Nail Biting - Annandale,VA

I just asked my pediatrician about this last week because my son bites his nails. I bit my nails all my life (off and on as an adult) and it makes me cringe to see my own son do it because of how much I despise it in myself. The pediatrician didn't seem to make it a big deal but he said I should redirect and give him other things to put in his mouth such as sugarless gum or a sugarless lollipop. Now if I can just teach my 5 year old how to chew gum instead of swallowing it...

You should bevery worried,biting toenails is a sign of an illness that makes you turn into a monkey! Lol! I don't think you have to be worried about it. My hubby and 3.5 year old bite their nails. Never toenails though. Try putting something nontoxic thats bitter tasting on them.

My 3 year old started biting her nails after her brother was born. She also bit her toenails. I asked her ped. about it and she said to try not to draw a lot of attention to it, to try to redirect it instead. Like when you see him biting his nails throw him a squishy ball or something else that will help him keep his hands busy. Nine months later she may chew on a nail if I let them get too long, but its pretty much disappeared. She'll still bite a toenail now and then, but I think that's because we drew attention to it-- "eeewww! don't bite your toes!" (half joking, half serious). Maybe your son is just going through a phase--there are so many of them at this age! Good luck!

My 4 yo daughter bites her nails horribly! She also bites her toe nails and she even has deformed her finger nails. I asked the pediatrician and she suggested I use a spray that pet owners use to stop their puppies from bitting things. I believe it's called "bitter apple" spray, but they have others at the pet store. It is safe to consume. I have sprayed it on my daughter's nails, and believe me, it works like a charm! She is now more mindful. It does taste horrible! I wash her hands before meals, or else, she won't eat because she can taste it in her food. I also spray it on her clothes because she went from biting her nails, to chewing off her clothes! I gues one never wins!

Oh to be limber enough to bite ones toenails......
I'd calmly try to redirect and hope its just a phase.
Maybe offer a carrot stick...??

your 2.5 yo is old enough to be told why we don't bite our nails. there are the germs present on our hands that we ingest and the germs we put on our hands from our mouth which we then spread around to others. take this from a veteran nail-biter, nip this in the bud.

My little sister used to bite her fingernails... My dad put band-aids on her fingers (the cloth kind that is really hard to get off...) and dabbed this bitter tasting stuff on it... Her fingers tasted too nasty to want to chew on. I have also heard of sewing gloves to the end of sleeves...

I used to bite my nails - fingers and toes - when I was little. It hasn't caused any long-term effects but when I was little I DID get pinworms from it. Might want to watch out for that.

My 2 year old dd would pick at her nails or stick her fingers in her mouth but stopped suddenly one day and I didn't know why until I realizes she had grabbed the "Yuk" spray I used for the puppies to stop their chewing. It's REALLY bitter, but perfectly fine for consumption. Just thought it was funny (except when it happened to me--bleckh!) Good luck!