A DIY for the ’do — the baby’s ’do, that is

Typically, I wouldn’t consider watching hair grow a very fun activity. In fact, it’s probably ranked somewhere in between waiting for paint to dry and waiting for water to boil. Sooo slow and soooooo boring. As a new parent, however, a whole bunch of seemingly mundane tasks are suddenly way more exciting with a baby added to the mix. Jared and I are still unbelievably impressed by everything our wiggly 4 ½-month-old says and does. Sure, she’s not boiling water yet or dazzling us with her Monet-like abilities, so drying paint and boiling water are still pretty dull, but our little Beany’s hair-growing (and hair losing, as the baby hair journey would have it) is top-rate entertainment around our house.

When Beany was born, she brought with her a fairly impressive mop of brown hair. By Christmas, though, most of that brown hair had left her head for the comfort of her hats or sheets. We traveled back home to Missouri for the holidays with a lovely bald baby, save for the long-ish strip of brown fringe that decided to stick around on the lower back part of her head. She had male-patterned baldness, my older brother said. Already before we made the trip back to North Carolina, though, that little bald head started sprouting a full head of light brown hair — and it grew perfectly upward in little brown spikes. For a solid two months, we’d wake up in the morning to find a smiley baby face under a quickly growing standup ’do, something akin to those groovy flat-tops all the kids were rocking in the ’90s. First she looked like a G.I. Joe, then a Chia Pet, then when it really got going, she looked just like her daddy (Jared has the world’s coolest, spikes-up-perfectly-and-stays-there-morning-noon-and-night hair, by the way, which in no way resembles a Chia Pet). Sadly, Beany’s spikes just recently disappeared now that enough weight is there to flop it all over, and she’s well on her way to growing a thick mop of bangs. But you know how girls are. Over one trend and on to the next.

OK, OK, I promise there is a reason I went on for a solid 350 words about my baby’s hair growth. It’s headbands! Yahoo! Through the ups and downs of Bean Bean’s hair journey, she still managed to amaze passersby with her snappy accessorizing. This easy DIY project was another Pinterest-inspired creation, and it’s fast enough to throw together during nap time (unless you’re napping, too, in which case you’re one smart cookie). I like using the felt because it holds its shape so well, but I’m sure you could experiment with different fabrics, too.

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DIY Baby Headbands

What you’ll need:
• stretch lace or elastic (anywhere from 13 ½ to 17 ½ inches, depending on the age of the wearer)
• felt
• hot glue gun and glue
• scissors

Start by measuring the size of your child’s head where you’ll want the headband to rest. Cut your stretch lace or elastic 1 inch smaller than that measurement.

Cut a strip of felt about 12 inches long by 1 ½ inches wide. Then cut a second strip that is 3 inches long by 1 ½ inches wide.

Find the middle of the longer strip of felt, fold one side in toward the middle and then fold the extra felt back toward the outside.

Repeat this step with the other side, and make sure that the folds on either side look even. Place a dot of glue in the center to hold both folds down.

Glue down one end of your smaller strip over the center of the back of your bow.

Wrap the small strip tightly around the bow and glue firmly in place at the back.

Cut a triangle shape out of the ends of the bow for a more finished look.

Put a dot of hot glue on one end of the stretch lace or elastic, and glue the two ends together.

Put a strip of hot glue on the back of your bow, and glue it to the stretch lace or elastic. Allow it a minute to dry, then marvel at your baby’s cuteness!

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What crafty business have you been up to lately? Any fun projects to share? And how about your baby hair stories? Any other spike-growers in the bunch? Do tell!

XO,
Katrina