My son is 27 months old and we have the hardest time getting him to let us cut his fingernails. As a result, they get too long and then he accidentally cuts himself (or some poor other child at daycare). We sat to cut them last night and he'll usually sit still for at least the first few fingers but then he starts squirming and crying to the point that one of us is practially laying on his arm to keep it still. Does anyone have any tricks to make this go a little smoother? Thanks!
You can try doing it when he is napping.
How i got my son to like getting his fingernails clipped i would sit him on my lap with his back against me and i would clip enough to the point when i let him pull the rest off, he loves when i clip his nails. YOU CAN ALSO TRY CUTTING THEM WHILE HE IS IN THE TUB
My son (23 months) will only let my husband cut his nails. Its something they do together as part of quality time. My husband cuts his first while my son watches, and then since he wants to be just like Daddy, he lets him then cut his too. Works for us, good luck!
I always clipped my kids nails when they were asleep.
I clip my daughter's nails while she is watching a movie. She gets really locked in so she is more focused on the movie then what I am doing and she is more likely to sit still.
I file my daughters nails instead of cutting them because I am afraid that I will cut her. It works well and she does not mind the file because it tickles.
Cut them while he is asleep.
I always give my boys (who are 18 months old) something to play with that they can handle with one hand while I clip the nails on the other hand. I try to do this while they are sitting in their highchairs after eating...that works well for clipping toenails too. Good luck!
Have you maybe tried singing a counting type song...such as one little, two little, three little indians?? Or The Farmer In The Dell...to where you can add animals with each finger perhaps? Also, a little bribery could do the trick. :) Good luck! Make it more fun some way and maybe you will get better results!
Roxanna
The singing a song works sometimes... I also have noticed that my son LOVES tools and machines. So if I allow him to push down on the clipper with me, while I have the cutter on his finger nail... he feels he is doing all the work. I just have to line up the nail to be on the inside of the clipper... and I say, okay, 1,2,3 push... and we push down together. (Granted he doesnt know I am really the one doing all the steady handwork.
Much LUCK!
My son also hates the clippers. My sister in law actually peels her daughter's nails, so I tried it. Young children's nails are so thin that tou can actually pinch the end of the nail and just pull it across. It works really well and it doesn't hurt them. It's a lot less scary for them too. Good Luck!
I use a nail file (emry board however you spell it) on my 2y/o's nails. He hates the clippers, but will sit and watch me file them, plus I do it why we're rocking watching TV before bed... Or when he's asleep even!
Can you cut his fingernails when he is asleep?
Karen S
Good Morning Nicole, I am not sure how she does it but one of our daughters in law's can do it in a flash and no one whines or squirms. We had trouble with the same issue, for our other 3 yr old gr son. Gen was trying to trim them up, and the battle was on! Aunt Bethie said let me try. She sat him on her lap with him leaning against her she started talking to him and showed him what she was doing with a litle story. Less then two minutes she was done and he was down playing again. Now we all can trim them and not have the squirmies. ;)
For her little guy almost 8 mo, she either trims them right after his bath, or while he is taking a bottle falling asleep. He is relaxed and doesn't curl his hands shut or seem to mind at all.
When your little guy starts squirming and ya have to hold him down, stop and wait until later to finish up. Just tell him your not done, but he can go play for a little while then you will finish trimming his nails a little later.
Good Luck Nicole, hope you find something that works for you.
Karen
I pretend like the clippers are an alligator and he's hungry and wants to "chomp chomp" some fingernails. I make it fun not scary. I realize some kids, my niece for instance, would have freaked at that approach, but it worked for my kids. My 13 month old giggles when I clip his nails.
Hi Nicole, I go through this with my daughter and I started whispering in her ear while I am cutting her nails and I try to cut them as fast as I can. She loves "secrets" so I just start whispering and then she pushes her head towards me so she can hear me better. Hope this works for you too!
We had a child who hated to let us cut his nail. He was a sound sleeper so we started doing it after he fell asleep. He also had a few hair cuts sitting on Daddys lap sound asleep. Not the best hair cuts! Ha Ha!
try cutting them when he is asleep..
I always had the same problem with my little boy from the time he was a baby. I consulted with a nurse who told me to wait until he was in bed for the night (not during a nap). Once he falls asleep, wait 20 minutes, and then go in to do the cutting. He should be in such a deep enough sleep that you won't wake him. Have your husband hold a little flashlight while you do the cutting and filing. It's hard on your back at times, but the process goes so much smoother than when he's awake. I hope this helps you!
My daughters used to squirm and whine that it hurt when we cut their nails. After checking that we really hadn't cut them, (they were just using it as an excuse) we started having them watch a TV show or movie. They get so mesmerized by it that they aren't paying any attention to what I'm doing.