Posted By: sittercity on
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008, 12:31 pm
Sitters -- this one works for you too!
Dear Genevieve,
My 4-year-old daughter HATES having her hair brushed. It's a part of our morning routine, and she gives me the biggest screams you can imagine. Her hair is very fine and thin, so I have to put it in a ponytail to prevent it from getting so straggely. I just don’t have time to fight with her anymore and now she's requesting that her teacher brush her hair at school! Ugh.
I am expecting my third child next month, and money is tight right now, so we're really living day to day. Any suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Frankie
———-
Dear Frankie,
I'm sorry to hear that times are tough right now, and I hope that my humble advice can help make your morning routine a little easier. Let's get right to it.
The fact that your daughter allows SOMEONE to brush her hair, even if it's not you, means that she's at least open to having her hair brushed. Ask the teacher if she has any special techniques for brushing your daughter's hair. If the teacher is doing something you can duplicate -- great! If not, then it seems that your daughter is just giving you a hard time.
Here are some more tips that might help:
-1- Give your daughter a doll with hair that she can brush while you brush hers. That way, she'll feel responsible taking care of something, and she'll also be too distracted to battle with you.
-2- Play "beauty parlor" and welcome her like a salon guest. Tell her it's time to "style" her hair instead of “brush” it. You can even tie a colored ribbon around the brush and tell your daughter that this is the special brush that you use for your very best customers. Give her a magazine or book to read (again, distracting her) and keep telling her how beautiful she's going to look with her styled hair. When you're done, give her a mirror to see the finished product, and smile big and put your hand out asking for a tip -- she’ll probably give you a low-five instead, which you should pretend is your payment. It's more like a game than a chore.
-3- Let your daughter brush her own hair. Spray some detangler in her hair and let her comb it herself. Tell her that she's doing a great job, and when she's done, tell her that you want to add your special "Mommy touch" to finish it off. Smooth out any areas she missed.
-4- Since you put your daughter's hair in a ponytail, consider investing in some inexpensive but colorful hair clips and elastics. Put them all in a box, and while you're brushing, let her pick out her favorite for the day. This gives her control over her look and distracts her enough so you can get the job done.
-5- After her evening bath, braid your daughter's damp hair into two pigtails the night before your morning routine. (Make sure the braids are low and loose so she's not uncomfortable sleeping.) Let her sleep on her braids, and remove the elastics in the morning when you'd normally be brushing. This will prevent the nighttime tangles that can cause pain and struggle when brushing, and her hair may even look fuller.
-6- You may also want to consider an inexpensive haircut. Shorter hair is easier to manage and will mean less time spent brushing in the morning. If you go with a simple style, it may be easy for you to cut periodically yourself, saving some extra cash.
Good luck!
~Genevieve
A few tips from Sittercity members:
hsomers: Try changing her pillowcase -- A silk or satin pillow case will eliminate a lot of tangles.
helen1011: Holding sections of the hair and brushing starting at the ends and working towards the scalp will alleviate alot of pulling and split ends. This technique may relieve some of the discomfort and also be kinder to the hair.
AmyT: With a girl I sit for, I have had her sing her ABC song or some other song while I brushed it out to distract her enough to keep her busy.
Ask Genevieve your own question!
Visit Sittercity.com to find babysitters that know a lot more than how to brush a child's hair. 
Tags:
brush, tips, hair
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