I have a wonderful 3 and half year old who has recently started biting her fingernails. As an infant she never wanted a binky and never really sucked her thumb. She did used to suck/chew on her fingers as an infant, but had grown out of that in the last year. Now, she constantly chews on her fingernails - I can't even trim them because she's chewed them so low. Does anyone have tips on getting her to stop? I'm sure it's no surprise that my constant nagging doesn't seem to be working!
You ladies are awesome! I got some great advice, but the best was confirmation of my concerns that this might be a sign that my daughter is suffering from some anxiety. She has recently had some bad dreams that she woke up from in tears. She has also expressed worry that I might go away. I'm going to seek out some professional advice about the anxiety for sure. I've also started talking with her more about her fears and we are praying together about it too. I think all of this will help. I hope that we will have some nice, long fingernails to paint in the very soon!
Thanks again for everything!
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.
My mom put iodine on my fingers and I thought it was so gross I stopped.
Good luck! Try to put something that tastes gross on her fingers.
She needs to learn a different comfort/stress relief technique. While you teach one to her, you can get that nasty nail polish that tastes gross. You could also bribe her by tell her if she lets her nails grow pretty instead of biting them off, then you'll paint them whatever color she chooses.
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 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., 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!
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.
don't they have stuff that tastes nasty to put on the nails?
figure out a punishment that will make them stop.
I am also having the same problem with my 6 year old son. I cannot figure out why but he cannot stop. Any suggestions?
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!
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,
Melissa
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-###-###-####-###...
Someone below mentioned anxiety and tension as an underlying cause. It must be part of it. Why else do we use the expression "nail biting" to describe something that really puts us on the edge of our seats.
My little sister used to bite her nails really badly and later on in life, when in therapy, she let us know about something really stressful to her that she had been experiencing at the time. I'm sure there are many reasons for nail biting but I really wish I had known why she was biting her nails at the time, instead of just letting my mum yell at her for doing it and putting foul tasting stuff on her.
This may not apply to your daughter at all, but I wanted to reply incase it helps someone. My little sis was being targeted in a sexual fashion at theatre group and was told that her parents would be harmed if she told them - can you think of anything more stressful for a little one? So please just check that it isn't due to something she is unhappy or worried about before you paint her nails and expect her to just stop. Maybe it would be a good idea to check in with a child psychologist to see if the nail biting problem is a red flag for anything. From their experience they may be able to tell you that some kids just do it, or whether it is something that needs some special attention.
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.
For me (a nail-biter by heredity, I think), the best solution is to get up and move, do housework, play, go for a walk. I believe most nail-biting kids have a lot of pent-up energy and unconscious tension that they must control to "fit in" to whatever is going on around them. Even if they look relaxed, their bodies could be begging for movement. In fact, they could look relaxed BECAUSE they are using a coping behavior.
I started biting my nails early, and tried to stop for many years. I even bought my own stop-biting liquid, and tried every technique I could think of, including giving myself manicures as I got older. I finally – mostly – broke the habit in high school, but it was not because I used any tricks, but because I really, really wanted to quit. For myself, not for my mom or my teachers. And I began working on the anxiety and tension that prompted this coping response.
I hope you will work to reduce your own anxiety and negativity about this, because intensity from you could inadvertently increase your child's stress. I think my habit was aggravated by an over-involved and very controlling mother. In my experience, embarrassment, shame, scolding and nagging not only do not help, they probably increase my need to nibble and tear. And fingernails are handy! Require your daughter to keep her hands clean if she's going to put them in her mouth, and maybe help her find something else satisfying to bite, or fiddle with with her hands. Help make physical activity possible as often as you can.
If you can somehow "force" her to quit, which I doubt you can, she is likely to substitute some other habit that will help her deal with the underlying causes.
By the way, other moms have asked similar questions and got quite a few interesting responses. You might want to check these out: http://www.mamasource.com/request/8031309387765121025 and http://www.mamasource.com/request/recent/97013/1202607294/85
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!
