Bangs or no bangs

[SundayCrepes]

I trimmed my toddlers bangs once. Now she looks like a sheepdog. I can either let them grow out with the rest of her hair so she ends up with a part and hair down the side of her head. Or I can cut bangs and keep those going when I cut out her hair for the first time.

I'm not sure which would look better.

Are bangs easier with toddlers?

[SpuglyRoo]

Keep in mind that you have to cut bangs often to keep them from getting in their eyes. If she doesn't hold still, that becomes a challenge each time and so growing them out and thus needing less frequent trims is easier.

[SundayCrepes]

Originally Posted by SpuglyRoo

Keep in mind that you have to cut bangs often to keep them from getting in their eyes. If she doesn't hold still, that becomes a challenge each time and so growing them out and thus needing less frequent trims is easier.

Good point. I hadn't even considered that. Most likely I'll just grow them out.

[~Demeter~]

I worked in a salon and one of the women that was a stylist often recommended that little ones have bangs until they are about 5. Her reasoning was because otherwise they are prone to giving themselves DIY hair cuts to get the hair out of their eyes. So, that might be something you want to consider. My daughter has bangs because she has that personality where she would chop it all off if it bothered her enough.

[SundayCrepes]

Ugh. Even more to consider. Who would have thought bangs or no bangs could be such a complicated choice. lol. I'm curious to see what others will say.

[~Demeter~]

LOL SundayCrepes... I had 3 boys and then a girl, talk about changing my world. My boys weren't so involved with their hair.

[SundayCrepes]

Yeah, my 4.5 year old son wants long hair just like mine. I really prefer short hair on boys but it's his hair so he can do what he wants. He has been told once it gets to a certain length it has to be in a ponytail and he's okay with that.

So right now my boy and my girl have similar looking hair "styles," bangs in the eyes, hair just past the ears on the side, and long in back (that's how hers has grown out except I cut bangs once. His is just like that having grown out of a typical boy's cut.)

A few people have thought my son was a girl. I told him that would probably happen a lot if he has long hair. He has enough self-esteem that he's okay with that.

I'll be glad when my daughter is old enough to have an opinion on her hair. Then I don't have to worry about it.

[Norasmomma]

My DD has bangs, her hair grows into her face otherwise, I am a hairstylist though, so trimming isn't an issue for me. She has a cute bob cut with bangs, her hair can be rather difficult to deal with it's really tangly and so that cut works to keep it nicer.

[nelson]

It depends on your LO's hair. I babysat a little girl with no bangs one day and I swear she was either pushing her hair out of her eyes constantly, or she just letting them hang right in front of her eyes. I would find this so annoying as an adult and especially on a kid who just wants to play and not deal with hair in their face. So unless your LO's hair somehow fell away from her face or you pinned it back, I would cut bangs. And who cares if you have to do it often, even if they are a little crooked or too short, it will usually look pretty darn cute.

[spmamma]

DD is 3 and has never had bangs. Her hair is long enough right now that I put it in braids every day, with clips to keep the wispies out of her eyes. When she was younger, I'd just put a clip or two in her hair to keep it out of her face.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of bangs - like a PP said, the upkeep seems a bit much when you've got a squiggly toddler to contend with.

[SundayCrepes]

So many pros and cons either way. Thanks for all the thoughts, everyone. I think, for now, I'll let them grow out. If it becomes a problem we can always cut them but if I don't let them grow out, we won't know if that's a good or bad solution.

Although I'm pretty sure that's my final decision, I'm loving hearing all these ideas. Who would have ever thought there'd be so many facets to bangs.

[Abraisme]

I'm generally in favor of bangs on young children. Of course it depends on the hair, but many young kids seem to have that wispy hair that is always falling in the eyes. I think that a quick trim every few weeks is easier than dealing with hair clips.

[mrsfrenchy]

Originally Posted by nelson

I babysat a little girl with no bangs one day and I swear she was either pushing her hair out of her eyes constantly, or she just letting them hang right in front of her eyes. I would find this so annoying as an adult and especially on a kid who just wants to play and not deal with hair in their face.

If my DD's hair isn't put up, it constantly falls in her face, right in front of her eyes. But I don't think it bothers her much. And if it does, she comes to me and asks to put her hair up (shes 24 months). It would kill me if my hair were in my face like that, but I really don't think she cares the majority of the time.

Anyway, I really don't like how bangs look on most small kids, so until she can decide how she wants her hair cut, I won't give her bangs.

[4Marmalade]

I have two dd's. When my oldest was younger we cut bangs. She hated any kind of messing around with her hair so we could never do clips, ponies, braids, etc... Her hair is thick and straight so it wasn't wispy hairs in her face. Honestly, it wasn't that difficult to trim them every month or so and I am no hairdresser . Now she's 5 and has decided she wants to grow them out. She still wants nothing to do with hair accessories so it's in her face but whatever....her choice .

My youngest dd has thinner, straight hair and we have had no problem growing her hair out. She loves having her hair "done" so there's no problem there. It's almost long enough to tuck behind her ear now.

I found it really depended on personality and hair type.

[HappyMommy2]

Definitely bangs. I only cut my 3yo dd's bangs every couple of months.

No way would I want to braid it or clip it every day. She would pull the clips out in 2 seconds anyways! Super easy. I was warned about by a lot of people, but bangs just make sense for us. It is a WAY easier solution than the others.

[NiteNicole]

My daughter is 4.5 and she's never had a haircut. It never got raggedy looking so I just haven't worried about it. Because it is so long, I think it would look weird with bangs. When it was long enough to get in her eyes, I started pulling the front part up in a little ponytail. It was super cute. It took a few days of her pulling it out and me putting it back and it's never been an issue since. I think because she got used to it, she's always been pretty good about letting me brush and braid her hair.

My personal preference is no bangs. I think the trimming would be a lot of upkeep.

[Flower of Bliss]

DD is almost 4. I've never cut her hair at all. Up until very very recently she refused all clips, bows, headbands, etc. Sometimes they were fun to have me put in for 3 minutes, but they never lasted. Lately she asks for clips, ponytails, braids, and buns sometimes, that will last a couple of hours...

We went through a brief phase of her hair getting in her face that a few people (mostly my mother ) commented on, but she quickly learned to push it out. I get compliments on her hair all the time, and I don't do a darn thing to it. I've never cut it, I wash it maybe once a week, and most days I'm doing well to have brushed it at all

[Neera]

I am growing my 3.5 yo's bangs. She doesn't really have thick hair or anything so, I think using up some of it for bangs is a waste. I'm also not a fan of bangs but, since she was a baby, her grandmother cut her bangs (w/o checking w/me) and it had to be maintained. It is really a mess right now as it curls up with perspiration and is not long enough to be clipped back or to use a hairband on.