Kids’ First Haircut During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Recently we took all three of our kids to get their first ever haircut. This was also the first week the hair salons in our state had reopened during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Talk about a crazy first experience! In this blog post, I’m going to tell you how we prepared the kid’s for their first haircuts, how a haircut was different during a pandemic, and the kids’ haircut experience. 

Preparing the kid’s for their first haircut

Twins

The babies just turned one, so we couldn’t talk and explain to them what their haircut experience was going to be like. Instead we tried to get them used to what it would feel like and look like as best we could. We would hold a baby our my lap and gently hold their head still, touching their hair and all long their ears, neck and forehead. I also brush their hair frequently, probably three times a day and play with it constantly. I did not play with scissors around their heads, I only wanted the hairdresser to do this.

Toddler

“When we do something new, let’s talk about what we’ll do!” If you haven’t watched Daniel Tiger yet, you need to check it out. Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood is a children’s show on PBS, Children’s books, and a soundtrack! We love Daniel Tiger! It educates kids on playing with others who are different from themselves, food allergies, sensory disorders, emotional education, going to the dentist, getting your haircut, and so much more! 

About a month before we had my daughter’s appointment we started talking about getting our haircut. We wouldn’t spend too much time on it. I’d quickly say how some day she was going to get her haircut soon like Daniel. We also continue to physically touch her hair, play with it, and brush her hair. All while making it a fun, positive experience. If she would cry while brushing her hair, I’d stop, apologize, and try again at another time. I like using this hair brush and detangler to prevent hair brushing meltdowns!

A week before the appointment, everyday we would talk more about getting her haircut. We would discuss who would cut it, what it would look like, sound like, and feel like.

The day before and the day of, we watched the Daniel Tiger episodes of Daniel getting his haircut. All while talking about it and playing with her hair. She loves singing along with all his catchy songs. The day of, I asked her if she wanted her hair long or short like mommy’s? She said she wanted her hair long like Rapunzel. This did not surprise me. Plus, I wasn’t ready to cut off all of her baby curls at the ends of her hair!

Haircut experience during Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

My husband went to get his haircut at a different salon than us but we had very similar experiences. Where we went, we had to wait outside in our car until they texted us that it was okay to enter the salon. There was no waiting area inside. You must wear a mask and you couldn’t use the restroom. The hairstylist was also wearing a mask and completely cleaned and wiped down her area/tools with a cleaning solution before we sat down.  Hand sanitizer was at each station and each station was 6 feet apart with a divider. There were other people getting their haircuts as well, but everyone was wearing a cloth mask the entire time.

When my husband got his haircut, they said they weren’t allowed to do hairwashings, beard trimmings, or hair coloring. My hairsalon did all these things. I think different salons are more strict on what they feel comfortable doing than others. Please check with your salon before going.

For myself and my kids, it all seemed the same, we just had to wear a face mask the entire time and social distance from other customers, but this is something we are all used to by now. The babies are the exception because they are too young to wear masks. I didn’t find it difficult to wear a mask and get my hair washed and cut at all. The only bothersome thing was that some of the hair that was cut did fall into my mask during and got into my mouth. There wasn’t anything I could do about this though, because I wasn’t allowed to take my mask off.

Face Masks

If you or your children do not have a reusable cloth mask yet, check these out:

First haircut experience for the kids

We had our oldest go first. Being a pediatric nurse and giving shots or doing procedures, it is usually easier to have the older kids go first. This is because kids usually get anxious and nervous after watching the procedure/shot get performed. They also can get pretty upset watching their siblings cry. The reason why this makes a difference is because they are bigger and harder to hold still and ultimately can be more dangerous depending on the procedure.

So, we had our daughter go first and she was so brave. She’s at the age where she wants to do the same things as us, so she wanted to wear her mask. My daughter did everything Daniel Tiger did. She went up, up, up in the special chair, which she loved. She got to wear the cape, which she loved because she felt like Super Girl!

The hardest part was sitting still but the hairdresser had some good tips to distract her and knew how to cut fast. Her haircut was pretty simple so she was done in 10ish minutes. She didn’t wash her hair, just sprayed it with water and didn’t blow dry or style it after. My daughter loved getting her haircut and felt so fancy. We only cut an inch or so off but it looks much thicker and was a great first experience! The hairdresser said she was the most well behaved 3 year olds hair she cut and she sat still very well. 

Twins

Next we cut my son’s hair. His haircut took the longest at about 20ish minutes. My son sat on my lap and I tried to distract him and hold his hands so he wouldn’t grab. He didn’t move his head too much, we were more focused on him grabbing with his hands. He did much better than I expected. I wasn’t sure if he was going to cry being so close to a stranger or cry because he was frustrated from not moving or touching the scissors. However, he didn’t cry! He just got a little antsy at the end.

The hairdresser only used a spray bottle of water to wet the hair, a comb and scissors. She didn’t use clippers at this age because we thought that would scare him, we wanted a positive first experience. His hair looks cute but not as short as I was hoping, but he goal was to get the hair out of his eyes and to have a great first experience. Success!

We did our youngest daughter last. She only needed bangs cut because her hair isn’t very long but it definitely falls into her eyes. I think with her round, somewhat square face, she will look cute with a blunt bob and bangs someday. She sat on my lap while I held her hands and face still the best I could. My daughter was a little squirmy but it was understandable because the hairdresser had to comb her hair straight in front of her eyes to cut them and she had scissors by her eyes. I get it. Again, no fighting or tears and she looks adorable. This only took about 5ish minutes. Our hairdresser works efficiently and was great with the kids! 

Conclusion

I recommend you have someone go with you to have an extra pair of hands to either help hold or distract a child. Also, I did bring in my stroller to help hold the twins, so I didn’t have to worry about a baby crawling away. It was like having another pair of hands. Bring good distractions for all three kids. Get out the good stuff! If you allow screen time, this might be a good time to use it for the older kids. 

It was a fun, exhausting, positive first haircut experience during the Coronavirus pandemic. I was pleasantly excited by how well it went. Like I explained in a different blog post, when you set realistic expectations, you won’t be disappointed, just pleasantly surprised! Hope this helps with preparing you or your children for their first hair cut during (or after) a pandemic!

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