Hair Care

I fold a wash cloth into a long rectangle and hold it with one hand just in front of her hair line and then poor water on her head. As the water starts to come forward I use the washcloth to push back over her hair.

My kids (ages 2 and 4 now) have always hated water running down their faces when we wash their hair. One day at Michael's Craft Store I saw some $1 foam visors. I bought some foam stickers so my kids could decorate them and now they wear them in the tub to wash their hair and it helps the water stay out of their eyes!

The shampoo rinse cup (one side rubber) that was mentioned previously works great! I got mine at Wal-Mart.

You've got a lot of great responses here but I think I'll add one more... I make my daughter love the water on her face by making ooh and aah noises and making her think it's the most fun thing in the world... I think that along with the other great stuff these gals have posted oughtta do it... about the cutting I think the sleeping thing was just brilliant... that's when I cut my lil girl's finger- and toenails too.

We used an inverted foam visor to rinse our daughter's hair. I think it was from One Step Ahead.

I think all kida hate stuff in their face and eyes. i have a safety bath chair in my tub where my son sits up and plays and i have this hair shampoo mousse from breck much esier to wash out too. then i start by using one of his toys to rinse....start in the back of the head then he knowswhat is coming next. then with my left hand i ppush slightly on his forehead and cup my hand and then start pouring with my right and as the water comes out my left blocks the water and then my cupped hand glides the water to the back of his head which seems to work much better. they learn the routine after a bit and get used to it. as far as cutting hair, how old is your child? they say not to cut their hair for at least the first year however if necessary you should goto a professional andthey will have you sit and then your child on your lap therefore you can hold them.

If your daughter just needs a few snips with the sissors maybe you could try doing it while she sleeps. Cutting little ones hair will be a two person job for several more years. My son just turned three and we finally had a calm haircut. If there is something your daughter loves to do that you can distract her with that would probably work best since you can't just shave it all off like we do. A friend of mine would sit her son in his high chair with colors.

Dear T.,

I have a few suggestions:
1) have you tried having your daughter hold a towel or washcloth in front of her face and tipping her head back just a bit? that worked for a time w/my son
2) get one of those little pitchers w/the soft side specifically for rinsing children's heads?
3)get a BOON faucet attachment...makes the water come out like a waterfall and not a straight stream...that's what we use now

My son is in constant motion from the moment he wakes until he's asleep. To cut his hair, I wet his head, get the scissors ready/handy and squirt shaving cream all over the bathtub wall. He gets so interested in mushing the shaving cream all over the wall (and himself) that I can just snip snip snip while he's preoccupied. I might goof one or two cuts, but overall, it looks pretty good! I have a little bowl of water I put the cut hair in and then rinse out the water and toss the hair...that way it doesn't stick to your hand.

Good luck!

-S.

Go to Baby's R Us on line or at store. They sell a visor like hat that you put on. You can put water in their hair and the water is deflected by the visor.

I take my 6 month old in the tub and the shower. In the tub I use a cup and in the shower I put him under it. Running water over there face is good and none of them like it. Have your husband hold her head still while you cut. She may cry but only out of frustration. Good luck.

You can buy a Shampoo Rinse Cup from Babies R us or Target for $5. It is a pitcher that has a soft part that flexes over the baby's head so it doesn't get water in her eyes. We've been using this with or son (14month) since he was a little baby. Here is a link. I am sure you can shop around for others if you don't like this one but the general idea of this product is great.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2793366

We tried to give my son a haircut a few months ago and found that it was best to try it when he was bottle feeding at night when he is relaxed and ready for bed. My husband cradled him in his arms and I attempted to cut. He was too distracted and tired to notice what I was doing and it didn't turn out too bad! I'm sure with practice it will get better! Good luck.

I don't know if you've already received this advice or not, but I bought an infant bathtub at Toys R Us, and it has a little pump with a hose that will gently pump water over her head to rinse it. Or there are also little pitchers for rinsing hair that have a soft plastic front that when pushed against her head, bend to fit against her forehead so the water doesn't fall into her face.

As for cutting her hair, if you feel that you have to cut it (think of pulling it back or using headbands) there are hair salons that deal soley with children.

I hope that this helps you in some way. Good luck.

Two suggestions

You can buy a visor made from soft foam plastic material which keeps the water from running down the face
Give her the facecloth to hold over eyes, if she cannot do that, you can do it for her.
Best wishes.

With my two older kids I thought them to do the "motorboat" sound (close your lips and blow) and would sing the "motorboat song" (motorboat motorboat go so slow. motorboat motorboat go so fast. motorboat motorboat step on the gas) while I poured the water over their heads. They both loved it and now they are helping me teach my newest baby to do it.

I used a foam visor made specifically for children during bathtime. It worked great! I'm not sure where I bought it because it's been eight years but they are made of soft foam material so they stretch to fit any size infant head. The rim of the visor keeps the water out of their face. Good luck:)

When my son was that young I would use a wet wash cloth to rinse his hair. It takes a bit longer to do but works. As you brush the wet cloth backwards squeeze so the water help rinse. Eventually she'll be able to look up or put her head back. My son was always great with hair cuts, but I know some people that trim bangs or cut hair while the child is asleep.

