How Can I Help My Toddler’s Hair Grow – Tips, Tricks & Solutions

Many parents continually wonder why their toddler’s hair looks some type of way and oftentimes won’t grow. Many factors determine how your child’s hair will pun out, but genetics is the main culprit. Both parents determine the texture and color of your baby’s hair, but the length is determined by how well you take care of it.

According to the founder of cozy cuts for kids, hair only grows ½ to 1-inch per month and averages 5-6 inches per year. There is no magic bullet to make hair grow faster, but the most important thing and trick that can result in healthier hair that seems to grow miraculously fast is to look at your child’s diet. There is some proven evidence that certain vitamins and minerals such as Folic acids, Vitamin B, Vitamin E may greatly influence hair growth.

For your toddler’s hair to grow, you must have a good hair care routine. This article will take you through amazing tips and tricks for growing a toddler’s hair faster.

Factors that affect your toddler’s hair growth rate.

A young toddler is playing with his toys. He has very soft and light hair.

Before looking for the fastest way to grow your toddler’s hair, you need to understand that not all of them will grow hair at the same rate. Below are major factors that affect your toddler’s hair growth rate.

  • If your toddler rubs their head too much against the pillow or other surfaces, their hair might grow too slowly.
  • The fungal infection might affect toddlers’ hairs and slow down growth.
  • Some little ones are born with Alopecia Areata, a rare autoimmune disease that affects hair growth throughout a baby’s life.
  • Nutritional deficiencies can affect your toddler’s overall health, including but not limited to their hair growth. 
  • Some toddlers acquire genes that slow the process of hair growth at birth. The majority of European and Caucasian babies will have little or no hair until they are almost 2 years old.

How to stimulate toddler’s hair growth

A young toddler girl is sitting on her bed. Her mom is combing her healthy and abundant hair.

There’s absolutely no reason to be overly concerned about your toddler’s retarded hair growth, but understandably you might be eager for their hair to grow. If so, here are a few tips and tricks to help you stimulate your toddler’s hair to grow.

Oil massages

Oil massages are great for your toddler’s body and scalp. Use natural oils such as coconut and olive oils and massage them in a soft circular motion on the scalp to moisturize and nurture your baby’s hair.

Older studies have shown that coconut oil, which is rich in Vitamin E, is a nutrient with antioxidant properties and can promote hair growth by improving blood circulation to the scalp and may prevent hair loss as well as give it a nice shine is useful on hair when used as a wash and groom product. 

Use soft towels

Rubbing or drying your toddler’s soft hair with rough towels after shampooing and conditioning can damage their follicles and cause hair fall and hair thinning. Instead, keep using soft towels to pat dry your baby’s hair and be as gentle as possible. 

Weather protection 

To keep your toddlers hair from becoming brittle and dry, keep their heads covered when going out in the sun or the cold.

Styling toddlers hair

Trimming and keeping your toddler’s hair short is a smart trick but if you decide to let it grow, be sure to avoid tight hair bands or hair clips and keep their hands in mittens to prevent them from pulling on their hair. 

Tying your toddler’s hair tight will damage the follicles and ultimately cause hair loss. To prevent this, use a silk headband than a ponytail holder.

Choosing the right products

Pick mild shampoos specially designed for soft baby hair to keep your toddler’s hair shiny and smooth. Using adult products on toddlers’ delicate skin can dry them out.

Brush your toddler’s scalp

When your toddler’s fontanelle has closed completely, then you are good to comb their hair using a wide-toothed and soft-bristled comb to detangle their tresses once a day. The soft comb motion will also stimulate healthy oil production in the scalp.

Also, regular brushing and grooming can loosen cradle crap, remove dry skin, and encourage blood circulation to the scalp and follicles, which relaxes your baby, so don’t be surprised if your toddler is soothed to sleep.

Hair wash

Use baby-friendly shampoos and lukewarm water to clean your baby’s hair. You can wet your toddler’s hair every day during their bath. You don’t have to use shampoo daily on their delicate hair, and just a little squirt goes a long way for the tiny scalp.

While the accumulating dirt on your toddler’s scalp can cause dryness, slow hair growth, scalding hot water, and harsh shampoos will stress the growing follicles and cause them not to grow. 

