Any suggestions on how to get my 5-yr old to stop biting his nails? I've told him why it's not good hygiene and he has had a "bleeder" a couple of times but not enough to make him stop. I haven't nagged. I was hoping he'd stop on his own but this has been going on for about 9 mos now!
Thanks for all the advice. I haven't been that concerned about it, except for when he does it after he's been somewhere unsanitary, i.e: playing in the sand at the park, eeww. Other than that, I'll probably let it go. After all, less work for me 'cuz now I don't have to cut his nails! :) LOL
Find ways to keep his hands busy. Drawing, coloring, painting, cutting with safety scissors, playing with clay/play dough, building with Legos, playing in a sandbox with trucks, etc. Sure in his down times his fingers might drift towards his mouth, but if you keep him busy, he might forget about it sooner than later.
I agree with Marda...pick your battles...and nail biting would be pretty low on my priority list. If he gets those fingers sore from tearing cuticles, he may decide on his own to quit it. Count your lucky stars...I had a daughter who used to bite her TOENAILS when they got a rough edge....lol now THAT is gross!!!
You might start trimming and filing his nails once a week or so to see if that would keep the edges smoother and make him less likely to bite them. He isn't too young to start teaching him how to use a finger nail clipper, or a finger nail file...maybe he is attempting to "smooth" a rough edge that is catching on things...and that is how the nail biting starts in the first place!!
My 14 year old has been an on and off biter since she started kindergarten. If you figure out how to get a kid to stop please let me know too. It drives me crazy to see her fingers in her mouth.
My daughter bit her nails all the time she was in school. After graduating she became more concerned about her hand's appearance and stopped without using any special techniques. Her daughter has now bitten her nails for several years. And her son uses clippers to trim his toe nails nearly to the quick. We've decided that since we couldn't find any way to break the habit we've just ignored it. I'm a choose your battles sort of person and nail biting is low on my priority list.
If you're concerned about germs you could ask him to wash his hands whenever you see him biting his nails. It is my opinion backed up by scientific study that children who are more exposed to germs get sick less often then children who are kept in a more sanitary environment.
My daughter did this and it drove me crazy. She alwasy looked like a nervous nelly with her fingers in her mouth. She wanted to quit as much as I wanted her too, so it was easy. We bought some Bite It (icky tasting nail clear nail polish) from CVS and I promised her a reward if she went a week without biting. She stopped right away!!
We are a family of nail biters. My hubby bites his way down, both of my sons, and one of my daughters. It is our nervous release. I would bite mine, but discovered that if I have acrylic nails on, then I don't bite. So I keep my nails done.
It is far from the worst thing he could do. Some kids pull out their hair or eyelashes, some pick sores on their bodies, throw things, bang their heads, etc. It looks nasty, but it's sort of a pick your battles thing. To me, not worth it.
I agree with keeping his nails as short as possible. Be sure to trim them regularly. You may also let him try chewing gum. Bargin with him and tell him that as long as he doesn't bite his nails he can chew gum. It's a nervous disorder so you have to trade one behavior for another. Just be prepared because he may start biting his lips or something else to replace the nail biting. The chewing gun option has worked for my daughter. Releases stress without the destruction. Good luck!
