Inside: Is your little dude looking a little disheveled lately? You can totally pull off this simple DIY toddler boy haircut. Whip out those clippers and scissors mama. I’ll teach your how to cut toddler boy hair right at home. Little man is about to get a whole new look!
Have you ever noticed that parenting is made up of a series of “letting go” moments?
I let go a little when my son first fell asleep in someone else’s arms so I could nap.
I let go a bit more when my son crawled across the room to grab that rug, or took his first step.
But that first haircut? Whew, that was a lot of letting go, mama.
All those baby curls just did a number on my heart, y’all. But deep down I knew that it was time for my son to look the part of the big boy he was becoming.
Ready to take that leap of faith and let go of the baby curls?
I’ve got you covered with a simple toddler boy haircut.
The best part about this is that it’s free. I absolutely refuse to pay $15-20 for a two year old’s haircut. Won’t do it. Nope. When my son’s hair needs a trim I do it myself!
By the way, I’m not a professional hairstylist. I’m a stay-at-home mom with a knack for saving money. I have a two year old son with tons of energy. What I offer here are my own personal DIY haircut tips for mamas like me.
Today I’ve got step by step, no-fail instructions on how to cut toddler boy hair. I promise you can do this!
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you choose to purchase through my links. Of course, I only recommend products I personally use and love!
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DIY Toddler Boy Haircut Materials
- Clippers (When I first started cutting my son’s hair, I used these Babyliss Pro clippers. They were great, and lasted us for years, but finally wore out. I just recently upgraded to these awesome Wahl T-Pro clippers, and I couldn’t be happier! The T-Pro set makes it super easy to create a well-blended fade for my little man’s hair, plus I have a few extra long attachments to get that longer look on top. I highly recommend the Wahl brand!)
- Scissors
- High chair or booster seat
- Toys/ Snacks for distraction
How to Cut Toddler Boy Hair with Clippers
Here’s the quick rundown for you. Keep scrolling for more details and photos!
- Set up for success!
- Buzz the sides, bottom to top.
- Trim the top.
- Trim the edges.
Step 1: Obtain and Distract Toddler
Teddy grahams + helicopter. Done.
Step 2: Buzz the Sides
- Use your clippers to buzz up the sides. I used a #4 guard. Go shorter or longer, whatever suits your fancy.
- Start at the nape of the neck and go all the way around, up to where his head starts to curve at the crown. Make sense?
Update: With my new Wahl T-Pro clippers, I’ve started doing more of a gradual fade DIY toddler boy haircut style: starting shorter at the nape of the neck instead of one single short length for the sides. The trick is to flip out your clippers with each increasing length of guard. Make a “C” shape with your clippers to get that perfect fade from guard to guard.
Looking better already! You’re halfway there. Toss him a few more teddy grahams and let’s keep going!
Step 3: Trim the Top
For the top I use scissors. You can use a longer guard with your clippers if you choose, of course. For me, scissors work best since I’m going for a tousled look and my little guy has wavy hair. Better for me since the waves hide any mistakes!
Update: Since we switched to the Wahl T-Pro set, I love using the 2 or 2 1/2 inch guard for the top. I just make the fade from the sides blend in by using the middle length guards.
- Start in the middle and pull up a section between your fingers. Use a comb if you want. I don’t. I live on the edge.
- Trim to the desired length then work your way on either side. Repeat this until it looks how you want it.
- Place your fingers in a more vertical position for his bangs, so there isn’t a big patch of hair hanging over his forehead.
- You’ll also need to trim up the transition sections between sides and top. I place my fingers right next to his scalp, pulling the hair in between in a vertical position. Trim those transition pieces about one finger-width long. Remember to keep your fingers placed vertically so you layer the hair. This makes a smooth transition from the short sides to the longer hair on top.
If your munchkin has an (awesome) cowlick like mine does, just work with it. It’s no use fighting. Plus, I promise it will look so adorably cute when you’re finished! Almost done!
Time for a quick cheese for the camera!
Step 4: Trim the Edges
- First, switch to your trimmer. Trim the nape of his neck and the slope down from the ears. I like a nice square neckline, but you could also taper it in.
- Take your scissors and (very carefully!) trim around the ears. If you prefer, you can hold your trimmers at an angle to do a quick buzz around the ears.
All done! Looking good, little man.
Bonus Toddler Boy Haircut Tips:
Sometimes haircuts are a piece of cake. But at times you may need a few tricks up your sleeves to get the job done. Here are a few tips I’ve learned over the years with my son’s haircuts.
- Cut a hole in an old pillowcase to make a cape. This helps a bunch when all that itchy hair falls on his neck!
- Make sure your clippers are well oiled so they don’t pull at the hair.
- If your son is scared of the noise, pretend you’re a family of bumblebees.
