Before proceeding, you might want to prepare the following essential barber tools and materials for your do-it-yourself (DIY) haircut:

1. A toy, book, or any item that your child enjoys holding.

2. A pair of scissors that is ideally a barber’s scissor but since you most likely do not have one, a sharp scissor with preferably blunt tips. Ensure that the scissors that you will use are sharp so that cuts are precise and to avoid pulling your baby’s hair which will surely hurt his scalp (BUY YOUR SET HERE).

3. A big shirt that you can drape your baby with.

4. Talc-free baby powder but since I do not have this on hand, I was forced to use talcum powder.

5. Spray bottle with water, but I do not use this.

 

Now that you are ready, here are some tips on how to successfully cut your toddler’s hair:

 

Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind when cutting your toddler’s hair is to ensure that he is relaxed and at ease. This is where the toy or book will come in handy.

 

Let him hold his favorite toy or book because this will give him assurance that the haircut is not something to be feared and that he will, in fact, enjoy the experience. For our baby, we play his favorite children’s videos on the tablet just like how they do it at Cuts 4 Tots.

Aside from these, it is also important to talk to your child throughout the process. Tell him that it’s okay and that it will not hurt.

Talk to him when you are cutting his hair, ask him if there is something that he wants or if you would like to have a break for a short while. What I also like to do is to sing together with the video that my son is watching.

 

Ensure that your baby is comfortable throughout the haircut. You can pick a quiet corner in your house so that there will be no distractions when you do it.

You can also put him on a chair or have him stand up if he chooses to do so. Feed him before you start the haircut because a hungry baby is not one that you want to mess around with.

 

Also, drape him with a big shirt or towel to minimize the amount of hair that will come in contact with his skin. You would be surprised how those tiny hairs could cause so much irritation to your baby.

What I do is to regularly brush off the hair with a piece of cloth, like a face towel or folded shirt, with baby powder. The baby powder helps a lot in relieving the itch and irritation caused by the little hairs that fall.

 

Take your time in cutting your child’s hair. Above anything else, this is a safety precaution to avoid any unwanted incident involving sharp scissors, blades, or razors.

Also, while this article is not a hairstyle tutorial, you may want to ensure that you are giving your baby a decent haircut.

By cutting the hair slowly, you can control the length of the hair that best suits your child. You have the freedom to adjust the haircut accordingly based on how you want it to look afterward.

Related to the above tip is to cut the hair by section. Do not cut the hair in big chunks so that it will not look uneven, or much worse, an inverted bowl.

Take small sections of the hair using your forefinger and middle finger and cut the ends slowly. Once you get the hang of it (after several haircuts, of course), you will be able to gauge the amount of hair that you are confident enough to chop off in succeeding haircuts.

Here's how to cut the hair by section (photo courtesy of pexels.com)

You may want to begin with the sides, cutting little sections until you get the length that you desire. Using that length as a reference, you may work through the rest of the hair, working through the sideburns, the back of the hair, the top, and the front.

The key is to follow the shape of the head and the shape of the face. Remove stray hairs, especially at the back of the ears, the side of the sideburns near the eyes, and the back.

The front, especially, should look neat and textured and not single-length bangs, so it’s really important to cut the hair in small sections.

If you are comfortable and confident enough, you may use a razor (I use a disposable shaving razor) to further clean up the sides and back. Run it also through the hair to add more texture.

After the haircut, immediately give your baby a bath to remove the hair on his body. Do not leave the hair on his body for a long time because it will cause itch and irritation. It’s definitely not a good experience and your baby would not look forward to it.

The finished haircut looks quite decent

That’s it, those are my five top tips on how I easily and successfully give my toddler a haircut. Would you have anything more to add? I’d love to hear how you cut your baby’s hair. Share them please in the comments section below.