When Will My Baby’s Hair Start Growing?

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People are starting to make jokes, including me, that my baby looks like my balding father (it’s adorable, actually). But I am curious when his hair will start to grow? It’s still kind of wispy, and there’s also a slight bald spot from when he sleeps. I shouldn’t worry about this, right?

—Bald Baby Mom

Correct, you should not worry about this.

Babies are born with a wide variety of amounts of hair. Some are bald, some have shockingly flowing locks. These differences reflect genetics and hormones in the womb.

In the womb, hair growth is driven by your hormones, and once those shut off, the existing hair stops growing. Most of this hair, if it exists, will likely fall out and be replaced by new hair. That new, mature hair starts growing around 6 to 12 months.

For babies who didn’t have much hair to begin with, it may not even be noticeable that the old hair is gone. But if your baby had a lot at the start, you may see them balding — even going completely bald — before the new hair comes in. There may be bald spots where there is more rubbing on their head, which may be influenced by how they sleep.

None of this is anything to worry about! Unlike your father, whose balding really only goes in one direction, your baby will eventually have new hair.