It seems that recently, Kiel's OOTD always involves a 'messy hair, don't care' look 😂. We also started noticing scratches at the back of his ears and nape. Aside from that, we've been getting questions from time to time of when he is having his first haircut...So 1 year and 7 months after he was born, we finally decided to have his hair cut. Yey! I know first time parents could relate to this feeling.

First off, when to know that your child needs a haircut:

• When hair starts to get in your baby’s eyes or is bothersome on his or her neck
• When "fly-a-ways" on the sides start to look like wings
• When people start saying that your son is such a cute little girl!

Kiel has been mistaken as a baby girl quite a number of times already -- even if he's wearing a baby boy's hat!

Tips for baby's first haircut:

• Bring your child with you to your own haircut appointment to show them what to expect. I did this a couple of times when his daddy visits a regular salon. However, I believe children are not supposed to linger inside a salon especially if treatments are ongoing. The strong smell of the chemicals could pose health risks for them. Instead, I let Kiel watch from the outside where he could also play. Good thing the salon has glass walls so everything is visible from our side.
• Bring them to the salon where they will be going to a few days before their actual haircut. This will help the child be familiar with the place and the people in it. At least there will be no more surprise brought by the new environment or unfamiliar faces when the big day comes. We never got to do this though.
• Choose a kid's salon whenever possible. If not, ask which stylist works best with children. In salons that do not specialize in kids, many stylists don’t like to work with kids, so it’s important to know in advance who does. Salon for kids have staff trained to properly handle kids for this purpose. They probably must have a lot of patience too. For us, we chose Kutie Kuts Kids Salon in SM Marikina.
• Bring an extra shirt in case they don’t want to wear the cape. (Sometimes it helps to remind little boys that super heroes wear capes!). Even if a cape is used, it would still be a good idea to change your child's shirt after the haircut. The cut off hair can be extremely itchy on bare skin. This would freshen him up and will also signify that the process is done.
• Pick a time that is good for your child; not nap time, snack time, or that cranky hour in-between. The child must be in a good mood to make the process easier. For our case, we came from his pedia check up prior to going to the salon. Not the ideal time I know since he was stressed with the idea of always getting a vaccine whenever he sees his pedia. Good thing he was able to handle the situation without being stressed much.
• Bring a book, a favorite toy, or a lollipop. Boredom is sure to bring out the worst in both of you! This applies to the waiting time if it's not yet baby's turn to sit in front of the mirror. In most kid's salon, there are available toys that customer's can play while waiting for their turn.
• Bring something that you know will help distract baby's attention while his hair is being cut. Be it his favorite toy or his pacifier or his favorite TV show, you will surely know what will make him stay still.
• Do not use the word "cut", when communicating with your little one. The word "cut" can be scary for some kids. Say "trim" or "style".
• Use fun nicknames for the equipment. For instance, "wind machine" for the blow dryer or "Mr. Tickle" for the buzzer. This helps the child to be less afraid of the noise.
• Mom and dad….remember to relax! If you are nervous or overly emotional, your child will pick up on it. A baby’s first haircut is often harder for the parents than it is for the child!
• If your baby is having a hard time sitting in the styling chair or fussing let him or her sit on your lap during the haircut. This will help your child feel comfortable. Moreover, you could at least control his movements and stop him from moving too much.
  
• Bring a camera to record this first time experience. You don't want to miss this first time in your baby's life.
  
• Don’t forget to save the first lock of hair for your Baby Book! For us Filipinos, they say to keep your baby's first strands between the pages of a book. They say he will grow up intelligent. There's nothing wrong with beliefs like this, but who knows?