Hi T.,

I've seen a visor-like product advertised in catalogs that supposedly prevents shampoo from getting in baby's eyes. I've never tried it myself, but maybe that would work? It might have been the one-step ahead catalog...I don't remember.

As far as cutting the hair, maybe try when she's asleep? It won't be easy and I've never done it, but I always trimmed my daughters toe and fingernails when she was napping.

Sorry I can't be more helpful.

J.

Hi there,

Try this visor. We used started using it when my daughter was 10 mos old. It worked pretty well. It has an adjustable size strap too.

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...

I've also seen products like this at children's specialty stores.

Hi, I use a wash rag to rinse my sons head. it takes about a dozen times but the water does not run all over his face. For the hair cut I would just take him to get a hair cut. It is kind of dangerous to do yourself because they don't sit still and you don't want your daughter to have one of those funny I did it myself haircuts....

I've seen a type of visor in a One Step Ahead catalog, it sheilds the eyes while you are washing or rinsing...I've never tried it, but this just might work for you. My son doesn't mind water in his face but to this day I can't stand it. Good luck.

i used to hold my daughter's head while she looked up; we had a plastic cup that held about 2 cups of water that made it easy to "pour" it over her head towards the back.. it worked great.

R.

We use a shampoo rinser that is way cool. It's a cup with a handle and the part where you pour is rubber, so you place that, quickly, on your baby's head and it keeps the water from going in her face. Cut and paste this link.

http://www.amazon.com/S-C-Products-Shampoo-Rinse-Cup/dp/B...

As for trimming...I'd avoid it until I knew that she wouldn't try and poke her own eye out with the scissors. Just clip her hair back until she is old enough to have it done from a stylist.

Good luck!

Hi,
I am a hairstylist & what we do @ the salon to prevent water from going down kids back when we are washing their hair is putting a plastic cape on their neck. What I did with my daughter (3) cause she hates water getting in her face, is i went to target & bought a bath visor. It just velcros in the back of her head & you can rinse her hair without the water getting in her face. What I do now is I put goggles on my daughter (which is fun for her) & we haven't had a problem washing her hair since she was about 6 months. On the problem of getting her hair cut, what I do @ the salon is I give the child something to look @ (i.e. a toy), which keeps their head still & their attention on the toy instead of what you are doing. When I cut my daughters hair, I sit her down infront of the T.V. & she watches cartoons while I do it. It is a great distraction & I get done what I need to do. Hope some of that advice works for you. Good-Luck.
M. Davey
M&D Salon
Loomis, Ca.
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You could try using something that filters water out like a small colander or children's bath toys that sprinkle water out. Good luck.

Hi,

We've been using a squirt bottle for quite some time to rinse shampoo (they actually gave it to me at the hospital when I had my daughter) but I also recently saw this really cool thing at Right Start just for shampoo rinsing. check out their website.

Regarding the trimming, I trimmed my daughter's hair once but just finally brought her to a professional hairdresser who only cuts kids hair. What a difference! She did an amazing job even though my daughter (who is 16 months) was pretty much moving her head back and forth the whole time.

HTH!
Jen

A wash rag heald over her eyes will help keep the soapy water out...

Re: cutting her hair... see if you can find a pair blunt tipped sissors... also you can use scotch tape to hold the hair where you want it... and slowly cut it away (idealy cutting above the tape line so you don't have to pull it out).... being a girl... I would just cut her bangs and let it grow.. it will be WAY easier on you...

I had to trim my son's hair at 4 months old and then again at 6 or 7 months because it was so long it was getting in his eyes (he's now 9 months old and due for another trim). I used blunt-tipped fingernail scissors so that if he moved he wouldn't get stabbed! I sat him on my lap, my partner distracted him with funny noises and faces or something, and I pulled the hair that needed trimming in sections between my fingers, out and away from his face, and snipped as fast as I could. I just went for getting it out of his eyes and sort of even all over as much as I could. Most babies have kinda goofy hair so I didn't worry too much about 'style' but many people have said it looks nice (but he has really lovely thick hair to begin with). Good luck, have fun!

my 8mnth old is the same way, she hates for me to rinse her hair and screams when i pour the water over her head (i bath her the same way you do). but i figured the baby shampoo won't hurt her eyes and i would like for her to learn how to swim one day without being afraid of getting her face wet or water in her eyes. so i just continue to rinse her hair the same way & figure she will soon get used to it. one thing i always do is give her fair warning that i'm going to pour water over her hair and i taught her to close her eyes. i taught her to close her eyes by showing her, when i was done bathing her i would have her sit there and watch me wash my face and get my face wet, showing her that you have to close your eyes when you splash water in your face. so she has gotten better and she gets upset a little sometimes but she doesn't scream anymore. and when i tell her to close her eyes because the water is coming she does. hopefully, soon she will not be so tense when it happens.
you could try that but each baby is different. i hope that helped a little.

