2 Year Old Nail Biting Habit

It's hard to know what things kids find "stressful" or how it manifests in 2 year olds, in my opinion. My daughter did this for a few years and then just stopped. I've always heard that it stresses kids out more when you keep trying to get them to stop. I would ease up and not worry about it so much.

My husband bites his nails...a habbit I am PRAYING my daughter doesn't pick up. Recently I bought a product called "THUM". Its for thumb sucking and nail biting... What you do is "paint" the nails with it and it just leaves a nasty taste in your mouth when you put your fingers in. I got it for my husband and he hasn't bit his nails in over a week!! THEY ARE ACTUALLY GROWING!! =) This is safe for children too. Maybe you both could kick the habit together with this product. I bought it at a Rite Aide but I don't know if you can't get it anywhere else. Good Luck!!

My almost 4 year old son started biting his nails at eighteen mo. My husband bites his nails and our son would say "look, I doing like daddy!" When he was three his thumb got really badly infected because he bites his cuticules too. That cured him for a while but he still does it occasionally when he is sleepy. There is a product called "thumb" that I got at Rite Aid or Walgreens that worked well for my daughters Thumb sucking when I remember to use it. You paint it on like clear nailpolish and it tastes bad.

My daughter bit her nails A LOT from about 18 months to 2 yrs. I don't think I clipped her nails the entire 6 months. We tried all the stuff you have plus Thumb - a bitter deterrent you can get from a pharmacy. Nothing worked. And then all the sudden she stopped and hasn't done it again. One thing I did notice was that the more we harped on her about biting - the more she did it even though it didn't seem as though she was trying to be spiteful. Maybe your daughter will stop as suddenly as mine did. ?

Good luck:)

My son did bite his nails when he was 2 - 3 years for the same reasons, boredom, watching me sometimes bite my cuticles (I have since stopped by using a cuticle cutter twice weekly), and stress. Hard to find what causes the stress. He did stop. I told him to stop gently and always took his hand out of his mouth, gently. He sometimes didn't even realize he was doing it. He is 6 now and did begin it again with the stress of KG last year in a big way. Stress was the cause. He changed teachers and it mostly went away. I did have to remind him if his hands were in his mouth sometimes. And when I cut his nails weekly after a shower I would remind him not to because it hurts when the nail is too low. And that there are germs on his hands that he can catch a cold from if he puts his hands in his mouth. Not things a 2 year old would understand, but later on if it resurfaces, might help. I could not use nail polish :)) Good luck.

I was a nail biter and I always had rough, chipped nails from the biting. Then it would bother me that the nails were rough so I'd bite them in hopes of smoothing out a jagged edge. I doubt it will stop her, but maybe you can make a point of filing her nails smooth so that extra desire to bite is taken away.

Good luck.
Liz

I know people who have used this to stop finger sucking/chewing habits in their kids. http://www.amazon.com/MAVALA-Stop-Biting-Thumb-Sucking/dp...

My 2 year old is doing the same things. Except she bites her fingers and toes!! It drives me crazy. I have been trying to ignore it. I think when I bring more attension to it, she does it more. A friend told me her daughter out grew it. Who know. Good Luck...

ah yes i am experiencing the same thing. but my daughter is 3. it doesnt matter if your daughter is happy, outgoing and playful, she could still possibly be experiencing some kind of stress. for my daughter, i could totally see it being from stress. she too is happy, outgoing and playful. but i also have a 2yr old. and our house is stressful. i too have tried the same tactics: removing her hands from her mouth and offering to paint her nails. i did paint them, but she bit them after about a day or so. so i told her no more. the only thing i havent tried is putting some yucky tasting stuff on her fingers. i think they sell some stuff. but then i worry what stress releiving habit she will pick up next.
the only thing i can reccomend is to just continue to remove her hand w/ out saying anything and to give it time for her to outgrow. Oh and keep her nails short so there is nothing to bite.

I am a nail biter and for me it is not stress but oral stimulation. When I am pregnant, I have the most beautiful nails, because I chew ice instead. You could get her something safe to chew on instead. They sell "chew sticks" for special needs children who need oral stimulation and who chew inappropriately (clothing, etc) or even those bathtub toys that you can squirt. they are usually soft but durable. If you find she is really only chewing during those "down" times, save it for then and give it to her only when you need to. I bet she chews her pencils when she is school aged too. She has a need for oral stimulation and no amount of telling her no or scolding is going to fix it, so you should try and train it to something you approve of her chewing. Though try and stay away from giving her food just to chew as this can lead to other eating issues. Best of luck,
A.

Hi, S.,
it may be that your little girl has tiny tags of dry skin around her fingernails, which irritate her and she's biting at them...which then makes the problem worse.

She may just need a really good moisturizer that doesn't wash off with water or feel oily on her skin.

I work with Melaleuca, The Wellness Company. We believe basic simple health is the solution to many problems.

Every family has issues with health: asthma and breathing problems, weight, nutrition, eczema.

It's such a joy to me to help people be well! Are you open to learning about Melaleuca?

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take care,
K.

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My 2 year old daughter does the same thing! My pediatrician said it's a "nervous habit" but I, like you, see my daughter as happy, outgoing, and playful. I tried the nail painting, as well as the product Thum which is for breaking thumb sucking, but neither worked. I'm interested in seeing the responses you get.

My son starting biting his nails this summer. He is 3. I too was concerned about the habit starting and wanted to break it. I explained to him that nails are not for biting and that food was. I asked him if his nails were bothering him and he said that they were rough. So we started filing the edges that were "rough". This helped some but he still was biting them occasionally. I told him that if his nails grew long enough that I needed to use the clippers to cut them he would get a special treat. This is working so far. If I see him going to put his nails in his mouth I remind him that he will get his treat if I can use the nail clippers on his nails. I think sometimes when we say "don't do that" they tend to do it more. :) Hope that this helps. Congratulations on your baby coming in Jan. How exciting!