This Is SOOO Gross!!!

lol...just be glad it only started now! My 2.5-year-old nephew was doing it and my SIL asked the daycare people about it and was told "yeah, all the boys do it".
He will do it and then tell her "I pick my nose and I eats it".

Sometime you can't stop a behavior, but you can have him do it in the bathroom. The more attention you give it the more he may do it. Just quietly and politely suggest he go to the bathroom to take care of his nasal issues. He may then bore of it.

well just like you wouldnt let him dig in his pant in public dont let him pick and eat buggers.Send him to his room and tell him he can have a bugger eating goodtime by himself not with the rest of the family to watch.when he decide to join the rest of the family have him wash his hands and say no more about it until the next time you catch him.Be consistant.Remember the more attention you draw to him the more they like it.The little buggers ;)

Go Mona Vie!!!!!!!!!!! My daughter used to do the same thing and I just told her how yucky and germy it was and she stopped pretty quickly. He'll outgrow it...don't worry...just get him jacked up on the juice(Mona Vie)!!!!!!!! God Bless! N. Lurry

I am (unfortunately) the mother of 3 nose pickers! LOL
My daughter, age 9, used to pick her nose. She is a girly girl, so she got the "That's yucky" message pretty quickly when she started kindergarten.
My 8 year old son doesn't pick as much as he used to. I think he just plain outgrew it.
My 5 yr old, on the other hand, is a current picker. And occasional eater. hehehe I have just decided to just ignore it, but add an occasional "ew that's gross". I am pretty sure he will outgrow this as well.

Not sure if any of this will help. But, do not punish him for picking his nose. Teach him where the tissue box is and show him how to use them. If he feels the need to pick his nose teach him to do it privately. In the bathroom or his room. Everytime he picks his nose remind him to get a tissue and to take care of the problem. You may have to keep doing this for a month or so, but he should start using the tissue or going to bathroom or his bedroom to get the job done. Just hang in there. I know you will get tired of telling him to stop picking his nose and get a tissue or go to the bathroom. It is worth a try. Also you might want to put a tissue box in every room and make sure it is reachable for him.Also, make sure he knows where all the tissue boxes are. I would even put one where he sits in the car. He will catch on sooner or later. Good Luck!

I got my 3 year old son to stop biting his nails by telling him "if you bite your nails you will get bugs in your belly..."....it scared him and well...he hasn't bitten them since!! He had a nightmare the first night we told him about the bugs...and we said "well...as long as you aren't biting them the bugs will leave..." Whatever works right!! :)
Good luck to you!

Not sure what to tell you on this one, but I just wanted you to know that I am in the same boat...lol. Only difference is that my 4 1/2 y/o is a girl!! Let me know if you figure something out.

Very normal and some people never grow out of it (you know you have seen the driver next to you digging for gold).

Anyways, I would explain to him what boogers are made of (dirt & debris from the air and mucous). Then, let him know that when he does that he is putting germs from his hands into his nose that could make him sick. Next, show him the proper way to dispose of boogars by grabbing a tissue, have him put the boogars in it, then have him throw it away. You might make it more convenient by having easily accessible tissues all around the house.

Finally, completely discourage the practice of eating them. Let him know that nobody wants to see him do that and that he now knows what to do with his boogers.

You can suggest blowing his nose, but I think occasional nose picking is sometimes the best remedy to remove the stubborn ones (you didn't really hear that from me though).

Once he has conquered that part you can explain how socially unacceptable picking his nose is. That way, if he continues, he will most likely do it in a private.

I think your son has pin worms.Does he scratch his bottom when he wakes up? Dan

S.,

I thought I was alone!! I have a 3 1/2 year old son and he does the same. He thinks its a big game and when I tell him to stop he only does it more. I think it is totally disgusting and I am also looking for help. Sorry I dont have suggestions..just wanted to let you know you are not alone!!!

OMG.. My 4 1/2 year old does the same thing... thank goodness I am not the only one...The first time I seen him do it... I yelled OMG.. you one of "them". Its probably a karma thing... I used to yell at the boy next to me in 3rd grade for doing that all the time!

I don't have an answer, but you are not alone! My son does things a little different, though. After he picks his nose, he wipes his hand in his hair. So, every once in a while he'll have a booger in his hair. It drives me crazy! I have no idea how to get him to stop. Kids do the strangest things! If anyone has some good advice, let me know... :-)

I have a feeling that once his peers see him doing this they will tease him and hopefully that will make him stop. I am not sure what else to do except to redirect him the best you can.
J.

Ohh, I just got a good laugh reading about the statistics of nose picking. Anyway, I have two boys that pick. My 9 year old not so much, but wow for my 7 year old I think he needs to include snot as a food group for him.

Every time I hear or see him doing it, I tell him (and at first I had to walk him through it every time) to go to the bathroom and wipe and blow his nose. Then I still have to check and see if he washed his hands.

I think it takes years and years to get over it. Just B. consistant. Remind him it's not polite to do it in front of other people. That way he can avoid embarrassment.

I have the same problem with my 3 year old girl. I was getting ready to post something when I saw your question. I can't wait to see what people say.

