Life

Here's When Your Baby Finally Grows Hair

by Lindsay E. Mack

When you're expecting, it's inevitable that you'll spend some time wondering about the way your little one will look. Speculating about eye and hair color, for instance, is all part of the fun. And although you'll get a sense of your baby's general features soon after birth, that hair-related questions may have to wait a few months. With this in mind, when does baby start growing hair? Because your little baldy is adorable, of course, but you're still curious about those locks.

The truth is, your baby has been growing hair all along, even in utero. According to the Mayo Clinic, a fine, downy hair called lanugo covers your baby around week 22 of gestation. Babies Online noted that, some infants, in particular those delivered prematurely, may be born with this downy hair. So what happens if your baby isn't born with lanugo? Basically, the hair falls out in utero and the baby eats it. Well, at least the world of the womb is big on recycling.

Freaky fluff aside, what about the hair on your baby's head? According to WebMD, the hair on your baby's head may start growing as early as week 15 of your pregnancy. That said, the way your baby's scalp looks at birth may vary tremendously. As noted in Baby Center, some babies have a lush head of hair at birth, whereas others may only have a few strands. Either scenario is totally normal.

To keep you on your toes, your baby's hair may change dramatically over the first year of life. If your little one is born with a full head of red hair, for instance, it may fall out and grow back a different shade and texture entirely, as explained by Baby Center. The second crop of hair may be a total surprise.

What if your baby is still rocking the cue ball look around one year of age? This is also normal. As noted in Parents, it can sometimes take a year or more for your baby to sport a head of hair. In the meantime, you can stock up on adorable baby hats. Hey, at least you're saving a little money on baby shampoo for the time being.