6 Things About Having a Red Head Baby or Child
Nearly six years ago, Bart and I unexpectedly hit the parenting jackpot when Ani was born a red head baby.
Being a mom of all girls has had some unexpected surprises. Pop in your email address and I’ll send you the six things that have surprised me the most.
Within moments of her birth, the nurse was looking at our baby daughter carefully and saying, “Does she have some red in her hair or is it the light?”
Every nurse and doctor who stopped in to check on her over our hospital stay asked about our redhead newborn.
And as she’s grown up, her hair has become more and more noticeably red.
Since both Bart and I are not redheads, we weren’t ready for what life would be like with a red head baby.
Here’s a few insider tips, in case you also have a red headed baby girl or boy too:
People will comment on their red hair constantly
Frankly, it’s a little like going out in public with a celebrity sometimes. I can’t remember a time we’ve been in public in the last six years that SOMEONE hasn’t mentioned it, whether it’s the cashier at the grocery store or an old man in the parking lot. And guaranteed, they will tell you about their red haired grandson or their sister with red hair(I’m 100% guilty of this same phenomenon with twins – anyone with twins, I am basically forced to tel them that I have twin nephews).
Sun protection is no joke with redheads
With that gorgeous red hair often comes some pretty fair skin, which means that although I try to be careful about sunscreen or hats for ALL my children, Ani is the one I worry about the most. I definitely don’t want her skin to be the same color as her hair!
That stereotype about red heads having fiery tempers is a stereotype for a reason
At least in Ani’s case, there’s an element of truth to that redhead stereotype. Generally, she’s very pleasant, but if she’s mad? She’s MAD. And she’s been that way since she was an infant.
If you don’t have red hair yourself, everyone wants to know where your red head baby came from
This doesn’t happen to me as much if I’m out with the girls on my own, because probably people assume my husband is a redhead, but if we’re both out in public with Ani, everyone is so curious about where that red haired baby came from.
Dressing a red head baby is a little harder
With my other blonde babies, most colors look reasonably good on them, but red hair and very fair skin makes it a little more challenging to pick shades that are flattering.
You will NEVER get tired of having a red-haired child
Six years in, and I still am floored by how beautiful Ani’s red hair is. She also lucked out with really great, thick straight hair (it was curly for the first three years or so but now is completely straight) in addition to a great color. She’s probably sick of people commenting on it right now, but someday, I think she’ll love her gorgeous red hair. And if I’m very lucky, I’ll end up with some grandchildren with red hair too.
Any red-haired babies in your family tree?
Apparently people couldn’t get over my red hair as a little girl either and it made my older sister so mad! One time, after the bazillionth comment on my hair, she told a stranger, “I have brown hair!!” She didn’t like me for the longest time. I wonder if your other girls notice Ani getting so much attention?
Ella definitely notices and I think she doesn’t love it.
I used to work for a redhead and when he get really mad we used to say “Chad is gingersnapping, look out” ???
My oldest has a very unique shade of auburn hair. It also curls in ringlets. She’s only 3 so I get lots of complements about her hair. Neither me nor my husband are redheads but have parents and grandparents who were. When a stranger asks if my husband is a redhead I’ve just started to say yes rather than a long explanation. ?
My dad’s dad and mom’s mom both were/are redheads. My grandpa was called Rooster because his curly red hair looked like a rooster’s comb. I’m the only grandchild on both sides with red hair and mine’s strawberry blonde. I have green eyes and very fair skin-I don’t tan, I burn. My mom was like you and made me stop every 90 mins to reapply sunscreen when playing outside or swimming. I’m grateful now because I don’t have so many freckles nor any concerning moles. I always loved Anne of Green Gables for her red hair and her issues with it. I’m my grandma’s favorite and it definitely started when I was born with red hair.
My husband is Comanche Native American. Our kids were all born with black hair. My oldest daughter’s lightened to dark blonde, it’s a honey chestnut color and really pretty. My other two (son and daughter) have dark hair. My mother in law was very interested in how our kids would look since she has redheaded twin siblings. So we could have gotten a red head. Genetics are funny!
