A “Dora the Explorer” cut is a standard low-maintenance hair style for small girls. The combination of bobbed hair and bangs is extremely easy to take care of, won’t be mistaken for a boy’s cut and helps keep hair off the face and neck in summer. Yet cutting into a baby’s hair for the first time is a nerve-wracking experience, and most mothers are wary of doing something as irreversible as cutting bangs.
Pros for Cutting Bangs for Toddlers
Toddlers tend to prefer hair styles that don’t get in the way. Even a very fashion-conscious little girl won’t enjoy pushing hair out of her face all day. In fact, some toddler take matters into their own hands, and cut bangs in self-defense! Doing it pre-emptively can prevent unfortunate self-haircuts.
Bangs can also be used to cover birthmarks, moles, scars or prominent veins on a child’s forehead if desired. Some bangs make glasses less noticeable.
One major advantage to bangs is that they constitute an instant hairstyle. Hair without bangs usually has to be parted, held back with a clip or headband, or otherwise dealt with to prevent a little girl looking unkempt. Bangs add enough structure to a hairstyle that some children will be able to get away with leaving the house with only a quick brush or comb-through.
Some adults feel bangs are high-maintenance because they can look greasy more quickly than the rest of the hair. Fortunately, this is not the case with children, whose scalps produce much less sebum. Bangs on a toddler will not require washing more often than the rest of the hair – face-planting into the jam aside!
Cons of Cutting Bangs for Toddlers
Bangs are quick to cut but slow to grow out. If a girl has the Dora bob bangs should be able to grow back relatively quickly, but the longer the hair grows the longer and more annoying the growing-out process will be.
Paradoxically, bangs can seem to grow very fast, as the eyes measure the short distance to a child’s eyebrows rather than the long space down a child’s back. Getting bangs professionally trimmed can be expensive. Most parents can learn to do the job themselves, but if the child in question is very scared of haircuts or won’t stay still, bangs may not be the best idea! Tight curls need to be trimmed less often than straight hair, however.
Children with cowlicks along the forehead line are also poor candidates for bangs. The quirk of hair in a cowlick can easily be smoothed back into a ponytail if the hair is long; but if it is cut in a short fringe, the child may end up with a loop of hair perpetually sticking out the wrong way.
How to Choose Bangs for a Toddler
Try sectioning off a front portion of your toddler’s hair and holding it up so the ends fall where a fringe would fall on the forehead. Remember that the bangs will likely be slightly thicker, as the ends of the hair are thinner due to breakage. Experiment with different thicknesses – thick, triangular bangs give a very different effect from a delicate, wispy fringe.
If your toddler takes after you, it might be worthwhile hunting through some old baby photos. Did you look cute with bangs as a toddler? Do your childhood photos feature an awkward growing-out stage which you remember hating?
If in doubt, follow the two-week rule – from the moment you reach a decision, wait two weeks and see if you’ve changed your mind. If you still have significant doubts, wait another two weeks. Eventually, you’ll either reach a decision or your toddler will be old enough to indicate her own preference!
Sarah Tennant - Sarah Tennant is a onetime English major who lives in New Zealand with her husband and two small children. Her interests range from ...
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