Wednesday 20 January 2010

Little Girl's Hairstyles -Q & A: How to get the gals to sit still long enough to do their hair!!??

A recent comment (and many many others) have led me to share just some things I do to get my gals to sit still and let me play with their hair.
This is what my friend Angelia said:

I can't get my fiance's girls to sit still and play beauty shop. I even got a comb and everything. I want to play with their hair so bad, but they just run around like boys. :0(


Well, here's what I do ladies:
 
1. I go to my girls' bathroom and grab 3 things: Their small step stool, the garbage (for hairs that are combed out),  and the basket that I keep all of my hair 'tools' in (elastics, combs, hairspray, spray bottle, etc.). It's portable and I keep it under my bathroom sink so it's ready to go.
2. I park them on the small stool in front of the TV (gasp! I know). I turn it on to their favorite cartoon (or whatever they'll watch).
3. If that is not going to hack it that day, I offer a variety of my wondeful homemade nutritional snacks...such as candy, fruit snacks, pretzels,etc., to eat while they watch TV. (I am teaching excellent habits here.) 
 
My basket
This usually works 9 times out of 10 with my 3 year old. My 6 year old has been through this enough that she'll stand still for me in the bathroom and we just chat while I do her hair. But, like I mentioned in my last Q & A, it just takes repetition. Kids will get used to a routine and you can have your 15 minute window of hair time. I've found that having all my stuff readily available helps too, because if I'm constantly getting up to get something, they like to get up too and run away.
 
I hope that's doable for some of you! Don't give up--they get used to it, and LOTS of compliments help them start to like the whole 'getting pretty' time.  :)