3 And Half Year Old Has Started Biting Her Nails

There is a clear fingernail polish that is designed to taste awful. You can find it at any drug store. Mittens may help too. If neither of those work you may have to wait until she is older and use pennies in her pocket. for the pennies give her 10 pennies to jingle in her pocket, every time she bites she gives one back. At the end of the day she keeps whatever is left. When the habbit is broken she can spend it!

you could try setting down and exsplaining what all gets under your nails in a day. If she is like most little princesses she will be repulsed by it. I have a 4 year old boy and we walked around the house finding everything he touched and we followed the dog round (that was what did it) then we talked about how many of the things he saw he wanted in his mouth. suprise...... he didnt.

I have just recently got my 3.5 year old to stop. We used "nail medicine" (what I told him) or Malva STOP nail polish that tastes REALLY bad! At first it did not work. But after about a week of applying it daily I noticed his nails was showing some growth!!! I gave him TONS of praise! TONS!!!!! and even a special treat. We still talk about it, and tell everyone (grandma and grandpa and aunt and uncles) that Caiden didn't chew his nails!!!!

This is what worked for us!
This is where i got it!

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-###-###-####-###...

Let's add one more to the "What the heck do I do now?!" boat. My son, who's 4 1/2 has been doing the same thing for at least a year now. I don't know how to stop it, and forget to ask the Doc when we visit.

Whoever finds something that works let the rest of us know?

In the same boat,
M.

My son was about that age when he started biting his nails. I watched him to try to figure out why he was doing it. For him, it was out of boredom or when he was nervous about something. I did have to resort to a paint on ascorbic acid (really sour, non-toxic) liquid that was made especially for nail biting because he was biting them down so badly. I got it at our local Safeway. I also started him on bead stringing, a lot of coloring, and hands on crafts, just to keep his hands busy! Good luck!

I am also having the same problem with my 6 year old son. I cannot figure out why but he cannot stop. Any suggestions?

don't they have stuff that tastes nasty to put on the nails?

figure out a punishment that will make them stop.

My 2 year old did it and it really upset me because I did it into adulthood and it was embarassing. I ended up mail-ordering this "nail polish" that is made from bitter cactus root and it tastes AWEFUL. I hated doing it, but after about a month, I actually paint my daughter's fingernails as a reward because she has totally stopped. Make sure not to give her finger food while you're doing this, she can't help but put her fingers in her mouth in this case. It's called Nibble No More by Jessica Cosmetics.

http://www.jessicacosmetics.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=...

I tried some other brands that weren't strong enough. Good luck. A.

Hi C., My three year old bites his nails as well. I have come to realize it is mostly when he is stressed or he sees that I am stressed. (I bite my checks when I am feeling anxiety or stress) Sometimes I catch myself (biting) and I look over and he's doing it! AHH! I don't know if the putting on stuff on their little fingers works, but one thing your could try is praying with her. Communicating with here and asking her her feelings, then reassuring her that she is in a safe home, then say a simple prayer with her.(one like; Thank you Jesus for your peace over (baby), you do not give us fear or anxiety, so please help (baby) be at peace and know that she is loved. Amen). Teach her that when she feels these feelings to instead of fret/worry/bite nails, to pray. You never know, it might help you out too ;P Hope that helps!

Hi C.,
My parents had trouble with my sister biting her nails, she bi them so much that her nail bed would sometimes bleed. What they did to her to stop her from nibbling at those nails is they would soak her nails in a jar of minced garlic when she was sleeping for just a little while causing them to have a stench that would get to where she couldn't bring her fingers up near her nose. It wasn't the taste of her nails, it was the strong smell that eventually made her tummy turn, not right away, but eventually. They also gave her lots of little things to do, like puzzles, it's a good sing that your daughter has a busy mind and does that when she's wanting to do something.

Hi C.,
Some tips are putting Mentholatum on each finger - it tastes nasty and will stop her from biting. Another option is to take a tongue depresser (they look like big fat popsicle sticks that dr's use) and place it on the inside of her arm at the joint of the elbow and wrap it around w/ace bandage so she can't bend her arm. Another option is to reward her if she understands that when her fingernails get long, she will get a treat. Hope something helps. Good luck. H. M.

Hi C.,

My neice did the same thing. There is an over the counter medicine that her doctor told her about. Now mommy/daughter put it on together and she says it has been working. If you decide and want to know the name of it just let me know and I can call her for you.

Good luck!

Hi
I used to bite my fingernails when I was very young. They thought I was nervous...NOT!...but did find out that any caffeine started the process. I love coffee and drank it for years, never realizing that this is why I was biting my fingernails. So if she is having any pop with caffeine it may be this, and then it becomes a habit. I drink decaf pop/coffee, and no longer bite my nails since I started the decaf stuff (about the past 15 years-I'm 56)...I do notice that if I do have regular caffeinated pop or coffee (neighbors, etc.) I start to pick at my nails and it's hard to keep them out of my mouth.
Just a suggestion! They did the icky tasting stuff on my fingers, the tabasco sauce,etc. and nothing worked until I had no caffeine. You'd be surprised what all has caffeine in it.
D.