Maintain a healthy diet

Because toddlers are on solid foods, a healthy balanced diet is crucial to helping their hair grow thicker and fuller. Feed them on food rich in iron, vitamin A/B/D, zinc, and protein.

Examples of toddler-friendly Vitamin A foods include:

  • Butternut Squash
  • Pumpkin 
  • Carrots
  • Mangoes

Vitamin B toddler-friendly foods include:

  • Beans
  • Meat
  • Eggs 
  • Potatoes
  • Wholegrain

Leafy greens vegetables are rich in iron which is essential in carrying blood and oxygen to the hair and stimulates growth. It is also important that you maintain a healthy diet as a mom if you are still breastfeeding because the foods you eat can also encourage hair growth.

Apply gelatin on toddlers scalp

Mix 1 teaspoon of gelatin powder with water and apply it to your toddler’s scalp. Gelatin’s amino acid properties can sometimes help stimulate your toddler’s hair growth. You can also choose to include a teaspoon of Apple cider vinegar or a teaspoon of honey.

Apple cider vinegar helps to promote hair growth, while honey acts as an antioxidant that restores nutrients to the hair.

Being an amino acid that can stimulate hair growth, apply the gelatin mixture to your toddler’s scalp and sit for about 15 minutes, rinse it out, and shampoo the toddler’s hair as usual.

Give your toddler a haircut

I come from a community that regards a baby’s haircut as a big occasion with a big celebration to boot because it is believed that it is a sure way to jumpstart hair growth; however, this idea hasn’t been backed by any science.

A haircut can get rid of patchiness and allows toddler’s hair to grow if they have hair loss or bald spots.

Use a trimmer and not a razor to avoid accidents and apply a moisturizer to their scalp to reduce dryness.

Tips for washing toddlers hair to stimulate growth

A young toddler girl is getting her hair washed by her mom, with her head up and eyes closed to avoid the shampoo in her eyes and face.

Water is usually enough to clean your toddler’s hair, and in some cases, you might want to skip washes, especially if the weather is very cold or your little one isn’t feeling herself. Here are a few tips to help you wash your toddler’s hair correctly.

  • Starting by setting up the bathroom by making it as comfortable as possible. It should be warm, and you don’t want to leave a toddler on her own to get anything that you might need, so everything should be right next to you.
  • Bring your toddler’s favorite toy to keep her busy.
  • Choose a chemically balanced baby-friendly shampoo. For toddlers, the better choice is a no-tear shampoo.
  • Wet the little one’s head, then take a little amount of shampoo in the palm of your hands and massage on her head slowly without pulling the hair strands. You can also use a soft sponge and don’t press on her head’s soft spot.
  • Hold and lean your toddler’s head backward to make sure that the water and shampoo won’t get into her eyes. If pouring water scares her, the soft sponge will help in rinsing the hair.
  • If your toddler has thick, tangled hair, use a detangler or hair conditioner to untangle the knots. A shampoo might not be necessary every time you wash the toddler’s hair. A spray conditioner is ideal and should be sprayed until it reaches the tangled ends.
  • A toddler with large bald spots and sparse hair should still have hair washed once per week but not necessarily with a shampoo.
  • Make the bath as short as possible and once you are done, dry the young one’s body and gently part her hair with a soft towel. 
  • Apply Johnson Cotton Touch Hair & Scalp Oil to your toddler’s scalp and body for nourishment. This formula contains real cotton, protects your toddler’s skin from allergies, and is free from paraben and dyes. 

Conclusion

Hormones also play a bigger role in the amount of hair a baby is born with as they are very high inside the womb and can accelerate hair growth. Still, after delivery and as your baby transitions into toddlerhood, the homes drop at a fast pace, and as a result, your baby’s hair growth slows down.

It is, therefore, quite normal for toddlers to have uneven hair as well as bald spots. The hair usually grows in a few months, and it will be different from the hair she was born with. Do you have any unique toddler hair growth tips? Please share with us in the comments section below.

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Hello, I am Emelda from Nairobi, Kenya. They simply call me mama Lilly. A fun of long road trips and a very good cook, along with my mommy duties to a super active girl. She inspires and challenges me in equal measure, and that is how I get to share with you our journey of triumph as we grow and tag you along.

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