Apparently it’s so rare because the gene has to be in both sides of the family. (Irish on mum’s side, Russian on dad’s in my case) I have the red hair/brown eyes combo and was teased mercilessly as a child. My mum always told me that people would love it when I grew up, and I do get a lot of compliments… particularly if I’m in Scotland – Scottish men love red hair! My youngest son is a redhead with hazel eyes but kids don’t seem to be teased as much as they did a few years ago… and he’s certainly got all the sass to see off anyone that gives him a hard time!
Apparently it’s so rare because the gene has to be in both sides of the family. (Irish on mum’s side, Russian on dad’s in my case) I have the red hair/brown eyes combo and was teased mercilessly as a child. My mum always told me that people would love it when I grew up, and I do get a lot of compliments… particularly if I’m in Scotland – Scottish men love red hair! My youngest son is a redhead with hazel eyes but kids don’t seem to be teased as much as they did a few years ago… and he’s certainly got all the sass to see off anyone that gives him a hard time!
This is my whole life! I’m the only rehead out of the 5 children in my family but my grandma has red hair and two of my aunts. I remember going places as a teen and I had thick, wavy, long hair at the time. One time I whispered to my sister, “people are always smiling at me. I think it’s because of my hair.” She thought that was crazy. But it’s so true. I still get comments on my hair almost daily when I go out. Especially if I go places with my kids because none of them have red hair. I also have blue eyes, not brown which I guess is even more rare. I have always loved my hair…is that vain? I have never not loved being a redhead. Your little one is darling.
I honestly think that redheads come from a blonde hair and a dark haired parent . (Isn’t this true for you and Bart?) There are five kids in my dad’s family and 2 of them have red hair. My grandparents were both German but one blonde, blue-eyed, fair skin, and one dark hair, hazel eyes, and tanned easily. And each of my red-headed aunt/uncle has a child with white, blonde hair. Genetics are so interesting, aren’t they?
When I look at our new baby girl, I swear I see a little bit of red in her hair. My husband says he doesn’t see it (and truth be told I may be projecting my wishes onto her), but he has red in his beard so I am keeping my fingers crossed!
Yes to all of this! My 2-year-old is a redhead and each time we go out someone mentions her hair and then asks me where it comes from. She also has a firey temper.
My red headed child is 4.5 and like your daughter, we cannot go anywhere without a comment. By the time my son turned 3 he would correct anyone who mentioned his red hair and tell them no I have gold hair because he knows that for some reason red is notable and worth talking about and he doesn’t want the attention of red hair he just wants the attention of gold hair 😂
Being a redhead myself has always felt like I won the lottery of hair colors. And now two out of my five kids are red—and I feel like I e hot the parenting jackpot!! I have to be careful because my brunette daughter often bemoans that she isn’t red and asks how old she has to be to dye her hair! Whoops! But we certainly love red hair at our house. I get told regularly by doctors that redheads are prone to be “bleeders” (true for me! I also bruise exceptionally easily) and need extra anesthesia (not something I’ve noticed—but maybe my dentist just gives me extra without telling me lol). Even as an adult I get comments on my hair color from strangers, though not quite as often as I did as a kid :).
My son immediately came out with a full head of red hair. Nurses came in multiple times just to see the red headed infant. His hair is gorgeous and I wouldn’t change it! He gets it from my brother who probably got it from my moms cousins lol. I can relate to your paragraphs about the questions or comments. Happens a lot.
Yes! I have 3 red headed boys and me and my husbands hair is brownish similar to yours. That is the question of our lives…”where does the red hair come from?!” It is so interesting people hardly ever comment on any other random genetic trait right?! 😂 I do get defensive because some comments are just not ok. Like “maybe they’ll grow out of it!” or “you’re going to let them dye it right?!” Mama bear wants to come out at those! 🐻 I love their hair so much, I think it is so beautiful and unique! Ani is beautiful!
