Special Needs and Harmony Barber Shop

[may_baby06]

We are getting ready for our upcoming trip and I called today make an appt. for DD to get her 1st haircut. She has head sensitivity issues and i'm really nervous about taking her. She is 4 and never had her hair cut yet. When I made the appt. I asked for the closest to closing time incase we have a major meltdown. Has anyone else ever taken their special needs child there? What was your experiance?

 

[ratlenhum]

We are getting ready for our upcoming trip and I called today make an appt. for DD to get her 1st haircut. She has head sensitivity issues and i'm really nervous about taking her. She is 4 and never had her hair cut yet. When I made the appt. I asked for the closest to closing time incase we have a major meltdown. Has anyone else ever taken their special needs child there? What was your experiance?

Personally I would start to desensitize her. Take a scissor from a kids play grooming kit, and a comb/brush and sit her in a chair. Use a towel as a cape. Go through the motions. Even if you have to start with having her sit for 30 seconds then giving her a reward and work up, it'll be great. If you can get her comfortable with the whole process of sitting, putting on the cape, and someone moving around her head and touching her head, you may end up pleasantly surprised on your trip


We had to do this same process with my son with his kung fu belt. He'd scream bloody murder when we even tried to put it on. We started with 30 seconds, slowly built up. When he got to 5 minutes at home then in his class he'd just wear it at the end for the handing out of stripes. Over the course of a few months the belt no longer was an issue. Now he asks for his belt the second we walk into the school.

 

[staceyhzoo]

We took ds to get his first haircut and my sensory dd lost it. I would also try to do things to get her ready. I would take it a step further and actually take her to a barber shop and just hang out.
It was noisy in there and dd said it smelled bad. I don't think it smelled bad (maybe a little like a cleaner), but she is very sensitive to smells too. It was a good experiance for ds, but I won't take dd there again. It took us 3 hours to calm her down, we left and went back to the room and she was still upset. She worked herself into such a frenzy she had hives. It is one of the top 5 meltdowns in her life. It took almost 6 months for her to let us cut her hair or take her to have it cut.
Hope you have a great time!

 

[snow_white's_mom]

I took my daughter who has sensory problems and adhd for her first hair cut in Disney when she was 4. She didn't have any problems. It was very croweded, so maybe if you could "stalk out" the barber shop and hope for a quiet time to go, or we left right before the parade was starting and it was pretty much empty when we left. So to have a quieter expericnce maybe trying during a parade time. I spent a lot of time playing with my daughters hair and brushing it to get her used to the feeling.

 

[billwendy]

Hi!

Definately help her prepare. If you have a hand held massager, let her use that on her arms. legs and even her head! The vibration helps to calm the sensory system. Also, I'd have her do some "heavy work" prior to her appointment - maybe pushing a stroller or getting some bear hugs from you.

I've seen them do a wonderful job with toddlers getting their first haircuts - lots of stickers and even using a spinny light up toy to distract them. I'd make sure they know that this will be difficult for her and that she will need lots of distractions. Also that they will watch you for a "STOP" signal if she is getting too overwhelmed. They are very professional there! Also, if your little one will go fo it, they have pixie dust that they can sprinkle on her hair when she is finished - maybe that'd work too????