Hi T.,

I had the same problem with my son who is now 14 months. He was too big for the sink, but baths in the bathtub were difficult. I ended up purchases an infltable tub that sits in your regular bathtub. ($12 at babies R us) It was perfect. It was still big enough for him to sit in and play with his toys and when it came to rinsing his hair, he would easily lye back and rest his head on the inflatable side. It has made the transition easy until he is able to tilt his head back on his own. Hope that helped.

We use a removeable shower head and put it on a medium spray and use that to wash the shampoo from our kids hair. We have done this since they were old enough to bathe in the big kid tub. Now that they are older, we tell them to look up, but when they were little, and still now if they aren't cooperating, we just go over the tops of their heads. It is quicker than trying to use a cup and more effective at getting out all the soap when they start to get more hair. My kids are not afraid of the water and we don't feel we have traumatized them at all. I just refuse to have bathtime be a struggle every time like a witnessed with my brothers kids, who didn't like a drop of water to fall on their faces, and are teenagers and still don't like to get their faces wet. Sometimes we even let them hold the sprayer and wash their own hair out (with a little help from us). My daughter is a control freak and likes to do everything herself. She doesn't mind all the water running down her face if she is the one putting it there. As far as getting a hair cut, I was petrified of cutting my son's hair for the same reason, but we took him to a salon, and he sat perfectly still for the "strangers" and let them cut his hair. I had brought a bunch of stuff to bribe him to be good (he was 11 months I think) but I didn't end up needing any of it. He enjoyed the experience. I would suggest letting a professional do it if you are worried she won't stay still, especially one that has experience cutting kids hair. Good luck.

Yes! You can buy these super cheap visors at Target or any store with baby bath stuff. They are stretchy so you can pull it down over the baby's head and then push it back up to the hairline so all the hair is above the visor. Rinse away, the water stays off their face. I'm sure a mom came up with this idea. Genius!

About the hair cut, try it. If you make a mistake, it will grow back. :-)

my one daughter hated her face wet as well my second one doesnt care but what I did was tell her to "look at the birds" then she would tint her head and then I'd rinse her. I actually hung up some birds on a string sort of thing in the tub area and she would point to them and I'd ask her if they were flying to the park or the zoo...blah, blah. I know 10 months is young but I am sure she understands some things. As for the hair cut...I have a two year old that has never had a hair cut!! I tried clips but she takes them our. I've trimmed my older daughters hair once but she was older not much help there. :-) goog luck with the bath and the birds!!

THere is a shampoo rinse cup you can purchase at Wal Mart. It is a half circle and the flat edge has rubber that gently forms to the forhead so you can pour water over the head while not getting it on the face. My niece was the same way, she would freak out when you put water on her head, but this rinse cup really helps. It has a handle so you just scoop up the water and tilt the head back and rinse her hair. It even works if she is stubborn and won't tilt her head. The rubber acts as a shield if you have it pressed against the forhead right, and you use the other hand to rub the soap out of her hair. As for the haircut issue, good luck...I would just use headbands or barretts yuntil she would sit still. My son is 2 and it is very difficult to cut his hair. They are just too curious. I guess if you pulled her hair away from her head to trim, then if she moves it won't cut her, but if you are particular about symmetry, i would wait until she is more stable. Or take her to a professional who knows what they are doing. I would make sure they are experienced with babies though. Hope this helps..Have a great weekend!

They have little visors you can purchase at Wal-mart or Target.
The baby wears this to prevent water and shampoo from getting in their eyes.
Hope this helps.

just another thought - you've already received a lot of great suggestions but since you mentioned your daugher being too big to lie down on the counter, I wanted to share one more idea. I must've *really* hated getting water in my face as a kid because I can remember being about 5 years old and lying down on my back on the kitchen counter while my mom would wash my hair in the kitchen sink! I think she'd even have me pretend I was at the salon, since I'd been with her to the hair salon and seen her with her head tipped backward at the sink to get her hair washed.

I haven't read the other responses, so forgive me if I'm repeating what someone else already said. But we bought some "bath hats" at Babies R Us and they work GREAT! They are made by Sassy and come in a 2-pack for around $6 I think. They are like a little foam visor, and they attach in back with velcro. I've been using these since my oldest daughter grew hair, and we still use them (my girls are 3 and 5). They do a great job of keeping the soap out of the kids' faces when we rinse their hair. Good luck!

When my son was that age (& even sometimes now! He's 21mths), I would just wet a large washcloth & literally wipe the soap right off his head. Now that he has a lot more hair, I still do that first, wipe off the soap, rinse the washcloth, wipe, rinse. Then if needed, I'll do one quick rinse with a cup & he's good to go. No soap in the eyes, no cold surprises. Just have to try different methods out now & then!

Hi T., As to rinsing her hair I have no good ideas to offer. Our now almost 14 year old daughter hated it, also. But it was over quickly and she adjusted to it. For trimming her hair, especially bangs on the forehead I would suggest you wait till she's asleep and one of you hold her head still while the other oh so carefully and quickly cuts the hair. It worked for me! Hope this helps, Patti B.

If your 10 month old is like mine she wont leave a silly visor on her head, my son will rip it off like he does his hats, try this instead.

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId...