How to Stop Nail Biting

Just ignore it the best you can. My daughter started this about at 5 and it drove me nuts, especially when her little brother took up the same habit. With her I refused to put nailpolish on her and that helped some, then I explained that her nails were going to have to be super short as germs and all sorts of stuff get under nails. Then I just ignored it. When she was close to me and did it I gently without saying a word removed her hand from her mouth. The more I ignored it the sooner it stopped though. I guarantee once he chews his nails down to the point of being painful, he will get the message. It took that happening a few times with my daughter.
It is a unconscious habit that will esculate if you point it out. Just be matter of fact, keep his nails trimmed so he has nothing to bite on either. If it is out of anxiety, try finding another way to get that out, talking, getting him involved with something with his hands like painting or drawing.

I remember biting my nails at age 4...and even then how it drove my mother crazy. She said and did everything I think she could possibly come up with...and continued to say and do things...even manicure gift sets, always trying and trying to get me to stop. Clip nails short? lol...I learned how to bite beyond that...I'd be in pain from it, but kept on with it. I stopped when I got married. I still revert now and then, but then I throw on some false nails until the urge goes away. I think the worse thing my mother did was give it so much attention and so much of her own effort throughout the years. My oldest daughter sucked her thumb until she was 8. I knew by my mother's actions not to do anything or bug her about it. She finally expressed to me that she didn't want to suck her thumb and I asked her if she would like me to help her stop. She said 'yes'...by this, SHE was the one in control, not me. I suggested that whenever I saw her sucking on it, we could have a code word that would help her realize what she was doing...then she could stop if she wanted to. She liked the idea and accepted it. She hasn't sucked her thumb in more than 2 years.

I used to bite my nails all the way down to the nub until they bled. I also used to suck my thumb...until I was seven, and then replaced it with the nail biting. And the nasty nail polish didn't work. I just kept on biting. I found that I needed something to occupy my mouth...comforting. The best thing for me is chewing gum (I go through a lot of gum, so you might want to buy a pack from Sam's Club or Costco), otherwise I find food works pretty well. I would start with the chewing gum, especially since he is so young. See if him chewing several pieces a day for a few days helps. I have also found that if the edges of my nails are rough, I am more likely to bite them because they snag on things. So while he is chewing his gum, see if you can file the edges smooth. It may be as simple as that. Otherwise, I'm not sure what else to do.

Hi,

I use a pine enhanced hand lotion, yucky taste, and does work quite well.

Hope it will help.

C.

Hi S., I had 3 kids with 3 issues - my twin 4yo boys (one was biting his nails down to the quick & the other sucking his thumb) then my 2.5 yo daughter sucking her thumb. It was disgusting, I was worried about infection & disease. Plus it just looks gross. Sandra Coulson is who we were referred to & she is a miracle worker - do not hesitate, call her right away & you will not be sorry. They basically stopped after one appointment with her, even thought we had several appointments to make sure the issue was resolved.
Her number is ###-###-####. Good luck to you,

Here's something that worked with my son...although he had been biting for a lot longer and was probably 8 when I did it. I told them that I understood that habits are really hard to break, but how about if he could bite all his nails except for his thumbs. (My plan was to help him break the habit one nail at a time.) He agreed, and a few weeks later, I noticed that all of his fingernails had grown out! For some reason every time he started to bite his nails, he remembered he couldn't bite his thumbs, and that little bit of awareness made him remember not to bite his nails at all!

When I was a child I remember wanting to quit sucking my thumb. I decided to put hot sauce on my fingers - specifically Tabasco and it worked. If you dont want to do something like this then maybe go check in with the family doc to see what they have to say.

I used to bite my nails as a teenager. I found that if I kept them clipped super short (as short as possible) then there wasn't anything to bite. After a while the desire to bite them was gone.

I would recommend "Stop" made by Mavala, made in Switzerland. It is like a nail polish with a horrendous taste. We found it online - from folica.com. We tried everything for our son - gloves, bribery, the product you mentioned (Thum). Stop doesn't wash off and it is nasty. I feel the earlier you discourage this habit, the better. Good Luck.

Why do you think he's doing it? Could he be anxious about his new baby sister? I would sit down and talk to him about her and ask how it is for him and is there anything he's worried about, etc. Getting a new sibling is a HUGE transition for a little guy. I have a list of suggestions if you think that's it (i also have a boy and a girl 3.5 yrs apart) Send me an email if so and i'll send them to you. After addressing whatever is making him anxious, i would give him options to do instead of the nail biting - like when you feel like doing that, come sit in mommy's lap for a snuggle instead, or give him something else to chew on, like a special shirt or a stuffy while he sits with you. I think our kiddos need us to look at the big picture (since they can't yet) and help interpret it for them. Big changes can be scary and they often need reassurance to know mom is still there and things will be ok. take care, this is a big change for YOU too... good luck!