Getting eyelashes, pet hair or stray hair stuck in your eyes can be annoying and uncomfortable, and it’s even worse for your baby or newborn's eyes.
We've got you covered if you’re wondering how to safely remove hair from a child’s eye. This article will tell you how to get a hair out of a baby's eye and other debris that has found its way into your baby or newborn’s eye.
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What To Do if Your Baby Has Hair in Their Eyes
Though eyes are self-cleaning, they might occasionally need a little assistance. If your baby has hair in their eye, follow the instructions we’ve included in this section.
Note: If you're uncomfortable at any point during this process, we highly recommend contacting a skilled medical professional or doctor. You definitely don't want to take a chance and end up damaging your baby's eye (or tear ducts) as you try to safely remove hair from your baby's eye.
How to Safely Remove Hair From a Baby’s Eye
If your baby has hair stuck in their eye, don’t panic! Take a deep breath and keep reading:
- Move into a well-lit room.
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Get someone to hold your baby or swaddle them to keep them still.
- Gently pry their upper and lower eyelids apart with your clean fingertips. Be careful to avoid scratching them with your nails. If needed, cut your fingernails before you begin this process.
- Try to find the hair. If your child is old enough, ask them to look from side to side to help you locate it. Be sure to use a clean hand.
- Dampen a Q-tip, cotton ball, cotton swab, or soft washcloth with lukewarm water.
- Carefully wipe or gently dab the hair to remove it. Using a damp Q-tip often works best. Just be sure to use the utmost care.
- If the removal was successful, keep an eye open for signs of ongoing irritation. If the offending hair is still stuck in their eye, try to flush it out with warm water.
How To Flush Your Baby’s Eyes
Here’s the proper way to flush debris (or foreign objects) from a baby’s eyes.
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Have someone hold the baby or swaddle them in a blanket to keep their arms from getting in the way.
- Lean your baby’s face to the side to prevent water or saline solution from running into their mouth and nose.
- Place a clean towel under the affected eye to soak up the excess fluid.
- Gently hold the affected eye open and try to locate the hair.
- Slowly pour lukewarm water or saline into their eyes using a small cup with a spout or an eyedropper.
- Keep flushing until the hair is gone - for up to 15 minutes.
How To Keep Your Baby Still
One of the hardest and most important parts of removing hair from a baby’s eye is keeping them still. Preventing them from moving helps make sure you’ll be able to remove the hair and avoid unintentional injury to their eye.
Here are some tips to help you wrangle a squirming baby.
- Swaddle them - Wrap the baby up in their favorite blanket to stop their flailing arms in their tracks. Swaddling will also prevent them from rubbing their eye and causing more irritation. You can also put a towel underneath your baby if you don't have a blanket handy.
- Remain calm - If you panic, your baby might get frightened or become fussy. Stay as relaxed as possible to keep everything going smoothly.
- Distract them with their favorite song or toy - The calmer your baby is, the better your chances of spotting and removing the hair. Grab their favorite toy or play their favorite song to keep them relaxed.
Dos and Don’ts of Removing Hair From Baby’s Eyes
Now that you know how to remove hair from your baby’s eyes, we’d like to provide you with some helpful tips to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible.
Do’s
- Do get all hands on board. It may take two people to remove a hair from your baby’s eye. One person to hold them still, and another to remove the hair.
- Do use a cup with a spout to concentrate the stream of water. If you don't have a cup with a spout, you can use a paper cup.
- Do wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Introducing bacteria to an eye can cause an infection.
- Do check with your pediatrician before adding styling products to your baby’s routine.
Don’ts
- Don’t use your fingernails or a sharp object when trying to remove hair from your baby’s eyes.
- Don’t hesitate to seek medical attention if you’re unable to remove the hair. While it might not seem like much, hair can damage your baby’s delicate eyes.
- Don't let your baby rub their eye. The stuck hair might scratch the eye’s surface.
- Don’t use an unwashed cloth, towel, or hands to touch your baby’s eyes.
- Don’t flush your baby’s eyes with heated or hot water.
How To Keep Hair Out of a Baby’s Eyes
As your baby’s hair continues to grow, there’s a good chance it’ll start to get in their face more often. If you’re looking for solutions to keep your baby's hair out of their eyes, the information we’ve provided below is for you.
Get Your Baby a Haircut
If your baby’s hair is constantly getting in their eye, you might want to consider a more long-term solution.
Although many parents may dread haircuts, they are the most effective way to keep your baby’s hair out of their face. And don’t worry! Their hair will grow back eventually.
Try Styling Products
You can use gels, creams, mousses, or pomades to slick your child’s hair back and away from their face. Just use gentle products that are made for a baby’s sensitive skin to avoid potential irritation.
If you don’t want to use styling products, you can try using natural alternatives like shea or cocoa butter.
Use Hair Accessories To Pull Their Hair Back
Hair accessories are a great way to keep your baby’s hair out of their face. Just make sure they’re baby-friendly.
Accessories geared towards newborn babies are much more gentle on the hair and scalp than the ones designed for adults. Here are some different accessories you can try.
Best Hair Styling Products for Babies
When it comes to styling a baby’s hair, you want to use products that won’t irritate their delicate skin.
That’s why we’ve scoured the web to find you some of the most gentle and effective hair styling products that will help keep your baby’s hair out of their face and eyes. Here they are!
FRAGFRE Light-Hold Styling Gel
This hypoallergenic hair gel is unscented and free from potentially irritating ingredients like alcohols, phthalates, parabens, sulfates, BHT, dyes, and preservatives. It gives you a lightweight hold that won’t flake up or aggravate your baby’s sensitive scalp.
T is for Tame Hair Taming Matte Cream
For light, frizz-free hold, look no further than this vanilla-scented cream. Its award-winning formula tames your baby’s locks without leaving them greasy, stiff, or sticky.
It’s silicone, phthalate, and paraben-free and is infused with organic ingredients like coconut and jojoba oil.
Lucci’s Children's Grooming Supply Styling Pomade
This gentle pomade doesn’t contain any parabens or sulfates and is perfect for babies with hair that needs a little extra hold.
It’s plant-based and full of nourishing ingredients like olive oil, coconut, shea butter, and aloe. Just a small drop will tame even the most stubborn cowlicks!
Hip Peas Natural Hair Styling Balm
This gel doesn’t contain any questionable ingredients like phthalates, parabens, sulfates, and petroleum derivatives like the other entries in this list.
Instead, this vegan pomade is powered by soothing ingredients lavender, aloe, comfrey, and blueberry. It gives a light hold and is perfect for taming wayward locks.
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When your baby gets hair stuck in their eye, their natural reaction is to rub it. Doing this can damage their delicate eyes, so address it immediately if you see a hair trapped.
Your baby will need to stop rubbing their eyes to prevent making the problem worse.
We hope this article has provided you with all the information you need to safely remove hair from your baby’s eyes and give you tips on how to prevent it from getting there in the first place.
