Help with 3 Yr Old Picking Nose

I teach pre-k and what I did to break the habit of students was to send them to wash their hands every time I saw them pick. They eventually got so tired of hand washing that they stopped picking nose. I did this also for arm pit farts. It worked for me.

C.

My son is 8 years old and had been picking his nose a lot the past year or so...anyway, we went to the ENT for fluid in his ears (he has a history of 3 sets of tubes, adenoids out, etc.) so we went straight to the ENT when we started seeing lingering fluid again...and he said his nose was very irritated due to allergies and started him on Nasonex. He had recommended it in the past but we never gave it to him (just didn't see the need), but now my son says his nose doesn't itch as bad and he didn't have any side effects to the medicine. I felt horrible for teasing him when I'd see him picking his nose when I found out he really couldn't help it. It could just be habit with your daughter, etc. but maybe it really itches in there and she can't help it either. Just a thought.

Unfortunately, all kids pick up some sort of terrible habit at this age. I think it's a coping mechanism for whatever reason (she may be coping with a having a new little sister & she's not the baby anymore - don't know your situation, but after having 3 kids myself, it's just a guess). My oldest is a nail biter, my middle child is a nose picker, and my youngest does a little of both! My middle child would pick until he bled - even in his sleep. I couldn't get him to stop, either, and it just took time for him to realize that this is not healthy. He is 7 now, and has grown out of it almost completely. Give it time, keep reinforcing the gross and unhealthy reasons, and eventually, she will catch on. In addition to the child's disadvantages from their habits, it's embarrassing to us as parents. I remember feeling like a terrible mother b/c my kids would do their behaviors in public. Hang in there and remember that most parents go through this, too.

We had the same problem with our daughter and I received some good advice from my Ear Nose & Throat Specialist who was going through the same thing. Gently insist that she get a kleenex and pick it in the bathroom. Don't laugh (although I know it is cute) or make a big production. Requiring her to go and get a kleenex will make her more aware of what she is doing. It may take some time, but be persistant and either she will stop on her own or one of her friends will tell her it is gross and she will stop then. Try not to worry, sometimes peer pressure is a good thing. Good luck.

L.

I don't know about your daughter, but mine still has trouble blowing her nose effectively. As a result, nose picking is her solution. Instead of forbidding it, I told her where it was acceptable - she needs to be in the bathroom/bedroom with a tissue/hanky in hand. It has taken a while, but that's what she does now. She is starting to be able to blow more effectively - and has had lots of practice with all the pollen in the air right now :-)
Towards the beginning of this...saga, she was trying to blow her nose a lot and going through A TON of tissues. So, I took her to Marshall's and we looked at different handkerchiefs. We ended up buying a package of three, each had a different flower (rose, larkspur, daffodil). Using a (pretty) hanky that she chose herself was a turning point for us. She knows that it's like a tissue that gets washed instead of thrown away.

HTH
K., mama to
Catherine, 4.5y
Samuel, 16m

Start an incentive chart. Whenever you see her NOT picking her nose, give her a sticker. Trade in those stickers for prizes. If that is too broad, try the reversal. After ten nose picking incidents (or which ever #) take something away. Be consistent and have consequences!

a friend of mine had the same problem with her 3 yr old, so we tackled it together (i was her live-in mommy helper, daddy was in iraq).
when he woke up that day, we sat him down and said that picking is rude, no one wants to watch it, and you should go to the bathroom and blow. we told him if something is stuck in there, pick it in the bathroom alone, wipe it on the tissue, and wash your hands. the first time we saw him do it in the morning, we would warn him- 'the next time you pick your nose in here without a tissue, we will put socks on your hands'. he did, we put them on, took him to the bathroom and helped him blow. after he wore socks for about an hour, we took them off. the next time, warned him again, then brought out the socks. after about a week, he was in the bathroom with a tissue, blowing, not picking.
anyone caring for her needs to know what you are doing, so that they may reinforce.
good luck!!

There is some good advice here. I tend to understand WHY my daughter picks her nose...and sometimes she can't just leave the class room to get something out. Her and I both have issues with allergies, so we are maintanance medications which I think dries up our noses a good bit. I'd rather have this issue than the opposite of which I've delt with for years. I will take some of this advice and keep trying to get to stop doing it in public. My biggest fear is that kids at school will start picking on her.

I don't know if this will help, but we tell my 3 year old neice that there are booger biters in her nose and they will bite her finger if she sticks it up there. We also taught her how to use a paper towel or kleenex to get the boogers out. I hope I helped!

J.