If there’s one thing we know about toddlers, it’s that this age bracket has a short attention span. Not only this, but their whims and desires can change at a moment’s notice based on what’s going on around them. Any task that requires prolonged attention or focus is going to be a difficult proposition for them. And when it comes to haircuts, it can be difficult to know where to begin when it comes to easy toddler hairstyles.
The first thing to remember is that it’s all about getting your young child into a more relaxed state, where the idea of sitting still will set up some kind of reward for them. If there’s no response to this, then it may be best to keep as much stimulation nearby as possible. This way, even if your little one doesn’t want to be calm, the distraction in front of them may force them into wanting to.
Is It Possible for a Toddler to Sit Still?
Depending on the age of your toddler, it may be more or less possible for them to sit still for a prolonged period. Simply put, the older the toddler is, the easier it will be on you. These different brackets will have different ramifications and might help you choose amongst the easy toddler hairstyles that are available to you.
Before we get into the styles themselves, we’ll give you a brief overview of toddler attention spans, depending on how mature they are. Note that every child develops at their own pace, so these are just some generally accepted milestones that can give you a rough outline of what to expect.
8-15 Months
This is the hardest age by far and the best candidate for the fastest of the easy toddler hairstyles. It will be unlikely that your child’s focus will remain in the same place for longer than a couple minutes, even if they are focused on playing with a toy. These toddlers are very sensitive to any new thing that happens, so combatting this short attention span will be difficult in a barbershop or hair salon.
16-19 Months
This phase shows a little bit of improvement when it comes to attention span. Now focus can be extended to a task or point of focus for about 3 minutes. There may still be some residual restlessness during these minutes as well. Because of this, you are very much in the same boat as you were in the previous bracket; though now it may be easier to distract the child and then briefly focus them than it was before.
20-24 Months
Again, there are subtle improvement from the previous bracket in this age group. Now the worst offenders when it comes to the child losing their focus will be random or sudden sounds. See if the child will tolerate listening to continuous relaxing music during their haircut. This may help or hurt, depending on whether they like the music or not.
25-36 Months
Now there begins enough improvement that it might be possible for a more prolonged option when it comes to easy toddler hairstyles. The attention span window here is between 5-8 minutes. In addition, the child can listen to commands and instructions and then shift focus back to where they were involved before.
3-4 Years
Now we’re starting to get out of toddler territory. By this point, the child in question may be able to sustain continued focus for between 8-10 minutes. Also, focus can be retained on the original task while receiving information from an adult or the hairstylist present. It’s also here that the first conversations between hairstylist or barber and child might begin.
Why It’s Hard to Comb a Toddler Hair
Combing a toddler’s hair is a different story. You’ll want to choose a set of easy toddler hairstyles that are appropriate for a variety of occasions and that the little one’s current hair length can support. The reason that toddler hair is so difficult to comb is because of how sensitive the scalp is as well as their reaction to having a part of them pulled on; even if it’s just enough to comb their hair. As you’ll soon discover, the benefits of many of the girl hairstyles is the use of ties, clasps, and bows. With boy cuts, a few passes across the head should work. If this is too much, it may be best to keep hair on the shorter side.
9 Easy Toddler Hairstyles for Your Wiggly Child
Now we’ll go into some common easy toddler hairstyles that are simple to accomplish. In many cases the actually haircutting process will be the hardest part, followed by making sure they don’t pull the necessary accessories out of their hair during the course of the day. We’ve included 7 traditional girls cuts and 2 traditional boys cuts. We’ve arranged them this way because for boys there are much simpler methods of styling hair, though if you have a particularly mellow boy, you can feel free to get exotic if that can be done. Also, make sure you listen to your child’s preference. Perhaps they want to try out a non-traditional cut.
Hair Bow and Bobby Pins
It may be that just the bow is in order if your child is too young. Though also, if they’re so young that they could choke on said bow, this isn’t the preferred easy toddler hairstyle either. However, if they can handle it, putting a bow in their hair and sticking in some bobby pins could tame the mess that long hair might bring.
Side Part Pig Tails
Pig tails are a classic child’s cut. Incorporating the side part means that you don’t have to be too concerned with symmetry. One side can be a little off and it’s still alright. Feel free to lean on this one for young girls, because one day, she’ll probably retire the pig tails for good.
The Wonderful World of Braids
Braids are a great way to give your child confidence. They look great and can be a nice looking reward for them after they’re been still for a while. There are as many different braiding styles as there are pasta styles, so feel free to pick a form that you feel best expresses your child’s personality. Just remember that the younger they are, the less likely they’ll be to be still for longer amounts of time. In fact they may get so fed up that they’ll pull the braid out all together.
The Side Pony
This is a very versatile look that can either include a bow or not, depending on your preference. It’s also a classic kid’s look that’s instantly recognizable and may get more than a few onlookers to burst out into expressions of joy and admiration. Make sure you wet the hair before and also have a solid elastic that’s not likely to come out.
The Double and Triple Tie
This is where you can get creative with your elastics and the patterns on the head. Depending on what you choose, you can weave pieces of hair through many different channels to get your desired effect. This can provide some cute looking patterns that are sure to turn heads. But don’t stop there. Along with these patterns, you can also incorporate beads and little bows if you’d like too. Just make sure your child is old enough not to think of swallowing whatever you add.
Twist Ties
This is similar to the last entry, but in this case you twist the hair into twizzler patterns before securing it with however many elastics/accessories you choose. This can make for some interesting parts and poofs if you do it right. It all depends on how close to the scalp you choose to place the elastics.
The Bean Sprout
This style could arguably be for boys or girls because of its unique ‘little rascals’ appeal. It involves taking a single elastic and placing it in the middle of the head so that it looks like the hair coming out of the center top looks like a bean sprout.
The Boy’s Buzz
This involves keeping the hair as close to the head as possible. If you want something that’s low maintenance for your boy, then this is the way to go. If you have a little bit of wiggle room and your guy can tolerate a comb, then the last style could be in order.
The Boy’s Cut
There’s a wide range of what can look good on boys. Generally, the longer it gets the more trouble you’ll have to go to in styling your kids hair. Don’t let this deter you from going for a longer cut if your boy is up for it, though. Some can tolerate more of a rock-and-roll kid look than others!
Conclusion
We hope these easy toddler hairstyles will help you pick what look is right for your pride and joy. Be sure to look through our additional resources if you’re seeking a new look for yourself, or are interested in more exotic hairstyles.
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