Kids – Nails FAQ

For many busy mothers, a nail salon is a quick getaway spot from her family and her never-ending chores at home. They want to enjoy some great time by letting other people pamper her with a manicure or pedicure. For mothers who decide to take their kids to a nail salon and the kid's age range can be from infants to teenagers, some initial planning will be beneficial before going. Generally, taking your kid to a nail salon is preferably based on his/her age: Under 5 years old: kids should stay at home.Under 10 years old: she can come for special occasions like birthdays or good behaviors, etc.Under 15 years old: she can come for special occasions like birthdays, dance nights or graduation. The following sections will cover the above age ranges in depth so you can make a better decision to answer the question “should I take my kid to a nail salon” which is suitable to your own situation and help you prepare or prevent any uncomfortable situation that may arise in a nail salon. Kids under 5 years old in a nail salon NO: if you can leave the kid at home with your husband, grandparents or someone you trust, do so. Do not feel guilty. The time at the salon will be your recharge time. You will come home to your family in high spirits. Many mothers say that they feel like humans again after looking at their finished manicure or pedicure. YES: if you can not find anybody to leave your child with and taking him/her with you is the only option and desperately want some nail service, what you should do is: Do: Plan to get one service done only, be it manicure or pedicure, never both since it will be too long. Even if they can be done at the same time, do not go for it because you will be easily distracted. Unless getting many services done in the least amount of time is your goal, your main purpose of being there is relaxation and being pampered.Call for an appointment and request the least busy time at the salon, usually in the morning and beginning of the week. There is a chance that you are the only customer so if your child does something that is not appropriate, you will not be too embarrassed. Also, this is the time which inside the nail salon has the least chemical fumes and dust.Bring along his/her favorite foods, different toys, workbooks so if your child is bored with one, there will be a different one to keep him/her busy a little longer. Keep in mind that if your kid is bored, he or she will not sit still and will move around. Chances are that he or she will run into something break or knock something down. Don't bribe your kid with a manicure or pedicure in order to keep her quiet or stay put because she can not sit still that long for the service and she is more likely to ruin the polish before it completely dries. Furthermore, doing a little kid's nails some time even more demanding than doing adults' nails because it might take longer doing repair and repeated touch-ups. Kids under 10 years old in a nail salon NO: It will do your sanity a lot of good to get away for an hour or so from your precious child who can overwhelm you with activities and ever-growing inquisitive questions. You will appreciate some peaceful time alone. YES: If you have to take your kid with you to your nail appointment, what you should do is: Plan to get one long or two short services done only, try to time it under one hour and 30 minutes.Pick the least busy time at the salon, usually at the beginning of the week.Ask your child to bring along his/her favorite foods, different toys, workbooks and let him/her know that you will be in the same room with him/her but you will not be at his/her side the whole time.If your daughter is older, use your judgment to reward her with a quick polish on her nails. At this age range, kids do not need a full manicure or artificial nails so a polish change with nail trimming will make her happy. A regular polish will be sufficient and it is also one of the least expensive services. Kids under 15 years old in a nail salon NO: At this age, your kids should be able to be alone at home so going nail salon is a luxury for you, time-wise. You can enjoy your favorite services alone for a couple of hours. YES: If it is your son then it is simple. He will know that this is mom's time. He will do his own thing and can sit in the waiting area until you are done.If it is a girl, then your daughter at this age will want the same thing her mom has. Here are a few things you should know before you give her your approval on what products or services she should get: Manicure with regular polish: this is a simple and less expensive service but it will make your kid feel like a big customer. The polish only lasts for a few days but it is alright since she will lose interest in her nails soon. Manicure with gel polish: This service is one step above manicure with regular polish in terms of price and the polish will last up to two weeks on your daughter's nails. Do take into account her on her activities at home and school. SNS, dipping nails or acrylic nails: these types of nail enhancement will involve nail extension. Not only they are expensive, but they can also be unsuitable for your young daughter's everyday activities at home and school. If you decide to give your daughter this service, keep in mind that her activities in the gym and sports that she plays before you let her get artificial nails longer than she is comfortable with. Additional topics on kids in a nail salon This section covers the additional aspects of a salon whether it is a good environment for your little kids. With better regulations aiming at protecting public health, nail salons have come a long way in proper sanitation, cleaning maintenance and safety. Check out chemical fumes in a nail salon: You should check out a salon near you before you decide to come in for service with the thought that you might have to bring your child with you. What you need to do is come in when the salon is busiest, usually Fridays after work hours or on Saturdays and ask for a business card to get the salon number to call and make an appointment later. At this time, you should be able to determine if the salon is well ventilated and clean. Since the people who work in a nail salon are there all day. They are the ones who will be exposed to the chemical fumes longer than customers who are there for one or two hours. If the salon owner does not do a good job on ventilation, then it is safe to say he or she does not care about employees' well being, much less yours. You should take your business somewhere else. A competent nail salon manager/owner should try to keep up his/her salon image by keeping a clean working environment even when the salon is busy and good ventilation is one indication. Observe dust build-up in a nail salon: If it is your first time at the salon, you should be able to tell it the salon you are in if it is dusty. If it is dust everywhere, it is the sign that cleaning is neglected. Dust is created inside a nail salon every day due to nail filing but you can always tell if it is old dust or a new one and you can decide for yourself if it is tolerable. Kid-friendly nail salons: To avoid an uncomfortable situation when you and your kid go through the salon door only to find out that salon is not a friendly place for your kid, ask the manager/owner if kids are allowed the first time you come in to check it out. Slippery floor in a nail salon: due to state regulations, nail salons are required to have non-porous flooring in order to effectively sanitize it. They can be ceramic tiles, linoleum, etc. which are slippery when wet. Manicures and pedicures required water. Sometime there will be water spillage on the floor. Slippery floors and active kids do not mix well. Active kids in a nail salon: Many nail salons do not allow kids inside because they do not want any accidents caused by very active kids. These kids can run into things and might break or knock something down. Keep in mind that many products in a salon are chemicals that are not safe around little kids, like alcohol, acetone, acrylic products for example. Also, since glass and ceramics are good to keep nails chemicals, there are breakable glass or ceramic containers used in a typical nail salon. Nail salon liability: All salons are required to have business insurance in effect before they can open their doors for business. Liability is a big thing in the US. Insurance companies are constantly closing all the so-called loopholes or make it very difficult for an injured person can win a claim. It is the same thing with nail salon's liability protection. Most of the insurance policies for nail salons only protect their customers. Their definition of who a customer is very narrow and limited. Your kid in a nail salon without receiving any services may not fall into this customer classification. Any kid can cause an accident at any moment anywhere, not just yours. You can decide whether your young child will be safe in a nail salon while you are being waited on for an hour or so. Conclusion Going to a nail salon for service is a relaxing moment for many busy mothers. Keep that in mind before you consider taking your kid with you. Not only you can get pampered with a long-overdue personal service, but it can also be a much-needed recharge time before you go back home where your never-ending chores await. Now you know all the aspects of kids in a nail salon subject. So it is only you who can answer the question “Can I take my kid to my nail appointment” most appropriately. By taking into account all the above factors, your decision about taking your kid with you to a nail salon should involve all the people while you are there and in this order: you, your kid, other customers and workers at the nail salon. From the memories of bringing along toys to keep your little princess busy in a nail salon to watching her sit at a station getting her nails done for prom or graduation, your thoughts will race through the times has gone by. Your local nail salon is one of the special places that you can have those sweet moments with your child's life.