Not too long ago we took my son to get his first official haircut.  I had been cutting his hair up until then but frankly he was looking a little ragged.  The first time was crazy and not so great.  The second time was better because we changed it up a bit.

• Find someone who is good with kids.  We went to a special place that caters to cutting kids hair and they weren't that great.  We then went to Bob the Barber who had been cutting hair for about 45 years and had 7 grandchildren.  BINGO!!!  He knew just how to make Ethan feel comfortable.
• Take a special toy that will keep your child occupied.  We took Ethan's favorite dinosaur and he was properly distracted.  He kept telling his dinosaur everything that was going on and he definitely felt more comfortable.  Bob also had a stack of children's books to entertain if and when Ethan started to get nervous.
• Have your child sit on Mom or Dad's lap when they get the haircut.  Ethan sat on his dad's lap and wasn't even one bit nervous because he knew that his dad would take care of him.  Making your child feel safe makes all the difference in the world when the whirl of the clippers starts to go. 

These are just a few ideas about how to make getting a haircut just a little more fun.  What kind of things do you do to help your child adjust to new and perhaps uncomfortable situations?