- When you need to trim the nape of the neck, put a flashlight under your son’s shirt on his belly. This will keep him looking down so you can trim up the neck area.
I love that this style really grows with my son. It keeps his head cool through all those little boy outdoor adventures, yet is easy to adapt to school, church, and other more civilized occasions.
Update: I’m still loving this haircut process for my little man. Here he is on his first day of preschool, rocking a handsome haircut. Goodness, that was another tough “letting go” moment!
Your Turn
Are you ready to do a little letting go? Geez it’s hard, but I know your son is going to love his new look!
Ready to learn how to cut toddler boy hair? You’ve got this, mama.
Get your supplies ready, summon your courage, and just go for it! Don’t forget to pin this for later!
Let us know in the comments: What are your best tips for a toddler boy haircut?
DIY saves me a lot of money on haircuts as well. One tip I would share is to get a good cape and use neck strips or toilet paper to keep loose hairs from getting down their back. It helps them sit still rather than squirming because of itchy hairs.
Great idea Cheryl! I’ll keep that in mind for our next cut 🙂
I checked the link of the clippers you use, pretty high end. I thought I when I spent $70 for a good set of Wahl clippers I was spending a lot. But as you mentioned, they are built to last and the savings more than pay for them. I figure with my two boys’ haircuts each month, tip, transportation costs, mine trimmed by my guy every other month (scissors only on my long locks, no clippers) I am saving close to a thousand a year. Admittedly it is not as easy as you make it look, some people just should not be trusted with scissors or clippers. I had a lot of bad haircuts at the salon, and it was two bad haircuts in a row at the barbershop, that made me learn to be a DIY at home haircut mom. Thankfully my children were very young and didn’t fight me over it and my guy helped me through them so I didn’t screw up the haircuts. It does take patience and practice, and watching a number of YouTube tutorials was really helpful to get a better handle on the process.
Thanks Cheryl, I appreciate your input! Good for you for taking the DIY challenge. Since I use my clippers to cut my husbands hair as well, we felt ok going with a higher end brand. I’ve used these clippers on my husband’s hair for about 4-5 years with cuts every other week. I’ve used them monthly on my sons hair for about a year and a half. They’re still good as new 🙂
I have been cutting Pop Mullins hair for almost 50 years! And of course my three sons while they were growing up. Then on to the grands! “If I had a nickel ” !!!
50 years of the husband and three boys getting free at home haircuts. That is a lot of money saved, a lot more than just a nickel per haircut. Of course 50 years ago, a nickel had a lot more buying power, if you could have saved a nickel every time you gave a haircut and put it in a jar, or better yet invested it, you would have saved enough to pay cash for a car or a down payment on a house. In 1954, my grandparents bought a four bedroom house on a large lot and had a mortgage with taxes in escrow for $54 a month. Today I would pay more than that if I went to the salon to get my hair done. Thankfully I do not have to as this smart lady has my guy trim my hair every other month to avoid the expense and hassle of going to the salon. At Christmas, I heard my sister in law complain about how hard it was to get an appointment to get her haircut and colored this last month. And frankly her stylist did a terrible job, my brother in law said it looked like an animal chewed on the back of her head and the color job did not look very well done. So I am thankful I always get great results without laying out the $130 she spent for a bad haircut and color job. And after what I spent for Christmas, I’m glad I don’t have to pay to get my boys their haircuts before they go back to school next week.
Good for you Carolyn! Being frugal really is a lifestyle that pays off 🙂
Hi there! Where do you find the 2 and 2.5 inch clipper guards? I cannot find them anywhere for my whal Clipper!
Hi Nicole! We found some on Amazon. You may not be able to find your particular brand, but the sometimes have universal or generic brand clippers that work pretty well.
Great job!
Handsome! If you are cutting your little Princess’s hair and want some feathering, try using thinning shears. Pull hair up on your fingers just as for boy, as you cut with thinning scissors some of the hair is cut, some isn’t. You are left with feathers look. Adds volume. Not of course, a technique for super thin hair. Have fun!
Hey Julie, thanks for sharing this! I’ve have always cut my little guy’s hair, but can be so self-conscious about it at times! So it’s nice to see that other people are doing it, too. I usually just wing the trim, but I think having this little step-by-step process on hand will help next time 🙂
Best tip I have: If your husband cuts his own hair (or you cut it for him) do the two at the same time! Our little guy loves to get his hair cut with daddy, and tends to be more still during the process (to impress his daddy, I’m sure 🙂 )
Thanks again!
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Thank you so much for this! I knew my little guy needed another haircut when people at the grocery store started assuming he’s a girl again. My sister offered to help… but her boys grew up with either bowl cuts or practically bald buzz cuts! So I read this and took the plunge with just scissors after sitting him on my lap with a PB sandwich and cartoons playing. It’s not too terrible, lol!