Pre-Schooler Won't Stop Picking Her Nose.

My nose and my daughter's is always full or dripping not really allergies, but just dry reactive noses. I find that hot tea in the morning gets rid of the congestion, blowing a couple times a day and using nasalcrom helps to keep it moist. Thus, no picking necessary.

ALL kids do that. I used to teach second grade and at one time or another someone had a finger up the nose. Ignore it as much as you can. Used to tell the kids that there was a snail up there and if you put your finger in your nose, he would bite the fingernail and if you put it up further, he'd nibble the finger! Worked for a while until they figured it out. My husband found an article on line about how it's not such a bad thing for kids to do (though we find it GROSS! especially when they put it in their mouths!). Good luck!

my son started to stop when i told him he is going to become the boogie man..and that he'll become a giant booger..only thing that has seemed to stop him..also make sure there are a lot of tissues around for her to access easily

Hi there,
Well, obviously you have let her do it at home whenever she wanted to and didn't say anything to her early on. I know because unfortunatly, I have a similar situation. My little girl (almost 3 yrs) doesn't do it in public. I have started telling her that if she is going to do it she always has to have a tissue in her hand. I keep the tissues in the bathroom, so that is where she has to go to get it. I also tell her to stay in there until she is done. I tell her that "nobody want to see her pick her nose".
If you absolutly stick to your guns, and make her stay in the bathroom (even if you have to stand there), I promise, that will be a habit she will soon get ride of.
Even if you are out and about, you will just have to go out of your way to get her to a bathroom, just to make a point. You can also just keep pulling her hand away from her nose over and over and over again....she'll stop doing it eventually. I feel like I should nip it in the bud now before she gets to your daughters point. LOL
Be strong, and consistant! Happy New Year.
M.

Before continuing to scold her, I would rule out allergies. An ear, nose, throat doctor can help you... probably more, than your pediatrician. If nothing is found then she'll probably outgrow it.

there are homeopathic remedies indicated for cases like this. homeopathic healing is more profound than any other form of therapy, but the remedy has to be selected individually - i.e. other habits should be taken into consideration. look around for qualified homeopath or shoot me a quick e-mail - i may know someone in your area.
Good Luck
V.

Whenever my boy is picking his nose I tell him to go get a tissue. He usually says, "NO!!" so then I will say, "then please get your finger out of your nose." He would rather stop picking than to leave what he's doing to get a tissue. ;)

Oh, J., you're post made me crack up. I could have written it myself! We also have a 4-year-old daughter with the same nasty habit. Like you, we've tried every type of argument/reasoning with her, and nothing has worked. So I will be following your post to see what everyone says...just know that you are not alone, LOL!!

We ended this bad habit by having a tissue on hand at all times. Every time she put her finger to her nose, we'd get all concerned and hand her a tissue quickly, oh honey, do you need to wipe your nose? Here you go. She got pretty tired of that very quickly and stopped doing it. She does have other "nervous habits" though- I think a lot of 4 year olds do. However, this is one that is pretty important to put a stop to because of spreading germs. BTW if she is in preschool you might want to ask the teacher to keep an eye out and hand her some special tissues for her you bring in. It tends to be the kind of habit that is easily passed from kid to kid at this age (they don't see it as disgusting- yet).

Oh my gosh!! I am so glad you requested information! We have two....yes, TWO 3 year old twin girls that seemed to learn the nasty habit from their babysitter!! I'm sure they would have learned it some place....but, I can't wait for some helpful responses!!! It does become a habit....ours isn't allergies, or medical reasons....it's just that; a nasty habit. We are really working on "if you must pick your nose, ask for a kleenex & use the kleenex NOT your finger. They remember sometimes but one or the other CONSTANTLY has a finger stuffed in their nose!! HELP!!!

You aren't alone. If I spend 15 minutes in my son's preschool class, I'll see at least 3 or 4 kids doing it. I thank God mine doesn't eat his boogers like the rest! LOL!!

Like any "bad" habit - the more attention we draw to it the worse it will be. The teachers should know how to handle it at school as for at home - keep it simple. With my son, I'd casually say, "do you need a shovel?" he cracked up at that but it was subtle and he rarely picks now, at least not right in front of everyone! LOL!

Hi J., I know I am late in responding, but couldn't help it! Your request just made me laugh to no end. I am completely conviced that my 3 year old daughter is completely incable of walking unless she has a finger (or 2) stuck up her nose....I'm thinking she needs it for balance....KIDDING!....but still...and grosser still, she eats them, telling me they are yummy. I figure she will stop when the other kids point it out to her. AND, once, she was rubbing her eyes and said "mommie, I have an eye booger"...I said "well, eat it like you do the other boogers"...she actually said to me, "Oh mommie, that's gross!" I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes! Anyway, I'm sure it will pass, hang in there.

Picking your nose is like any other habit-it is done when bored, frustrated, tired, etc.
Stop bugging her about it and come up with an alternative.
If you notice, have her use a tissue (it's harder to get all the way up there and she may stop because of that).
She probably does it unconsciously, so when you see it, find something else for her to do with her hands. If she's busy she won't think about it.
She has to find some reason to give it up-how hard would it be for you to give up your bad habits even when you know better?
Good Luck

Litle kids do not care or have no comprehension of the words 'disgusting', 'spread disease', etc...

It is always best not to draw too much attention to unwanted behaviour, you will just get way more of it.

One Solution: Make it more trouble than it is worth. Have her go and wash her hands everytime she does it. Or sanitize her hands with gel, teach her to do it. Tell her she cannot touch anything until her hands are clean so that other people do not get her germs (don't go overboard with that, do not want to develop an OCD). But do not do this in anger or disgust, just matter-of-factly.

There is a SID the Science Kid episode about germs and how they transfer and what can happen. You can explain what boogers are (mucus trapping of dust in our nose so that it does not get into our lungs) and snot (mucus trapping of germs and fighter T-cells ~ something like that).

Bottom line, she has to want to change. Making her feel bad or guilty about normal behavior that just happens to be socially unacceptable can be damaging to her. And you really don't want to start her caring about what other kids think if you want to raise an individual that thinks for herself and is not a follower.

Find a way to make it fun and informative. Be tolerant and don't worry abot what other people think. Kids's pick noses, she is not the only one.

Hi J.,
I have a 4 year old who won't stop picking his nose either. sorry I dont have any advice, but would be curious how to fix it as well.

D.

One thing that works for my nearly-3-year-old is this: put a little aquaphor or neosporin or vaseline (or ANY non-scented lotion that's safe for kids) in her nose with a q-tip or your finger. I call it nose lotion for my girl. I'm pretty sure my daughter does it because she has the same allergies I have and her nose leaks a little bit all the time, the leaks turn to crust and the crust is itchy and irritating. The "nose lotion" helps keep things moist and stops the crusties from sticking.

While your child is a little older, it may be more of a habit now, but there's no harm in trying it out! It might stop him from realizing there's something to pick.

Also... While most people think of nose-picking as disgusting and spreading disease, that is only partly true. I've actually heard that nose-pickers are healthier because their bodies are exposed to more bacteria and their immune systems are stronger. If it wasn't for the social stigma I'd encourage my kids to do it!