I had no idea that toddler hair would be so… challenging.
Don’t get me wrong: I *LOVE* Nora’s hair. For one, the curls are something I was never expecting in a child of mine (despite having curly hair genes, mine is stick-straight), so I am cherishing them while they’re here, because who knows if they will last? I love how it is getting longer so I am more easily able to do the little “Pebbles” hair style on top of her head, and pigtails, if the mood strikes.
The problem lies in the direction in which her hair has naturally decided to grow. It grows from the crown of her head FORWARD, a.k.a. directly into her face. It’s like… well, it’s like Justin Bieber, before he cut it. My baby has Justin Bieber hair.
OK, not really. It’s way cuter than Bieber. And it happens to look abso-freaking-lutely adorable in this pic. But it rarely falls this perfectly. In everyday life, if I don’t put her hair in a ponytail or pigtails, her hair is in her eyes all.damn.day.
For a few months, we were able to get away with barrettes, which was a really cute way to keep her hair out of her face. I still use them occasionally, but they have become less convenient since she has decided she likes to pull them out any chance she gets. Once, she put the barrette in her mouth (while we were sitting there watching her), so yeah–no barrettes unsupervised, that’s for sure. So, taking it out (her, or us) and putting it back in (us) seventy times a day is annoying.
And although the ponytail/pigtails method is still a good one, I don’t like to pull her hair back every day, you know?
I was discussing this dilemma with our daycare provider today, and she said, “Well, you could cut it.”
GAH. I know I could cut it. But I don’t want to cut it.
Truthfully, if we were just talking bangs, I would probably trim them. But, like I said, this hair that’s in her face originates at her crown, so cutting that seems like it would be… weird. Possibly even disastrous.
I’ve been trying to “train” her hair to grow to the sides by parting it, sweeping it to the side, etc. but nature always seems to take over, despite my best efforts.
If you have a little girl, how have you handled her hair? Do you stick out the “awkward” stage of growth and it eventually works itself out as it gets longer? Do you put it up every day? Do you *gasp* cut it? Any hair professionals out there with advice?
Again, LOVE her hair. I just don’t love it in her eyes.
At least it’s looking a bit better than it did back in the old days. :)
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About
I'm Heather. I'm 33 and have been married to Michael for seven years. Together, we have two beautiful little girls we love more than anything, and a miniature dachshund who drives us crazy. I'm a full-time working mom who has very little time for my own "stuff" these days, like home improvement, cooking/baking, cake decorating, and photography. Despite the team not making the playoffs since 1999, I'm STILL a Buffalo Bills fan, which I think speaks to my loyalty AND sense of humor. I can't wait to pick up the pace with travel again some day... you know, when we're done being ruled by tiny fists. Welcome to my blog.
Nolan’s hair grows the exact same way and it drives me crazy! Luckily (I guess) he’s a boy so I can just get it cut and go about our lives… but that doesn’t make it any easier for those “in between” stages.
I think her hair is adorable… you couldn’t just get the bangs trimmed a little tiny bit to keep them out of her eyes?
My daughter, Josephine, is a few months older than Nora, and they both have very similar hair. I couldn’t keep the hair out of her eyes, and it was driving me crazy! I would stick a clip in it to hold it back, but she would always pull it out. I wish I could do pigtails or little ponytails, but she HATES it when I mess with her hair and she never sits still long enough.
Anyway, I got really sick of the hair in her eyes, so I took her in to get it cut. It was a rather traumatic experience, as Jo did not want to sit still, but it looked way better after it was cut. I just had them cut the front part that fell in her eyes, and I kept the curls on the side and in the back. It was so much easier after I cut it because I can still put clips in, but I don’t have to.
Now it’s growing out, so I have to take her back in again soon. That’s kind of a pain, but better than dealing with hair in the eyes! Good luck!
My daughter’s hair is the exact same way, and she’s almost 30 months old. I have gotten her bangs trimmed and the back shaped twice now, and I just hope that someday it’ll decide to part. I’m tired of her looking like a boy when she wears anything that’s not a dress, pastel, or bright pink.
We are the same crossroads – – even call her Janie Bieber :) I have resorted to using the clip all the time. Nora’s looks like you could just cut the front and it would work and be cute.
Jane has a strange like ‘underlayer’ of bangs that are really new hairs just growing in so I don’t think cutting would work for us. I feel your pain!
Annie also has the exact same type of hair – just straight in her face. She will sometimes keep a clip in, so we do that sometimes, but usually, it’s just easier to do a pony. Her hair is now almost long enough for “real” pigtails, but they don’t stay in super well, so I just do one kind of side pony on the top of her head almost every day. I think a clip looks cuter but I hate dealing with it all day. At daycare, if I send her with a clip, she usually comes home with a ponytail :)
I don’t want to do bangs because I don’t really like the look of them and I don’t want to have to get her hair cut every month… so I just deal with it. But there is NO natural part in that girl’s hair yet – hope it shows up eventually!
My baby girl will be one on Monday. We have the exact same problem. Her hair grows from the same spot and it is ALWAYS in her eyes!!! It gets old. I am afraid if I put her hair into a pony tail every day, it will weaken her hair. And she pulls bows out every few minutes, so I only bother with those when we are out. Everyone and their grandma has suggest that I just cut it, but it’s not gonna happen. When you discover the magic secret, please share it.