My 2 year-old is biting her fingernails. She's been doing it since she was 18 months old. The doctor said she's just copying me (I've always been that way). The plan was to keep an eye on it and as long as she wasn't biting them really low or getting into the nail bed to just gently encourage her to stop and (of course) for me to stop. I'M doing really well, but lately I've noticed my daughter's nails are VERY low and she keeps chewing them.
I'd like to nip this in the bud before it gets bad - any suggestions?
I've tried painting her fingernails but haven't found any non-toxic nail polish and she just scrapes it off right away. I hate the idea of her ingesting all that nasty nail polish so I've sort of given up on that. I've been pointing out to her that I'm not putting my fingers in my mouth anymore and how nice it is to have long nails but she doesn't seem impressed. I've also started giving her something else to chew on (like a toothbrush or a carrot) when I see her doing it. But I'm pretty sure she mostly chews at night before she falls asleep. Any suggestions are appreciated - thanks!
My daughter (now 5) started biting her nails when she was about 2. She would bite them pretty far down and I was worried about infections. And it looked pretty gross. A friend of mine suggested giving her a pretty necklace that she could play with when she got the urge. She still has the necklace and her nails are beautiful!!!
It won't happen overnight, but keep on it! Good luck!!!
You can try a product called "Stop" that you can order online. It is inexpensive, non-toxic, and has a pretty nasty taste to "stop" nailbiting and thumb/finger sucking. Hope that helps!
Well sorry to tell you but I picked up this bad habit from my mother at 2 and I still fight it every day.... I have what my girlfriends call my sacraficial hand and my pretty hand...
I think you are doing the right thing by quiting to bite your nails (makes me look at my daughter and know I must also quit). You just have to be strong and praise her when she has nails and ignore it when she does not.
I did quit for a little while as a child when my grandmother took me to get a manicure. Maybe as your reward you can start going to get a manicure and tell her that when she has longer nails she can go with you.. If you cannot afford a real manicure maybe you could take this time to get with a girlfriend and do them... Good luck and thanks for the reminder that I must quit before my daughter gets old enough to copy me!!
Perhaps try going to your local herbal store and finding something there that would be bitter to taste to paint on her nails. I have one who is 4 and still sucking her thumb that I am about to do that with. They can help you find the right thing that will not do any thing to her system yet be bitter enough that she should stop. Also, once upon a time there was a no bite polish that was being made that was non toxic. I had to use that my self to stop biting my nails.
This product worked with my 2 year old daughter. I had to order it online. She now has very pretty hands and loves to have her nails painted....
http://www.jessicacosmetics.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=...
There is lots of evidence that this behavior and other related ones are hereditary. It's always hard to see our sweet children become afflicted with this, but I think it really is more an affliction than just a dirty habit.
My 3.5 grandson has started biting his nails, mostly when he's going to sleep. I'm a life-long nail biter (although mostly abstaining for decades). My daughter tears at her cuticles. My sister digs at her skin. My mother was always picking at all of us, both verbally to get us to stop our picking and chewing habits, AND, ironically, to physically remove little bumps and scabs from our tender skins. (She was afflicted, too.)
I notice that I'm still most susceptible when I'm bored, nervous, or haven't had enough physical activity. Sitting in meetings or watching movies are my weakest times, so I always try to have something to manipulate in my hands to help avoid starting that nervous activity. When it's happening, I'm not always aware of it until the "need" to keep chewing has kicked in, and then, as you probably know, it's much harder to stop.
I also tend to start working at tiny rough spots in the edges of my nails. If you can keep your little girl's nails trimmed and filed smooth, she'll be less likely to start nibbling at them. And THANK YOU for keeping toxic nail polish away from Mira.
Unless she reaches a point where she really wants to stop, you are not likely to be able to "make" her. In my experience, your trying to do so may just make it worse, and she could do it more compulsively or try to be sneakier about it.
This request was made by another mom just a week or so back. You might find other suggestions you like here:
http://www.mamasource.com/request/5321340175891103745
