How Can I Trim My Daughter's Nails?!

Hi A.,
My son wouldn't let me trim his nails either. He's 6 and still acts like I'm cutting his fingers off - but it has to be done or he ends up with scratches on this face from his nails. We would do it when he fell asleep in the car or his stroller - not the crib. He seems to be in a deeper sleep and he was in a better position to clip the nails quickly. We were never able to do it while he was in the crib.

Maybe this will help. We try to hold him down a couple of times but you feel really guilty doing that.

Good luck.

If you daughter is not a thumb sucker or a nail biter, I suggest the power of nail polish! Promise to paint her nails pink if she lets you cut them! I usually only paint my girls toes, because I freak out about paint chips getting into their mouths. Good luck! I struggled with this too!

Have you tried cutting them in the bath? I do that with my son who is 18 months and he actually lets me do it. The nail are soft too so it makes it easier. I just play a little game with him and cut 2 nails and then let him pretend to cut a nail and then I cut two nails and so on. It usually works good and he feels like he is doing something too. It makes both of us happy! Try it. Good luck!
B.

Nail cutting can be a tactile sensivity problem that is very real. I have found scissors from Munchins to be the best baby scissors to use for cutting sensitive nails. Doing so after a bath is better as well. Once you trim the nail and perhaps do so is three cuts as to not bend the nail bed, squeeze her nail each time to relieve any sensitivity. Try leading up (scaffolding) to nail cutting. Have her watch you and offer lots of smiles and happy signs while doing it. Have her cut your husbands nails. Pretend to cut baby doll's nails. Show her the scissors without cutting. Touch the scissors to her nail without cutting. Take one snip from one nail and praise her for allowing it. Cut a little more of the nail another day and perhaps evenutally she will tolerate more than one nail. Lots of praise for each cut or attempt. All this to be done over the course of days. Encounters are brief but with a focu that nail cutting is easy and fun.

Hey there! Here's a trick I use: call them manicures! I let my daughter "cut" my nails and then I cut hers. We then paint our nails and call everyone to tell them how pretty they are. My daughter is almost 3 now and still loves these little rituals. Hope this helps!

I had issues with my son too. I started cutting them while we sat out on the front porch and I would point out cars, birds, people whatever I saw to distract him and it worked. Now he is 2 1/2 and we still go outside. Whenever I tell him it is time to cut his nails he'll ask to go out to do it. Good luck.

You could try these 2 tricks-

Once in awhile let her fall asleep in your arms instead of putting her down awake, and after she is in deep sleep, pick up the scissers.

Or, get someone else to do it. My son did not like me doing it at first, but he let my babysitter do it. If your daughter is already nervous when she sees you with a clipper, it helps to have a fresh hand.

Good luck. It's just a phase.

some people bite them. they say that you can feel it with your tongue and lips so you won't go to far and rip the nail off, but it's gentle enough to come off. Also, you can try filing her nails. It will get easier. It will all be a memory one day. enjoy.

There is nothing wrong with holding down your daughter to get her nails trimmed. My 13 monoth old son is not a fan of it either and when I am trimming them and restraining him a bit I remind him that the quickier he lets me do it the sooner it will be over. He usually responds to this although sometimes it is an all out battle. They need to be cut as you don't want them to snag on something and possibly rip into her nailbed as she could get an infection with all the stuff she has her hands into these days. Also, a few minutes of her being restrained is better than her hurting you, your husband & your son. You are the boss, not her. Take control!! :)

Hi A.,

Try trimming them when she falls asleep in the carseat. Just have your nail clippers with you and handy for when it happens. Even if you are only able to get 1 hand or 1 foot done at a time, it is better than nothing and you can get to the others on another day.

For my son, he watched a favorite show and held another clipper (shaped like an alligator) in the hand that I wasn't working on. I also counted 1, 2, 3 (side,middle,side) at each clip of each nail. It sort of made it a little game. Always let her know what a GREAT job she did.

GOOD LUCK!!!
~R.

Holly W has great advice. Also, if your daughter falls asleep in her carseat, pull over and cut them then. This also works for putting in eye drops.

leave them be for a while until she forgets about something that freaked her out about them, if they get to to long, best to trim them after the bath when they are soft, if she throws a fit, have dad hold her while you trim them after her bath, reward her after wards..see if somebody else can help you a frined a neighbor a relative, if you have to cut them and she wont sit still I dont think it will hurt her if dad has to hold her, she is the one making it hard on her self. Not everything kids like us doing, but its a must we do , and you have to say oh well to bad little sis mom has to.

