Is there any harm to letting an infant's hair grow long?

Question

My niece is 7 months old, and has long hair: around say 20-25cm. We are planning to cut her hair against our wishes because we think it could make it easier for her to catch a cough or cold. Is long hair seriously dangerous?

Why do you feel that long hair could be dangerous? What are the risks you want to avoid? — Torben Gundtofte-Bruun, Mar 13 '12 at 12:53
I wasn't sure exactly what you meant about cutting the hair 'against our wish', so I left it mostly intact. Do you mean that you plan to cut her hair against her parents' wishes? — Mike Partridge, Mar 14 '12 at 17:53

score 4 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 14 '12 at 02:00

4

NO

Long hair in infants and toddlers is not dangerous. It can be irritating for mom and dad as the kid gets active and the hair gets dirty and tangled and requires more attention, but that is about it.

answered Mar 14 '12 at 02:00

tomjedrz

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simply saying "no" without any sources/references is not helpful IMO. – Aquarius_Girl May 23 '13 at 07:13

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 13 '12 at 15:22

2

I haven't cut any of my kids hair until age 3 (even my son, as it is a Jewish tradition). Their hair ranged in length. They didn't so much like when I put it up to keep it our of their face, however, that was the only down side. I don't see the danger.

answered Mar 13 '12 at 15:22

morah hochman

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We also did not cut our son's hair until 3ish. We're not Jewish, my wife just didn't want to cut it. Now he has a boy's haircut, boring but easier to keep clean and bug free. – dave Mar 13 '12 at 17:53

score 1 · Answer 3 · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:41

My youngest has only had one trip to get rid of some split ends - she is nearly 6, so her hair is long enough to sit on.

She had no problems with long hair.

Admittedly, during hot months we would tie it up into a pony tail, but that was just to help keep her cool and to stop her hair getting sweaty and tangled.

Have a look at the answers on this question about cutting a 15 month old's hair - I think they will be relevant for you.

Is there any harm to letting an infant's hair grow long?

3 Answers3