Nail Trimming Trouble

An idea for when she gets a little older...my 4 year old has "spa day." She gets to soak her hands and feet in a sink filled with warm water and bubble bath. Then, she soaks/plays with the suds while I cut. The water relaxes her, makes her feet less smelly and softens the nails for easier cutting. Now, she looks forward to "spa day" rather than dreading it!

I used to play a game called "Snip, Snip, Blow" We would together say "snip snip" with each clip and then he would "blow" the nail piece out of the clipper. It actually worked very well. I also became the nail snipper for my neighbors 2 little girls with the success of this game! Good Luck..

Hi I have a 2 1/2 year old that hates getting his fingers and toes cut too! It was such a nightmare. But I found if I didn't call it cutting his nails but call it "popping" them it sounded more fun and less scary. Since the sound of the nail clippers make a pop sound when they work we play "pop goes the weasel" Or we count them, but togehter we make the "pop" sound when we cut and he gets so excited now. Good luck!

This might sound dumb or too easy, but ask her. I had such issues with trimming nails. Now, I simply ask him and he says yes. I think he likes being in control. He doesn't like surprises. Granted, my husband distracts him and we sing to him so that he feels comfortable but he is no longer upset.

Trimming after a bath makes it easier too. Sucker/candy plus distraction (TV, etc) works really well too.

Right before you trim, you can try "brushing" her feet with something like a towel or a washcloth to desensitize her feet. This is a trick I learned from our occupational therapist (my son as a mild sensory processing disorder). We use a surgical brush though. It's a soft brush that surgeons use to scrub their hands with. Maybe a hospital gave you one when your little ones were born for cradle cap.

Oh, and calling it "trimming" instead of "cutting" helps too.

I found that I can trim my son's nails while he is watching a cartoon OR if he is in his highchair and distracted.

Yes, my daughter is the same way. Not my son...he has never had a problem with it. So I have told her that we are going to make them pretty and when I do mine and paint them I offer it to her...she doesnt want them painted, but when she sees what I do to myself she lets me do it but FAST!

I have custody of granddaughters, 1 yr old and 4 yr old , and found your question intreging, as my 1 yr old hates to have her nails done, and the 4 yr old begs to have hers done. I try to do the 1 yr old while she is distracted, only it doesn't last long enough. I usually get her hands done, and by then am too exhausted from fighting with her, that I forget about her feet. Thanks for the question and all the advice you got will help me to try other things. I don't remember my own children being like this, but then again, I was alot younger. LOL
D.

I use distractions too - I talk about the "other piggy" as I clip a different one, saying things like "do you think THAT piggy needs to be clipped" or "that is the most important piggy because it's the one in charge of the other piggies". I also ask my son to hold his foot for me. Of course I also hold his foot but I think that helps him feel like he's not at the clipper's mercy!

We have always counted fingers and toes, while clipping nails. Last night my 2.5 year old was counting with me. Some sort of distraction, like her favorite tv show or singing the alphabet might also work. If that doesn't work, maybe she'll prefer an emery board.

I know this will sound gross, but I've had the same problem all along. My daughter would not stay asleep to cut them, and she has come up with her own solution. She bits off her nails - all 20 of them! It so grosses me out the toes, and I try to stop her when she does it. I just hope this doesn't grow into a forever problem. I hardly ever see her doing it, and her nails stay short. My daughter is 23 mths old.

Take care,
H.

i had to bit both of my kid's finger and toe nils .. Iknow it sounds gross but it dose work 99.9 of the time. I hope it works for you ....ps be shur the hands and feet aer cleen. good luck

We cut nails outside because both kids are distracted easier. I carry a clipper in the diaper bag and one in the sling pocket so I'm always prepared.

Try waiting till she is asleep in her car seat and you are getting ready to take her out and wake her up. Assuming it is light enough, you should be able to have quick easy access and she will be forced to hold still until you are done (well, at least she can't run away!). Plus you aren't waking her up when you really need her asleep - she'd be up when you moved her out of the car seat anyway. Worked with my busy toddler a few times.