We had to hold our girls down! They screamed like we were beating them!!! It was horrible. We started to give them a treat afterwards, now they know they will be rewarded if they sit still and get it done. Nails are so dirty that you need to do it and to me if they scream for 5 min, it wont hurt them.

In any situation, when asked is it hurting the child or others. If yes, then appropriate steps would be needed. Holly gave a great suggestion, as you are still keeping control by positive transitions and modeling. She is a toddler learning and becoming more aware of her surroundings. Helping her learn more skill behaviors and praising will help her adjust to more stages. Perhaps talking to your pediatrician on best practices on nail cutting on your next visit. Good Luck.

I do it while my kids are sleeping - usually nap time so I still have good light

Hi A., if the nails are a real issue, then yes it is OK for your husband to hold her down, that fact that she is kicking and screaming if you don't go ahead and cut her b=nails then the kicking and screaming got her what she wanted, and kicking and screaming is not something that you want to becom an habit, you are the parent she is the child and what you say goes, and she needs to learn that, also once you are done, she'll see it didn't hurt, and maybe next time she won't put up such a fight. Let me know how it turns out.
J. L.

Holly W (below) has given some of the best advice on this subject that I have ever heard!

Very useful info. Thanks!

Hi A.,
I'm a mom of three. 11,6, and 10mts and nail trimming is a pain at all ages. But it is something that needs to be done. With my 10mt. I sit her on the sink and while I give her something interesting to grab in one hand. I quickly trim the other and switch the object, or give her a new something. My other two, I just have to do it. They come to realize the sooner they stop wiggling and complainning the sooner it is over. I try and do it after showers or bath so the nails are clean and soft. Hope this helps. Good Luck.

Hi A.,

Maybe take a emery board and do your nails and make a big deal how your nails are sooo pretty and maybe she will see you doing it that she might let you file her nails down instead of cuting them.
good luck

In my household it is a two person job for one of our sons. We put on his favorite show on tv or get his favorite book and my husband holds my son down and distracts him by talking about the book or tv show while I try to cut his toe nails and finger nails as quickly as possible. I usually try to cut his toe nails on one day and his finger nails on another day. My son is getting better with the finger nails... but has extremely sensitive feet and still struggles with his toes. It totally sucks and we let his nails get longer than they should before cutting them because it is such a big ordeal for him... but in my mind... it is something that just needs to be done. You aren't alone in this. Good luck. -T.

I file my little boy's nails. It's a lot safer that trimming them. :)

Do it while she is sleeping

We went through this phase. I just grabbed a hold of her, talked to her and told her she had to have her nails cut, sat on her (enough weight to hold her still), and cut away. She hated it and screamed, but yes you have to cut the nails. It is bad hygiene, as their nails collect food, dirt, other unspeakable ick, and then food again and into the mouth. Bacteria can grow under the long nails. As well, no it is not okay for her to scratch hubby's eye because she doesn't want her nails cut. She will survive the manicure and get over the phase soon.

Tell her you're going to give her a manicure like the 'big ladies' and tell her she can pick her favorite nail polish (it's safe) but she has to get her nails trimmed first. You can even have her soak her other hand in the dish detergent while you're doing one hand and keep constant chatter going as a distraction. Then when she's done, mucho praise for her. Worked for my daughter and she looked forward to her monthly manicures.

Hi A.,

My daughter would not sit still for me to trim her nails as well. So, instead of trying to do it all in one shot, I usually spread it out to an hour. When she is distracted, I would grab 1 finger and cut and immediately get her attention back to whatever she was doing. Usually she doesn't know she just got her nail trimmed. By the end of the hour, all her finger/toe nails are trimmed. I do this every 2 weeks and so far it's been working. Also, I carried a nail trimmer in my diaper bag and when she is sleeping in the car, I find this a great opportunity to cut her nails as well. There is something about a baby sleeping in the car seat that no matter what, unless you physically carry them out of the car seat, they then to sleep deeper.

We are going through the exact same thing. The only thing that works for us is to give her a teething biscuit in her highchair with one hand and trim the other...then switch. Also, when she is in the carseat she can't really wiggle away.

