Baby's first hair cut

A Chinese baby often receives its first haircut at the end of its first month. Traditionally, the baby's head was shaved except at the top of the crown to remove the hair they considered was grown in the womb. The cut hair was then tied with red string and saved as a keepsake



Tradition also dictates that you shave your baby's head, although most parents don't observe this practice anymore. Instead, they trim a little bit of hair off, to symbolise the shedding of the birth hair (hair from the womb). After the first hair cut, both the mother and the baby must bathe in water mixed with pomelo leaves, to wash off any unwanted and evil vibes.

You are meant to wrap your baby's hair in a piece of red cloth and sew it to his pillow to help calm him down. Some parents who shave the baby's entire head will use the hair from this first hair cut to make a special calligraphy brush, engraved with wishes of wisdom, health and happiness.

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