I would recommend either trimming them while she is in her carseat or highchair or in front of some sort of distraction--like cartoons or entertaining grandparent, child or friend. Good luck!!

My dd is not very agreeable about getting her nail and toenails clipped either. It is funny because I just did her toes about a minute before I got on here. This time I gave her a pair too and she "cut" mine while I did hers. That worked quite well this time. Other things I have done is to cut her toenails while she is eating in the high chair.
I just try to make it as quick as I can however I do it. And it seems like I do it a different way every time. I just do what works at the moment to get it done :)

I tried all the 'nice' ways of doing the nails but it never worked for my son. He was not so easily duped!

I started having to 'figure 8 leg lock' him and do it super quick. I sit on the floor with my legs in a 'V', then sit him facing away from me. I take my legs and use them to restrain him legs, use my left arm to hold his chest, then use my right hand to do the clipping.

I stopped using the baby clippers and started using adult clippers because I can get the nail done in one cut. Also the baby clippers were just so weak I was finding I had to press multiple times, prolonging the agony.

I know some people will find this practice objectionable, but we get nail clipping done in a matter of minutes (yes, all 20 of them!).

Have a special "beauty hour" for mommy and daughter 1 day a week. Let her know about it days ahead of time and count the days down. Do mommys fingernails 1st then daughters. Put cotton between the toes (you can let her put her own cotton)and let her pick out her polish. Do your toes 1st then hers, one at a time and it doesn't have to be perfect, she won't care till she's older. Toes are not tickleish, feet are. Don't touch the feet themselves and don't let daddy tickle her feet ever again; her legs, underarms, tummy, neck, etc. are o.k. Have fun mommy; wish it were me!

Hi J.,
Does your daughter still sit in a highchair or booster seat at the table? What I do with my 1 year old is cut his toes when he is strapped into the high chair. My 3 year old is fine now, but I used to cut hers in the booster chair.
Good luck!
M.

We have a special needs child who makes nai/toe nail trimming a challenge. Her feet are also very ticklist. I wrap a small towel around her foot as close to the toes as possible. My hands aren't touching her skin. Other than having to hold the toes while clipping - we manage to get through it.

i don't have this problem but just for fun i sometimes paint her toenails. deal is they have to be cut first! try letting her choose if they are done before or after pjs are on (or something like that) or the color of the nail polish. choices work for us for almost everything. obviously, polish is not a good idea if your child puts her feet in her mouth.

I have had this problem with our son - not with our older daughters though.

He used to scream and/or cry when we cut his toenails!

We tried all the distraction techniques that we could think of... now he is 6 and is just beginning to not be bothered so much buy the "cutting" of his nails. We use regular nail scissors. What I have done the last wuite a few times is try to turn the sharp edges of the scissors more upwards so they don't come in contact at all with his skin under the nails.

please let me know if anyone posts anything after this post that might be of interest to us - Thanks

Have a great day!

My daughter is now 22 years old and I'm chuckling from the memories of clipping all of her nails while she was asleep. Fingernails were not a problem but as hard as she slept, she'd even curl her ticklish toes in her sleep! It took a while but I could get it done. {:^D}

Skip anything sharp and use a file or emery board. If you can do it while she is asleep. At 2 my daughter did the same thing. At 4 she loves to get groomed!

Hi J.,
I just came in on the question, but I thought I would share anyway. I always found the job of nail cutting on babies and children distressing because I was worried I would cut their skin with the nail clippers without realizing it. So I finally tried cuticle scissors. They are curved, so I use them with the arc curving outward to follow the shape of the roundness of the toe. I have so much more control that way and don't worry I'm going to hurt them. This worked better whether my kids were asleep or awake because they can hardly sense it's happening. Since it's a cutting action instead of "pinching" the nail off, which is what regular nail clippers do, I don't think it's as sensitive. Give it a shot and let me know what you think.

