2006 12:33

ds 21 months will NOT wear a hat for anything. Have tried games, me wearing a hat, dh wearing a hat, putting it on every time he throws it off [instantaneously] and I am really at my wit's end. What is worse, is that he fights me to put suncream on him, and ends up crying and it all washes off! Aaaargh! any tips on the suncream front? [sorry for hijack]

Original poster

lummox · 11/06/2006 19:18

no prob about the hijack ruty. sounds really annoying. we're not having any problem with sun cream here - using a spray on one that starts off blue and then goe clear. ds is fascinated by being blue for a bit (but he's quite a lot younger than your ds).

we've had a bit more luck with the hat thing over the last day or two. kitbits idea of waiting until you're out of the house has been really helpful, as has buying a slightly daft looking fisherman's type hat that ds took a violent liking to in the local supermarket. only 3 euros and he seems much more keen on it than the swish (and expensive) legionnaires type one that i bought in the uk.

OP posts:

tribpot · 11/06/2006 19:40

I wait until ds is distracted playing with his toys (when we're already outside) and then plonk \link{http://www.marksandspencer.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=6982&Product_Id=1915746\this fetching number} on to his head (it's a lot more blue than this pic implies, and you don't have to have the whole brim turned up).

He prefers it with the front turned up, I don't think he likes not being able to see the way he's used to, if you know what I mean.

Often he will take it off at least six times before he gives in, but with persistence he forgets it's there and concentrates on eating daisies and buttercups fresh from the lawn instead!

manitz · 11/06/2006 20:41

nailpolish is right. elastic is different and velcro just doesnt work. The only tie on hat I've found is \linkn{http://www.bloomingmarvellous.co.uk/product.aspx?language=en-GB&CategoryID=Nappy_Free&ProductID=24372_24371\this) I'm sorry, I have girls but have had exactly the same problem at the same age (going trhu with no 2 at mo), they must have a boy version. It got better the summer after as she could decide on a hat she liked (baseball cap from gap) but at this age w/o communication tis tricky.

UCM · 12/06/2006 09:07

DS would never keep a hat on, so I apply quite liberally sun cream in his hair and rub it on to his scalp, he looks like a hedgehog, as long as its over factor 30 it works a treat and we have never had any sunstroke type problems.

\link{http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=10782503&uid=4748696&members=1\here}

Original poster

lummox · 13/06/2006 08:04

what a lovely pic UCM. i can't wait for ds to get to the stage where his hair looks all tousled. your ds looks gorgeous.

manitz - i'm afraid i can't make the link work. from the shops/websites i have seen so far it seems that there are more tie under hats for little girls than little boys. maybe it's because it's a bit like an old fashioned bonnet?

trib - that one does look good. i think we have the same problem here with ds not liking his view to be encumbered and i've had trouble finding a hat with a brim that will stay up when you put it up. that's something else to add to our M&S list for when we're in the UK!

OP posts:

booge · 13/06/2006 08:14

We got a tie on (well poppers) hat from boots for DS who is also just 1.

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