From what I gather, some people don’t take too well to their offspring being identified as the opposite sex. I happen to think most infants look rather unisex, so this issue has never bothered me personally. Why, just a couple of weeks ago, a lady referred to Wito as a girl. HE IS FOUR. (What can I say? He’s purdy.) However, it seems that the baby-girl-being-called-a-boy thing is a much more prominent point of contention.
This must be why so many parents put horrific bow-type headbands on newborn girls. Look at meeee! I’m a girl! SEE MY PINK FLUFFY BOW??? Here’s what I’m thinking. If you don’t possess hair, you probably don’t need a hair accessory. Additionally, if a hair accessory needs to be attached with tape or velcro, you might want to reevaluate your decision-making process. Here, let me help you!
A headband to hold hair back and/or accentuate a hairstyle? GOOD.
A headband to cut off blood supply to a 3-month-old’s bald noggin? BAD.
(I feel strongly on the matter.)
(And don’t get me started on shooting stainless steel studs through a baby girl’s ears. GAH.)
Michelle
August 27, 2010 at 1:16 pmIf you watch the episode where they were all in Italy and went to the party to welcome baby Audrianna…when they walked in and showed the baby…she had MAKEUP on the baby! Green eyeshadow and blush. Oy!
CarlaGiovanna
August 27, 2010 at 3:04 pmOn the flipside, my one year old son gets mistaken for a girl just about EVERY DAY. I think it’s all his hair and he also just has a pretty face. I don’t mind it but I do mind the internal debate in my head on whether or not to correct them about it. It seems that when I do say “Oh, actually he’s a boy…” people get SO embarrassed and flummoxed and then it causes for this big awkward interaction.
If I had a baby girl though, I’d never subject her to those ridiculous headbands. It’s just ridiculous.
Re: the ear piercing thing: I can definitely understand why a lot of people think getting them done on a baby is weird and wrong. I probably wouldn’t get my daughters ears pierced until she actually wanted them (again, I only have a boy).
In Latin culture, the piercing of your daughters ears is very common though and almost a customary cultural thing. I am half Peruvian and had my ears done as a baby (wasn’t a newb but still pretty young). I really don’t care either way, I don’t think it significantly damaged my psyche or anything. I have tons of issues but I don’t attribute them to the piercing of my young, baby soft ears (but hey, who really knows haha).
slynnro
August 27, 2010 at 4:45 pmRule of thumb: If Teresa Guidice is going it, you shouldn’t.
.-= slynnro´s last blog ..Bad Inventions with Mr A- Part A Million =-.
CC
August 27, 2010 at 5:16 pmI did use headbands on both of my girls, but they were never tight enough to leave marks. They both had a ton of hair and hair clips didn’t work.
Amber and Suki both got their ears pierced at the same time. Amber was 6 1/2 and Suki was 4. Suki asked an then amber decided she wanted hers done too.
.-= CC´s last blog ..SuperChic =-.
Carrie
August 27, 2010 at 7:52 pmWhat I cannot understand is how people get their little girls to keep the damn things on! My daughter is three, with a big ol’ head of awesomeness, and very MUCH needs something to keep it out o’ her face! She will not wear ANYTHING–and I don’t have fancy Guidice bows either–simple barretts, simple headbands. She would rather look like Cousin It all the live long day.
Jammer
August 27, 2010 at 8:17 pmHahaha I would so go up to them and tell them what a handsome baby boy they have.
.-= Jammer´s last blog ..Ear Armor =-.
Rosie Campbell
August 28, 2010 at 8:21 amThose headbands are ridiculous. And to think she had all of those dresses custom made.
Aimee Greeblemonkey
August 28, 2010 at 4:30 pmLoveeeyou!!!
Suniverse
August 28, 2010 at 6:57 pmThose things make me CRAZY. Why is it that important that you gender identify your BABY? It’s a baby. It’ll be years before you need to discriminate, salary-wise.
Also, I was called a boy well into elementary school by adults [yeah, my mom was not a fan of combing my curly hair, so SHORT BOY HAIR it was] and I managed to survive. I just figured the adults were idiots.
.-= Suniverse´s last blog ..Whats underneath that =-.
Nicole
August 28, 2010 at 7:42 pmI also despose those headband where the flower is bigger than the little girls head. I think they just look so cheesy. Our daughter will get her ears pierced when she is ready. She is only a little girl for so long and pierced ears just seem to me like you are rushing them to adolescence. Bikinis, ear rings, shorts with words on the butt, it can all wait until she’s a teen. I just want her to be a little girl.
typelittlea
August 29, 2010 at 9:43 amThis is a major pet peeve of mine. It’s like people are dressing up a doll. You wouldn’t believe the pearl-clutching amongst my female relatives once I refused to dress my daughter in head to toe dry clean only ruffles and bows every damn day. Now that she’s 6, she chooses her own clothes, they are sporty and PINK PINK PINK. And she hates hairbows. With a firey passion!
rb
August 30, 2010 at 6:18 pmTotally agree. How will you ever leverage your 9 year old daughter to get five 100% spelling tests and five 100% math tests if you pierce her ears at birth? Wait till she begs you AND is old enough to take care of them.
BTW I feel the same way about male circumcision, but that one is much more controversial. If my son feels funny about his intact unit at 18, he can get it done himself.
Kerry
August 30, 2010 at 9:17 pmMeh… I think head bands and little hair bows on babies are actually kinda cute. I would never leave them on all day, but just put them on for photos. To me, that’s always been the point- they are cute and girly and all-around redonkulous, not really meant to serve a purpose. Just as innocent as dressing up a baby in cute clothes or adorable shoes (because babies don’t need shoes, either.) I just can’t imagine losing sleep over something so silly.
Of course, it drives me crazy when they are too tight for a baby’s head. And ear piercing- how bizarre, in my opinion.
Heather
August 31, 2010 at 9:42 amtotally agree with the baby earrings – I hate them!
janeedalife
August 31, 2010 at 11:10 pmSorry to say,
My toddler wears bows, not headbands, however they are obnoxiously large,
She has had her ears pierced since she was 2 months old,
And to top it off
She does pageants (no fake stuff of course, just the attire) does this make me a bad mom? Nope. I really just think everyone should mind there own business, no one really cares about anyones opinion, they are gonna do what they want, and raise their kids how they want, and if people would stop complaining about other people (like people who hate babies in big bows) the world would be a little less stressful. And really, who takes the time to write a forum about what people are putting there kids in? Im sure there’s something better to do than bash on how people are dressing their kids.