[forty-two]

Originally Posted by WanderingJuniper

I ask these questions very gently because you do seem really overwhelmed.
Why do they need cuts twice a month?
Why do they require baths immediately after?

WRT baths, my dh always showers right after I cut his hair b/c of the cut hairs stuck in his hair are really itchy. Ds does the same thing, although I don't know whether it is b/c of the stuck hairs or b/c it's what Daddy does.

~*~

I agree that stretching haircuts sounds like a good idea, esp with how much the whole thing stresses you out. I don't think I cut dh and ds's hair more than once every two months . And I delegate the mess clean-up to dh. Is it possible for your dh to partner with you in this? Supervise baths or do the cleaning up or whatever else would be helpful?

Since the existence of the hair mess and the likelihood of your youngest getting into it stresses you out, would it help to clean up after each kid?

Order-wise, here's some thoughts that come to mind:
1st: M. Have G clean up the hair while you bathe M.
2nd: G. He can bathe himself while you immediately move onto
3rd: V. Have G supervise him in the bath while you do the final clean up (or clean up himself if you think he'll do a good enough job), and then you can pop in after cleaning to supervise the actual washing up part. If G's not fast enough to be out of the tub when you need to wash V, then have him postpone his bath till after V's bath.

Also, with the younger ones being bathing-reluctant, I'd schedule haircut day for a normal bathing day - hit two birds with one bath .

With the hair mess stressing you out - what about it is a problem? I might be more lackadasical than you, in that whatever hair gets on me (not much, usually) I just brush off before cleaning the floor - it wouldn't occur to me to need to change clothes. (When dh cleaned up with a vacuum, I'd have him vacuum off any particularly bad sections, but mostly I just haven't worried about.) I totally agree about getting an apron in your shoes - that's an easy solution.

Does the hair really fly around so much when you cut? Again, my tolerance might be higher, but I cut it dry and, idk, the mess stays pretty contained - within a three foot circle. (Honestly, the idea of cutting it damp, with the way wet hair sticks to *everything*, sounds thoroughly horrible .) Dh/ds sits on a wooden chair, no shirt, and I put the barber's drape around him, occasionally brushing the hair off the drape to the floor. When he's all done, I brush the hair off the drape more thoroughly, take it off, brush off any hair that's on the torso, brush the hair off the chair, move the chair, and have the haircuttee sweep up the hair on the floor. We always cut hair over tile (cutting over carpet *would* drive me mad), and in our new house we just use a little handbroom/dustpan combo for sweeping it up. Very straightforward and easy to do after each person.

Thought - can you cut hair in the bathroom where they bathe? That way you could supervise bathing while continuing to cut hair, and you'd always be right there to prevent people from getting involved in the hair mess, plus bathrooms usually have hard floors. Pick up all the bath mats and you've got a small, hopefully hard floored room where the mess can be contained and easily cleaned.