I was told by a nurse to bite them off. In doing so I would not injure the quick of the finger. Since childrens nails are soft it was much easier then using the clippers.

My 2 year old hates having his toenails cut, too. He doesn't mind his hands but sometimes refuses to let me cut his toenails. It has helped to use actual baby nail scissors instead of a clipper - might be worth a few bucks to buy a pair and see if that helps for you, too. I think it might be because it doesn't make a scary "clip" sound and you can see exactly where you're cutting so there's less fear of nicking the skin. It does take slightly longer, though...

I usually do it while they are in their highchair or booster seat eating. They can't squirm away. It works for my 2 year old and 11 month old like a charm!

I know this is late, but I'm sure you'll be doing her nails again... I used to trace my son's hands and feet and draw in the nail. Each time we trimmed a nail, I would let him color in the corresponding nail on the paper. Once all 20 were colored in (hands and feet) I let him call his grandparents and set up a date for the zoo. (it took three days) We only did this once or twice and he realized it wasn't so bad to have his nails trimmed and would let me do it without tracing them first. We still gave him a reward for a few more sessions though.

My 2-1/2 year old started doing the same thing. What seemed to work after lots and lots of trying was showing him how I cut his grandpa's nail and my nail and how it didn't hurt. And then lots of praise afterwards about what a good boy he is and how nice and clean and neat his nails are.

I try to do my son's nails while he is asleep. He is 22 months. It works for me like a charm, only because he totally resists me while awake - especially his toenails!!!! He is very ticklish too. If he falls asleep in my arms, that's the time I take advantage - but he has to be completely zonked out or forget it. Sometimes he even pulls back (I guess a reflex) while asleep . . . but I try to hold his feet firm so I don't wind up hurting his skin. The toes are tough, I have to agree. Best of luck trying to trim!

I used to have the same problems with my princess (she just turned 2)! She now loves it though! We turned it into a mini spa girls night for us! We both take a shower and then we beautify our toes and fingers! We pick out colors to paint them and she gets to help.

I have 2 nail cutters. I give her one not opened and she pretends like she is doing my toes while I do hers then I grab her hands and work on them. THis keeps her distracted and then she does not move- AS MUCH! I also use a firm pressure rather than light touch since that definately tickles her! I do sometimes have to be a bit forceful with her fingers though since she wants to be busy with them.

When I am done cutting her nails we start the color! This is her fav part! I paint her toes only since she is a thumb sucker but she loves it and will show them off to anyone willing to look! I then give her the nail polish brush with a clear color and just glitter or a light pink that has barely any color on it and let her do my toes. I will admit, to you anyhow, that it does not look pretty when done but I do not care since she loves it! Make sure you have nail polish remover! lol

WHen painting her toes I also use a firm grip on her foot and I put my thumb in the arch of her foot which seems to help. I am not sure why but I noticed my feet are not nearly as ticklish when I am getting a pedicure! Also just below the big toe helps.

Hope this helps and you and your daughter get to enjoy the quality time while making yourselves beautiful!
Blessings to you!

I trim my son's nails while he is asleep as well, and his feet are ticklish too. But someone gave me a tip that actually works most of the time. Try to hold her foot by the top only. Holding by the bottom can be more ticklish. Hope this helps!

Well. I had that problem with my two year old, too. (Isaac) So i tried this and it worked! He actually sat still and let me trim his nails. I gave him a lil dum-dum sucker, and said if you sit here still you can suck on this while I am doing your nails. And he really did it! So i would try this....might sound funny or whatever but it worked for me.

Hi There,

I'm not sure if you ever got into the Baby Einstein or not but it is the only way I can clip my son's nails. He is so entralled by Baby Noah that he sits in my lap and lets me clip both fingers and toes, without any issues. This is a little boy who does not stop moving from the moment he opens his eyes! Good Luck!

Try singing. It works for both my little ones!