Nail Biting Issue Solution?

I was a nail bitter and my mom used the Sally Hansen nail biter polish and it worked. My daughter was a nail biter and I did the same for her and it worked great. I recommend it. Also, I take her to get manis when she has not been biting her nails.

This may not be what you want to hear, but the best way to handle it is to leave it alone. Take it from me. I bit my nails for 18 years. I chewed them until they bled. When they were down to the quick, I chewed the skin around the nails. When that was too chewed up, I bit the inside of my cheeks until those bled. By then the fingers had healed a bit, so I would start in on them again.

My parents and grandparents tried everything to get me to stop: bitter nail polish, the promise of fabulous rewards, gloves, pretty false nails, punishment, sticker charts. Everything.

Nothing worked. And you know what? All the pressure to stop biting my nails just stressed me out and made me bite my nails even more obsessively.

By the time I got to high school, they had given up, and left me alone. And then, my senior year, I woke up one day and I *didn't need to bit my nails anymore*. Something just switched off. I didn't need that as a comfort mechanism. I outgrew it. I'm 30 years old now with long, strong, gorgeous nails that frequently get compliments from other ladies wanting to know where I get them done. (I don't) Do I still bite? Eh... not really. I do "trim" them with my teeth. After 18 years of practice, I'm unbelievably accurate, moreso than any clipper would be. Sometimes I "feel" them with my teeth. But I don't need to bite and chew anymore.

I would like for you to ask yourself this: Why is it important to you that your child stop biting his or her nails? Hygiene? Institute a frequent hand-washing policy. Is he hurting himself like I used to? Remind him about not biting to the quick and encourage frequent handwashing to keep infections at bay. Is it that chewed nails are ugly? Eh.. so what? They're her hands, right? People aren't going to judge your kid by his/her fingernails. Does it just bug you? Let it go or ask him to do it in private.

Nail biting is a pretty innocuous habit. I say, worry about the bigger stuff.

I bit my nails till 27. Then when I started getting consistent manicures it took away all the parts I could grab at. I stopped then and never started again. My daughter sucked her thumb and my cousin (orthodontist) gave me a procedure to do with her and she told me that habits, take 30 days to break. So maybe if you can break the habit for 30 days on your child, it will clear. Just do everything that is recommended and see what happens. (I disagree with the women who said not to do anything. I hated that I did it and was embarrassed in school, but just could not stop. I would try to help now if you could)

Good luck

My son is a nail biter and I have decided I am NOT beating my head against this wall! I'm a nail biter and my parents tried EVERYTHING. The only things that's ever helped is having a toddler to chase or to keep my hands busy with crochet or needlework. At his age I don't have a behavior for him to replace the nail biting with that wouldn't be worse (and sure enough he gave it up on his own for about 2 weeks, and picked on his lip instead-- WAY worse!) So I totally ignore the nail biting, although I do look over his fingers good in the bath tub to be sure nothing's infected.

Sally Hansen used to have something, but I don't know if they still do. It's not really a polish, it's a coating that doesn't peel off. Tastes nasty. Haven't seen it it a while, though.

That stuff is called Stop n Grow. It tastes bitter, and is harmless for children. I used it on my children's pacifiers when they had to give them up. I also used it when I was a child to stop me biting my nails. I still bite my nails...

Walgrees has a product called Thum for thumb sucking and nail biting. Saw there was a coupon on the Walgreens website and printed it and bought it, but haven't used it, since I was thinking of trying to use it as a last resort to have my kid ditch the paci, but we're not at that point yet. Can't hurt to try it, each person is different, and it could work. Good luck!

I've heard that nail polish thing before, but only that it didn't work.

I'm tempted to just put mittens on my 5 y/o to stop her from biting!

I used it myself as a kid and it worked wonders...... I used something called "No Bite"

my mom mixed tobasco sauce with clear nail polish and painted my nails with it ... it took a long time to like tobasco again but my nails are pretty now as an adult~

My pediatrician told me the same thing but can not find it any where. i've tried mittens but just ripps them off. so if you find a way to stop nail bitting or find the nail polish please let me no.

I had a nail polish that tasted HORRIBLE when I was a kid. It made me stop, at least until I chewed the polish off! =)

I would try it.

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I used it for my son when he started biting his nails. Sorry to be pessimistic, but honestly, even though it helped I think it's only a temporary fix. I think sometimes biting nails is just a passing habit, as it was for me when I was a kid. But for others I think it's kind of a deeply ingrained thing, a manifestation of their personality. My son has always been prone to anxiety and that's one way it's manifested. With the polish and constant reminders from me (calm ones) he eventually stopped. But years later he started up again and still does it. He's 18 now, and I still stop him when I see it, but I think it will be something he does for a long time to come.