Haircut Day: Getting Through the Clippers Without a Fight
By Dan Cohen · Published 2026-07-04
For some kids, the dread of haircut day starts at breakfast. It's not really about the haircut — it's the buzz of the clippers against the skull, the cape that pins their arms, the stranger's hands near their ears, all stacked on top of each other with no way to opt out mid-cut. You can't remove all of that. But you can make sure the only new input in the room is the haircut itself — everything else, including the music, should already feel familiar by the time the cape goes on.
Rehearse the soundtrack before the day arrives
Pick two or three songs and play them at home, in the car, at breakfast — days before the appointment, not just on the way there. Familiarity is the whole point: by the time they're in the chair, the song should feel like an old friend, not one more new thing happening to them. "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" by Susie Tallman and the "ABC Song" by Super Simple Songs work well for this because most kids already half-know them, which means less of their attention has to go toward the song and more can go toward staying still.
In the chair itself, keep the volume at a normal talking level — loud enough to cover the clipper buzz without adding a second layer of intensity on top of it. "Tracy" by Mogwai is a good option here: it holds one steady mood the whole way through, so there's no swell or drop to react to mid-snip.
Afterward — cape off, hair swept up, done — mark the shift with a small reward song, something with a bit of lift to it, like "Sleeping Beauty Waltz" by Tchaikovsky. It signals: that part is over, we're back to normal now.
- Days before: rehearse the same 2-3 songs so they're familiar, not new
- In the chair: steady conversation-volume, no swells
- After: a small lift, marking the end clearly
Measured, not medical — we test for gentle level and no sudden jumps, not for what any particular kid needs; you know that part. The Quiet Corner has more low-key options for the waiting chair.