As with everything you want your child to do, you have to make him quit. Pull his hand away, tell him no and get a Kleenex to wipe it off, then make him wash his hands. After you've done this a couple times and he is still doing it, tell him he will have to sit in his room several hours if he does it again. Then, follow through, making him wash his hands as before. A punishment must "deter" the crime and if you want your child to respect and listen to you, you must follow through. It will only take a few times for him to quit. Make sure he can reach a Kleenex box when he needs it.

I think every child does this at one time or another. If
your child does it constantly, talk to his dr. About it.
Sometimes they are lacking something in their system.

For a second I thought someone had taken my bio and written an article in my name. I am S. S too. I have 4 children. I have a 4 1/2 yr. old son. and I am absolutely disgusted by booger eating just like you. I wish I could help you. I can't because thankfully, I've not seen my children do this. I have heard that they will grow out of it, but I hope you get some good responses.

S.

I know where you are coming from. It is like a give and take thing when it comes to stuff like that. It is gross. I tell my kids they can not eat them and to try to keep it from going from finger to mouth we started telling the kids "If you take them from their home (which is their heads) you can't put them back in". Once we started making up silly names for the little nasty boogies they don't even try now. If they pick their noses we say you better put alfred in a tissue. I know it's sounds weird but kids like gross things for some odd reason. So we will break one habit at a time. I hope this helps and not gross you out even mome. Good luck.

Well, being a former nose picker/booger eater, I will tell you that he won't do it for long. It is just a stage. Honestly he may like the saltiness in the boogers. Afterall boogers is just dust and things from the air that form in the nose...

I dont think that this is an issue of concern. Just keep tissues handy and give them to him when u see him doing it.

Yup, that's pretty normal, GROSS but normal. Try not to react when he does it or he'll do it more to get the reaction. You might try asking him why he's doing it (matter of factly) but don't show that it bothers you otherwise he'll do it more.
good luck!!

Pick your battles, mama --- pun totally intended!

I'd either ignore it altogether, or gently ask him to go to the bathroom/get a tissue/wash hands each time. The consequence of the undesirable behavior should make sense, IMO. Smacking his hands or embarrassing him sends the wrong message, and would not be how I would want him to learn how to deal with others!

We explained to our children that it was dirty and we talked all about germs and how they spread. Anytime we caught them with their fingers in thier nose, or thumb in their mouth, we made them wash their hands. After a while, they get tired of not playing as much because they are always in the bathroom washing their hands. If you are afraid of them becoming germaphobic, you could also implement a rewared/sticker chart. KIDS LOVE TO RECIEVE STICKERS! Let them pick out the stickers from the store. When you catch them using a tissue instead of fingers or not using fingers at all, make a big deal about it. High fives and a victory dance if necessary and then let them put the sticker on a chore chart paper on the fridge or just a piece of paper on the fridge. If they get some many stickers on the chart (they usually come with 5 spots in a row, and 4 rows representing a calandar)let them get a quarter. When the whole chart is filled up ($1.00 worth) let them go the dollar store and pick something out. HOWEVER, if you catch them in the act, they have to X out a sticker and it is forever void. Once a sticker is void, start a new row. This helps create a progressive visual for you and them. It will take time and work, but will definately be worth it. Hope it helps.

My kid is a nose picker, but he is perfectly happy just wiping it on his pants. Blech!

One thing that helps sometimes is to send them to wash their hands IMMEDIATELY upon catching them picking. Tell him about germs and how when he picks his nose he is putting germs on them, and also on anything he touches. Then let him pick out the tissue boxes at the store and put them in several places in the house.

I also don't understand the appeal about eating them. But LOTS of kids do.

S. don't lose hope! Just continue to encourage him not to do it! And try to explain to him that it is not a good thing to do not just so people will like him, but from a different aspect also! I hope u can reach him!

Well i had 4 children and i know a few of them did that same gross stuff. They grew out of it, i was told that they lack something in their diet.possibly salt . Have you asked a doctor?

Hi Honey,
I just wanted to say that I have NO idea what on earth possesses little ones to do this but after raising 5 children I do know that they seem to outgrow it. It is one of those things that they eventually realize is not socially acceptable and so they stop doing it.
I think that the best thing to do is to just reach out and take his hand, lowering it without any angry words or any kind of punishment. Eventually he will just stop it. I know it is hard when you want to die of embarassment but keep your cool and just calmly give him something else to do. You might also offer him a tissue to see if he actually needs to wipe his nose and it might be bothering him.
Good luck!
Lady T~

I found an interesting article for you
Nose Picking
Nose picking appears to be a habit that, although it usually begins in childhood, may actually linger into adulthood. If you find that hard to believe, consider that a 1995 study of adults found that 91% picked their noses on a regular basis - and about 8% of those people reported that they eat what they pick

Here are some suggestions to stop the habbit:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/five_habit...

I think this is a case of "Catch him being good." You might want to make a sign on the door to the outside that reminds your kids to put a tissue in their pockets. Then, I'd make a game of asking throughout the day, Who's got your tissue? and rewarding those who do with a small reward of some type. A few times of missing out, and he should get the point. And a few reminders of "Make like an elephant and blow! " should help.