I never realized exactly how often guys need to have haircuts until I had a little boy of my own. I think he gets it from me, but his hair grows so fast it’s almost impossible to keep up with. Oh, and as an added bonus it’s completely wild and generally stands straight on end (he also gets that from me).

For the first year or so of getting his hair cut (he had his first haircut at 11 months), we took him to a kids’ salon and had it done every time. I loved the way it looked, but it wasn’t cheap and I felt like two weeks after we had it done it was time to go back to do it again.

So…I decided to give at-home haircuts a whirl.

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I won’t lie: the first haircut was a disaster. He looked absolutely ridiculous for a few weeks, and I felt like a mom failure. It was pretty embarrassing. I’ve cut Mr. Garland’s hair for years, but he’s much easier than a wiggly little toddler head, and it’s just not the same. But I’ve got a few more haircuts under my belt now and I’ve figured out a system that works well for us.

Here are my tips for tackling a DIY haircut for your toddler.

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  1. Have snacks! I always try to give Jackson some chocolate chips or fruit snacks to eat while we do his haircut. Anything that’s small and takes a while to eat is perfect. Also, avoid sticky food because there will be hair flying all over the place.
  2. This is a great time to utilize screen time. I pull up a video on my computer (currently, he loves to watch garbage truck videos), which is a rarity for Jackson, and he’s always enthralled the whole time. It feels like a special treat to him, so it makes him a lot more patient!
  3. Unless you know what you’re doing, don’t get fancy! The first few times I tried a DIY haircut with Jackson, I watched YouTube tutorials and tried to do it the “real” way. But, um, a hairstylist I am not, and it never looked quite right. Now, I’ve switched to just doing the same length over his whole head. He still looks pretty darn adorable and if I want something a little nicer, I can take him to the salon. If I’m feeling really fancy I’ll do a slightly longer length on top, but I always use the buzzers and have totally given up on scissors except for touch ups!
  4. Talk it up! Jackson always does a lot better when I make a big deal of how exciting it will be to get a haircut and how handsome he’ll look when it’s done. I’m not afraid to make a fool of myself talking the whole experience up, and this time, Jackson actually came downstairs excitedly telling Mr. Garland how he was going to get a haircut! We also make sure to talk about how great it looks afterward – the more we can make the whole experience feel really positive, the more likely he is to be cooperative the next time around.
  5. Take it to a professional first. It was really helpful for us to have been to the actual salon a few times before I attempted an at-home haircut with Jackson. He was familiar with the buzzer and the scissors and all of the sensations that go along with getting a haircut, and it was helpful to have a professional get those first few stressful haircuts out of the way. In addition to that, I was able to closely watch the stylist cut his hair the first few times we went, and I took mental notes on some of the tricks she used and how she worked, which helped me know how to handle it when it was my turn to give it a try.

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Oh, and a bonus tip?

Don’t be afraid to try it! In the end, it’s just hair. It might look silly for a while, but it will grow back out and you can try again. I keep telling myself that if I absolutely hate it afterwards I can always take him to a salon the next time, and so far that hasn’t happened so I must be doing okay! This is definitely one of those things that you just have to try out and see how it works for you.

Do you cut your child’s hair, or do you take them to get it professionally done?