I’m the only red head (carrot top, blood nut) In my family and at 68 the red has mingled with grey. People often comment on my hair which is still down to my waist but when I am referred to as a blonde I bite! Once a red head, always a red head. One of my sons is 6’ 4” and shaves his red hair but you should see the beard! I remember seeing a program about red heads and many of them told of being teased as youngsters but when asked what color hair they would rather have, not one of them would change. We’re a special breed aren’t we? Your daughter is a wee darling.
My daughter is almost 3 and has the same shade of red and its curly. Between that and her blue eyes I get stopped everywhere. And although I’m strawberry blonde everyone assumes my husband has res hair when I’m out with her.
I became a Grandma for the first time in August 2020.
My daughter has beautiful – Red hair.
My grandson is bald for now, BUT, his eyebrows are a familiar red to me, so I think he will have red hair too!
The nurse yelled out before our daughter was born “She’s a redhead!” I didn’t really realize until the next day when they were washing her hair. I could not believe my eyes. The nurses, friends, and family all said, oh she’ll grow it out. Three years later, she still has beautiful, thick curly red hair. I’m praying it will stick. She definitely has the personality to go with it. Like someone else commented, she has the eyelashes and eyebrows to go with it. We do get stopped all the time since both my husband and me, and her two brothers are all brunettes. It’s gorgeous and like you say, a jackpot! Thanks for your tips.
Aw, having a red head is the best! It was always my dream to have a red head but I never thought it would happen. My oldest son is a red head. I have a tiny bit of red, it was more obvious when I was a child. But the only other red heads in either of our families is my husbands grandpa and I have a cousin with a red headed child that we haven’t traced back yet either but is obviously there somewhere! Totally agree with everything- I never went anywhere with him without someone commenting on it! And he definitely wears his emotions on his sleeve- when he’s happy he’s REALLY happy, mad REALLY mad, etc. Super sensitive skin, most sunscreens & lotions give his face a rash. So funny how universal so many red headed traits are!
Red hair is a co-dominant gene. It’s different then recessive; although, both parents have to give the gene to the child for red hair. As a red head you can only give the red gene. Any hair or race can have a single red gene and they wouldn’t have red hair. It can go generation until it finds a match & produces a red headed child. The gene is mutated. It could been a blonde or Burnett gene that mutates & this is why there are so many shades of red. If a red head has one blonde and one brunette mutated gene- the brunette would over power the blonde, just like normal. The gene can be different degrees of mutated also. The mutation has other biological effect then just red hair: like feeling sting pain more & other pain less then normal, produce but D, more common for some illness, high tolerances to anastisia, lower tolerance to UVrays & more. If you only have one mutated gene for red hair; you might notice things like: fair skin, freckles, or red body/ facial hair. 2.5% of the would is red headed- most live in the northern hemisphere. Scotland has the highest concentration of them at 13%; but the USA has a higher amount. In many countries red heads are bullied relentlessly & people fell it’s appropriate to ask very personal things- when it isn’t. Or say things about red heads that is pure stereotypical bigotry. In the UK they even made hate speech & red head specific bullying a hate crime. Which it is. Also in the UK the check all crime DNA for the red headed mutation, bc it can narrow down a suspect to less then 13% of people- although often red hair turns: Brown or blonde with age, prior to turning white- not grey. Also red heads have been persecuted sence the very beginning: burnt as witches, said to turn into vampires at death, havibg no souls, not allowed to marry other red heads, sold for higher prices slaves, the mark of the beast, said to be bad luck or conceived during menstration. The list goes on. Even the “evil” people in the bible are depicted as red heads: Caen, Judas, lilleth & Mary of Magdalene. In reality it’s evolution.
The Bible never says they had red hair; all of it was just tradition that was added later on. Plus Lilith isn’t even in the Bible.
The only Biblical character that I can recall explicitly being stated to have red hair is Esau. But I do know that some people have interpreted David also having red hair.