Are you planning to shave off your little angel’s head?

Be it the tradition that says the hair a baby grows with brings along his foes from the past life; the myth that the hair grow faster, thicker, prettier after shaving the scalp off once after birth, or is it your personal desire to see the baby once with the bare head, shaving off your baby’s hair is one moment that comes in almost every parent’s life, at least in a culture like ours! But hey, Wait a second! Shaving off the baby’s first hair isn’t something we Hindus follow alone. Various other cultures like Muslims, Chinese, Polish, some tribes in America (Apache, Caribbean to name a few), and Yazidi (as far as I could collect) are a few more cultures that follow this ritual of shredding off the first locks of the baby within first few years of her/his birth.

When it comes to our generation, there isn’t much to do with the traditions especially, when it is about the baby. The modern world is actually more concerned about the health of the baby, the looks and the appearance, the social status it adds to, and simply what the trends in parenting and baby care are.

Shaving off a boy’s head is a common (or, say popular) ritual, known as Mundan Ceremony. So when we plan out to host the ceremony, all we pen down is the venue options, number of guests, menu, music, return gifts, dresses and the list of similar things go on and on..

But when it is a baby girl, either you throw a ball at the best and the most suitable venue you come across, or you quietly bid farewell to her long, blonde locks. But there are a few key areas that must be taken care of before you simply shave off her beautiful tresses.

   A couple of months before you  plan to shave away the tangles, make sure whatever you shop for her goes well with her bald head. Do not go for frocks, skirts, frills, nets and laces; instead, buy some boyish clothes like knickers, shorts and dungarees, jeans, tees and sweatshirts, kurta pajamas, and the similar stuff. Fling into her drawers some cool caps, bandanas, sporty vests to be worn with shorts), colourful waist belts and some cool accessories to be teamed up with her new, changed wardrobe.

Then, make sure it isn’t the winters when you are planning to shave off your little angel’s head, as the newly exposed scalp is more vulnerable to cold wind and breeze and at times it’s really difficult to convince her to wear a cap that would protect! Summer is, perhaps the best time for this, as monsoons again can bring in infections (in case of a cut) that take longer to cure. So as soon as the summers knock the door this time, get your daughter’s head smooth on top. This will also give her a great relief from heat and sweat.

Shaving off the head of a kid isn't as easy a task as it sounds. You will face a lot of resentment, crying and snubbing. Suggestion- Start preparing your kid well in advance and infuse the sense of excitement to see herself without her hair. Show her some cute pictures and posters of bald kids and tell her they not only look pretty but also catch all the attention everywhere they go! Probably, she’ll be ready to be a happy, bald kid for sometime at least. Or tell her a story. Tell her she can be a boy for sometime (for a change)… give her a pseudo name that sounds like a boy, tell her she’ll be wearing boyish clothes and can be as naughty as the mischievous boy she observes around.

Getting her mane shaved of is a one-time occasion that you’ll presumably remember for life. But, before you do so, click some pictures of her in various hairstyles to remember (and show her when she grows up) how her first hair locks looked. Don’t believe in the myths linked with ‘Mundan’ as hair are completely driven by genetics and not by a razor. Be practical, think wise and don’t get swayed away by any myths and misconceptions when it is your baby.