Nail-biting

My son did that then he started chewing his clothes so I gave him a stack of washcloths and told him if he wanted to chew something he had to chew a washcloth and after a while he got tired of it and has stopped altogether. I was a nail bitter until I started knitting as a teenager. That may work for him. My niece bites her nails and gums when the weather changes because her fingers get dry so my sister started giving her hand lotion and it has worked great! No more biting.

Dear J.,
Many, many years ago as a young special education teacher, parents of one of my students asked me to go with them to their son's appointment with a psychiatrist. He said something that has never left me. Being a human is the most stressful job on Earth. We all have ways we cope with it: some of us twirl our hair, bite our nails, pick our skin, etc. It helps relieve the tension that would otherwise cause us to explode. So, truly, unless he is hurting himself, leave him alone. You will find that most people who say they got over it merely exchanged one behavior for another. If it becomes an issue of safety such as he is biting his nails until they bleed, speak to your pediatrician. He may be experiencing more intense anxiety and need intervention!
Peace!
S.

I just have a thought that he may be doing it for attention. In your bio you said that you were the owner of a new puppy. I know from experience that getting a new animal when children are in their toddler years- or anytime- can be very time consuming and take you away from your children. (It was too much for me and we ended up finding a new home for our new dog.) It's just something to be aware of. Also know that he your son is not knowingly doing it to drive you crazy! My daughter was a nail biter and she grew out of it. Good luck.

At this age, my girl did that too. The "phase" passed. Also, nails harbor germs/bacteria... they can catch cold and get sick this way. We explained to my girl about this. She caught the drift.
Good luck,
~Susan
www.cafepress.com/littlegoogoo

There is this stuff that you can buy at the pharmacy. You put it on the nails, similar to nail polish. It tastes awful and helps them break the habit.

Go to wal mart or a drug store get no bite nail stuff in the nail isle, apply 4 - 5 times a day and use until it stops, also works for thumb sucking.

None chemical way, HOT HOT hot sauce on their fingers at night after bath, and re apply a few times a day.

If neither work try and ask the child why they do this, and explain it is not good for them to do this, and they will hurt them selfs and that they should stop. I did that with my 2 yr old and guess what now the only thumb sucking is at night and rare or when its almost bed time, and nail bitting has stopped.

I did both, at young ages, and stooped when my dad got the nail stuff. My child we had to stop doing this because she picks her skin, bites her nails & cuticle tell it was raw. She would suck her thumb until skin was coming off.

Yes anxiety can cause this but our pediatrician who is a specialist because we have a special needs child, said that we should get her to stop doing it and try and get her focused on something else we do books & color with crayons a lot. And that helps.

Good luck.

I was also a nail biter until I got out of college. The one thing that helped me was getting manicures so that there were not broken pieces to grab onto. My kids, so far, have not started that but if they did, I vfigured that would be where I start. Good luck.

Hi,
I just went through this with my 3 yr old daughter. I encouraged her to file her nails instead of bite them. Now she doesn't bite them and they are beautiful, so we can keep them painted and pretty. Her reward was a french manicure, which I did myself and she loves it. Now she is proud of her long pretty nails. I know you can't really promise a manicure for him, but giving him a safe nail file might keep him busy and distracted from biting, then once you see they need to be trimmed give him a reward. Good luck!

tell him that nails are DIRTY... Bribe him with someting. Read a book to him about germs and all of the yucky stuff that our hands get into.... Clip his nails super short when he gets out of the bath.. if there is nothing to chew... hopefullly he will be able to break the habbit.

Dear J.,

My daughter stopped socking and bite her nails until another mom recommended to me four months ago the product name STOP.You can find it in the beauty supply called Beauty planet is a product specific for it.

It product was a miracle.

Good luck,

M. K.

Hi there J.!!!

With my son he decided to peel his nails, which is just as bad as biting them. He would peel them until they bled. I made a deal with him. The deal was that if I saw the "whites" of his nails grow long to where I had to cut them he would get a prize (reasonably speaking) of his liking every time I had to cut them. It worked !!!!! He now has not peeled his nails for 2 months. He is 6 going on 7. Hope it works. Good Luck. L.

With my sister when we were young. We were told to keep her busy and her hands full. It did help, she did grow out of it.

Hi J.,

My oldest daughter years ago used to bite her nails too. I used something that I bought at the drugstore, it was called: STOP! You paint it on the fingernails like nailpolish (it's clear) and it has a bitter taste. That really helped, along with gentle reminders for her to take her fingers out of her mouth.

Best to You!
S.