Why Does Baby Hair Change?
There are a few major theories about why a baby's hair changes throughout the course of her childhood. You may have experienced your child's hair changing texture, color and thickness at various stages throughout his life. This can prove a fascinating or anxiety producing process, depending upon the severity of the change. Learning about the various causes for these shifts can increase your understanding and ease any anxiety you may have about these natural changes.
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Hormones
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The production of the hormone androgen is the biggest determinant of thickness, coarseness and fullness of hair. The body produces Androgen to help speed hair growth and could be responsible for the thickness or length of your child's hair. Some children produce high levels of androgen at birth and thus are born with abundant hair, whereas some children produce less and are born with thinner hair. These hormone levels can change as the child ages, affecting the hair's thickness and texture.
Eumelanin
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Eumelanin is the substance found within the hair follicle that determines color. Many people are familiar with stories about babies being born fair and blond, yet growing up to be brunettes. This is due to eumelanin changes, which cause hair to shift shades. A small amount of eumelanin means a child will have lighter hair, while a lot of eumelanin means darker hair. While there are fairly complex genetic explanations for varying amounts of eumelanin in the human body, experts suggest that parental genetic inheritance is the biggest determinant. Typically eumelanin increases with age, making children's hair darker as the years pass.
Dermatological Causes
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Some children develop rashes or dry patches on the scalp that prevent hair growth from flourishing. In these cases, it's important to pay less attention to the hair itself and more attention to the scalp. Some hair changes in infants and children are due to the development of cradle cap or other dermatological disruptions that interfere with healthy hair growth. If you see dryness, redness or flakiness on your child's scalp -- and this seems to impede her hair's growth or general development -- check with your dermatologist.
Fetus Fur
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Some babies are born with the fuzz the fetus formed in utero, which then falls out and turns into hair. This peach fuzz-like substance covers the child's body and scalp to help protect the child inside the womb and provide warmth. As the child ages, particularly if born prematurely, he'll lose this fuzz on the top of his head -- as well as all over its body. Some children complete a few cycles of this shedding process before remaining bald for some time. After a period of baldness, most children grow the head hair they'll keep for the rest of their lives.
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Its impossible to give a specific number for how much a baby grows from one day to the other because growth is not linear. Heres why:* Growth Spurts: Babies grow in spurts, meaning they might have days of very little noticeable change followed by pe
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