Do it while she takes a nap or sleep!

You try to file them instead of cutting them. It takes a bit longer but you aren't likely to hurt her if she is putting up a fight. I would let my daughter hold my hand while my husband read a book and I would file away. I hope this helps.

I've had to do the holding down thing. It's not hurting them, they just don't like not being able to move. It's not good to let the nails grow long. Go with your gut and have your husband hold her down. It doesn't take bery long.

Hi A.,
I've been struggling with my son on this since the day he was born. He's now one, too and this past weekend was the first time I got all the nails in one sitting. After I had taken a shower, I was singing "Old MacDonald" while I got dressed and noticed he was sitting there staring at me the whole time (and he's usually so active). I decided to try it with him sitting in my lap with his back to me and it worked. He was too busy listening to me that he barely noticed I was clipping his nails. Not sure it'll work next time, but it's sure worth a try. Good luck!

The best trick I found was to sit my son in his highchair to cut his nails. (fingers and toes) I put the tray on so he can't see his feet when I'm cutting toenails, and I stand behind him and reach around to cut the fingernails. Hope this works for you!!

I do it when my 1 year old is in his high chair. It works great. He is a wiggle worm. I try to stay as calm as I can because as I get upset it seems as if he gets worse. I also count each toe or finger as I go and he thinks that is funny. Even if you can only get one toe or finger a day, just keep it up. That is what we did before we used the high chair. Good luck!!

My daughter did the same to my eyeball and I ended up in the hospital emergency room with a serious corneal injury. You gotta cut em! You're the boss... if hubby pinning her down kicking and screaming is the only thing that works, I say do it. Little fingernails are dangerous! Eventually, she'll figure out that she's going to lose the battle and she'll give in.

the fact that she is a girl may make this easier for ya...how about filing your own nails when she's around? talk about how pretty mommy's nails are & how nice it is, etc.... then give it shot with her - SLOWLY ( like only one nail a day ), give her her very own emery board w/cool designs on it (rite aid/sav-on) & let her "do it" herself....maybe you could eventually turn it into a fun mommy/daughter time together once a week or so.

I use an emory board to file down my son's nails. You can get various types and grit levels at Sally's Beauty Supply Store.

I put him on my lap and talk to him and play with him keeping eye contact with him most of the time (to distract him) and just file his nails until they are short-- I can do all ten nails in about a minute or two (just file like they do at the nail salon). It works great and there is no chance of hurting him-- so even if your daughter fusses about it you know it isnt pinching her or hurting her in any way.

You can try filing them down instead. Some children just fear the sight of nail clippers. She may not like the sound that the clipping makes.

Hi A.,

I had a similar problem with my 3 yr. old when she was younger. I gave up on the nail clipper thing and this may sound kind of weird but I actually just bite her nails off and I make it into a game like I am tickling her and pretending to gobble her fingers. Their nails are so thin at this age that they just come right off.

Hope that helps!
H.

My daughter went through this. I held her in my arms feet around her legs and cut her nails quietly. She screamed, yelled, cried and tried to move away. I explained that we need to cut her nails for her to look pretty and if she won't hold still we'll do it this way. After a few times, she realized I'm not giving in I got out the clippers and she sat and put her hands out. I told her she made a good choice, and wasn't that easier. Yes she was about the same age as your daughter, and she probably didn't understand my words, but she understood the actions. She also saw me cut her brothers nails and that helped her see it wasn't so bad.

:)

My daughter is usually pretty cooperative, but one thing I do that works is pretend to trim her baby's nails first then do one of hers and go back and forth until I'm done. Does your daughter have a baby doll that she really loves? For toenails, I've heard suggestions to do it in their highchair. I think getting her to agree to do it is better than using a forceful situation, but you have to do what works best for you and DD. Good luck.

I got my daughter to submit to nail cutting the same way I taught her to brush her teeth and use the potty - I let her see me do it first. It's not scary, it doesn't hurt and even Mommy does it, so how bad could it be, right? We cut our nails together and I let her play with the nail file. It's still not her favorite activity (neighter is brushing her teeth), but there's now a routine to it that makes it easy and fairly quick. A quick note: at first I could only cut one or two nails until she didn't want to do it anymore. I just kept track of which ones were cut and eventually over time all were maintained.