2.5yo absolutely hates hairdryer

[Mamabear04]

My DD absolutely hates the hairdryer and it's making bedtime a bit unbearable. We wash her hair around once a week and she gets herself into such a state because of it. I've tried giving her an earlier bath so that her hair could air dry and she doesn't go to bed with wet hair but it still had the same consequences of out of control crying. I've tried explaining that it's just a loud noise and won't hurt her. Tried it on the cool setting. Just not sure what to do as towel drying takes so long. Anysuggestions?

I'd just wash her hair on a morning, every time, so it can dry on its own and I'd forget about the hair dryer all together.

Sorry - it's probably not what you're looking for but I'd just ditch the hairdryer, do a shower one weekend morning and maybe get her a haircut so it air dries quicker. I wouldn't put her through something so unimportant that really upsets her. She might not feel as strongly in a year or two.

im a big shocked you’re using a hairdryer! Just let it air dry. I sleep with damp hair and it’s dry by morning. Put a towel over her pillow if need be. Also I wouldn’t put a heated hairdryer on a child’s hair- I find them damaging enough and im in my 30s! X

Going to bed with wet hair is fine. I’ve never considered drying my childrens hair.

Maybe I'm a bad parent but DD3 just gets detangling spray and a brush through and goes to bed with it damp! I'd never considered using a hairdryer on her!

Shorter hair will help. There is no law that says little girls have to have long hair.

You risk damaging her hair with a hairdryer.
they are loud and scary for toddlers too!

let her hair dry naturally overnight. You could get a microfibre hair wrap to help it dry quicker?
towel dry it plenty and leave it.

So she cries even if you don't use a hairdryer?

Cut her hair really short, wash hair on a morning and towel dry as much as you can get away with. Sorted. Not worth the stress you're both having now. My DD used to absolutely hate getting her hair washed so we got it cut really short (like, pixie cut short). She loves it as hairwashing is now super quick and she no longer cries.

I wouldn't dream of trying to use a hairdryer on a 2yo. It just wouldn't occur to me to do so.

Get a microfiber towel to dry her hair as best as possible. It will soak up the water much better. If hair is still damp at bedtime, you can always put a towel on her pillow.

Don’t torment her with a hairdryer. It’s not worth it.

I’ve never dried my DCs’ hair, they just went to bed with it wet and woke up looking a bit mad. My DD always wore hers bobbed when she was little, but if it’s long you could plait it and go to bed with it wet like that.

I guess that my mum always dried our hair after washing it so I've always had it in my head that going to bed with wet hair would cause a cold...

She only has shoulder length hair and it's not very thick. She also hates the hairdressers and last time I took her she had a total meltdown so would rather avoid haircuts too. I have wondered if maybe she has a sensitive scalp but is OK with getting her hair brushed and put into bobbles etc. She did have cradle cap when she was a baby but surely that can't have such a long impact?

She cries when she gets her hair washed because I think she associates it with the hairdryer. She also hates the noise of hand dryers and until recently was terrified of the hoover. Is it normal? My friends DD who is the same age isn't phased by the hairdryer at all.

I've never used a hairdryer on my young childrens hair. It would not even enter my head. My nine year old just got one recently as she is getting more into styling her hair. Just bath her earlier if it's an issue and let it air dry. For what it's worth my three year old also dreads the noise of the hair dryer.

My son is 2 and hates hand dryers in bathrooms. Pretty normal.
he tolerates the hoover but doesn’t like the loud noise.

My DS didn’t like it either. Well, he hated hand dryers; I didn’t use the hairdryer but I can’t imagine he’d have liked that either.

Either wash her hair first thing in the morning and let it dry naturally, or except that long hair is impractical for her and get it cut short.

She cries when she gets her hair washed because I think she associates it with the hairdryer. She also hates the noise of hand dryers and until recently was terrified of the hoover. Is it normal? My friends DD who is the same age isn't phased by the hairdryer at all.

My DS was like this about noise. He’s 12 now, and fine with Hoovers/hand dryers etc, but still puts his hands over his ears in a tunnel on the Tube, and some other weird noises.

PS. Colds are caused by viruses, not the cold. Wet hair won’t do you or your DD and harm.

I use a hairdryer for our child (now 3.5) - just have it on cool or medium heat and dry it enough so it will be fully dry by the time she goes to bed. We used distractions for her to get used to it eg she had a book or toy. She won't go near hand dryers in public bathrooms so we are lucky the hairdryer is acceptable!

She sounds like my daughter. Turns out she thought getting her haircut was going to be painful like getting her finger cut with scissors, so putting her straight helped a little. She's grown out of the hatred of hairdryers, haircuts and hand dryers but is still a sensitive child.

I didn't use a hair dryer until I was an adult, it wouldn't occur to me to use one on a 2 year old. Colds are caused by viruses, not hair styles, so you don't need to worry about that.

I'd never considered using a hairdryer on my children at that age. The noise (of most hairdryers) is way too loud to be that close to delicate little ears and the heat is not great for fine toddler hair either.
Just let it air dry. If it's particularly thick or long, get it cut and change your routine so hair hair is washed in the morning or earlier in the day.

Muslins dry hair way quicker than towels. My dd has very thick long hair for her age (nearly 2) and she also won't let us use the hair dryer.

We wash it once a week
Dry with a towel first (along with her body) then dab dab with a dry muslin which gets it almost dry.
Then she sleeps with her head on another fresh dry muslin.
It's fully dry by about midnight usually

She also hates the noise of hand dryers and until recently was terrified of the hoover. Is it normal? My friends DD who is the same age isn't phased by the hairdryer at all

Yes, absolutely normal: my DD was scared of all those noises too, and had the screaming abdabs at hairdresser, dentist, doctor, having feet measured for shoes etc.

She grew out of it.

Yes, very normal for toddlers and young children to be frightened of loud noises. Their hearing is very sensitive. Most grow out of it as they get older.

Just ditch the hairdryer. I never use one for myself and never did with my children when they were young either.

She's probably anticipating the hairdryer when you wash her hair. As you demonstrate that it will no longer be used then she will hopefully stop.