Newborns arrive in the world with a wide variety of hairstyles. Parents shouldn't fall in love too much with a newborn's first head of hair, because the hair that first appears isn't the hair the baby will have later in life. Newborn hair can change in color, texture and -- hopefully, for babies born bald -- length by the time they reach 1 year old.
Timing
Newborn hair can fall out dramatically during the first few months, or may gradually change over to a new hair type. Either way, it all falls out by 1 year of age, Ohio State University explains. New hair growth begins to cover the head around 8 months of age, according to Iowa State University.
Causes
Hair is continually in a stage of rest or growth, with the rest stages lasting around three months. During the resting stage, the hair that's already there remains in place, but it starts to fall out as soon as the next growth phase starts. While 5 to 15 percent of hair is normally in the resting phase at any given time, according to Baby Center, stress and hormone changes can cause larger than normal amounts of hair to go into the resting stage. The hormonal drops experienced by newborns at birth explain why most of the hair goes into a resting phase shortly after birth. When the next growing phase starts three months later, it begins to fall and be replaced by new hair.
Changes
New hair growth may be completely different than the hair the baby had at birth. Dark hair that falls out may grow in blond, for example. Hormones account for the changes in hair, the website What to Expect reports. Newborn hair is often downy, like duck fur. The new hair grows in with a texture more like the hair that will last through childhood.
Unusual Patterns
Hair whorls determine the direction of hair growth. Having more than one hair whorl or having no hair whorls, so that hair grows in different directions, is sometimes a sign of a neurodevelopmental problem, according to the website Ask the Geneticist.
Concerns
Hair falling out is not normally a concern, unless no new hair grows in. Severe cradle cap or other causes of inflammation on the head can accelerate normal hair loss, pediatrician and author Alan Greene reports on his website, DrGreene.com.
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