Nail Biting - Simsbury,CT

My daughter tried this. I just pulled her hand away every time she put her hands to her mouth, and, made it a point to watch for her doing it. Eventually, she stopped. Now, at age 10, I don't have a "nail-biter" and she is proud that she grows long nails. I think eventually she got used to taking it away when it got by her mouth, even if I wasn't there to take it away for her.

I have been biting my nails off and on my entire lifetime. I wear polish and pick it off. I have seen both my sons biting their nails. One wears the clear polish and picks that off. It is rather like a lot of conditions-controlled but never really goes away. Sometimes my nails are beautiful. He will have to decide as he gets older how to handle it. In the meantime if you find another way to stop it let us know. I have heard about many trials: putting icky tasting stuff on it, pointing it out when they are doing it etc. I am not trying to be the bearer of bad news but it's tough to stop. At the moment my nails are luciously colored hotpink because I made it through a wedding last night and hopefully will go on a bit longer. You see it is just a condition that happens and in my case is not always conquerable. For the most part it has been, I do not know why I ever even started. Well, I am looking forward to hearing from the other moms on this one.

My DD was doing this. I started looking more closely at her fingers. Her cuticles were very dry and her nails grow very fast. So I have to clip her nails twice a week and I bought her some lotion that smells like chocolate. I apply the lotion 3-5 times a day. It has really cut down on the biting and the finger chewing.

I am not quite eligible for medicare yet but I still bite my nails. I just finished off the last pink and white nail last night which is why I felt compelled to write! My husband would like to strangle me when he sees it. My mother fussed and fussed but that only made it worse. Hummm since I still bite my nails maybe I should be ineligible to respond.

On the up side - you could try the bad tasting stuff. I started when I was a teen so I chewed right over it but you have a chance to change this habit early. Keep her nails short-short and make it a game with a blue for boy or pink for girl large buffer. They make really large ones now but I don't remember where I got mine. Avon I think. Keeping her busy will help. Does she go to daycare? She should be busy enough there not to have time to sit and bite her finger nails. If she is doing it there you need to talk to her teacher and observe in the classroom. Stress positive alternative methods not just swatting her hand. Does she/he see this behavior and mimic it? Maybe young mothers will disagree but if you consider it a bad behavior and with all the bugs going around, how could you not, what about the time-out chair? I did think, however, that the substitution method always worked best for behaviors we wanted to change in our boys. One last note: I seem to remember that a friend of mine said biting your nails meant you had a deficiency in some mineral in your body. Maybe your pediatrician can address that issue. Or maybe that's just an old wife's tale. Good luck and let us know how it is going.

I would go to Wal-Mart and buy Stop Bite (I think that is what it is called). It has worked wonders on my kids.

Its very difficult to get them to stop in their own. My 5 year old starting biting last year. We tried a few different taxes, but the only one that worked was the yucky pen. We told him if he kept biting, he was going to get an "infection". It left a bitter orange taste every time he bit. After he fell asleep I would paint it on. (it washes off with water). He would bite in the morning and be very cautious about it for the rest of the day. I think the key is to get your child to stop doing it before it becomes a habit. I bit my nails for years, and it wore and weekend my bottom teeth, as well as some other issues. Our tact may have seemed a little harsh, but it worked right away with no nagging or tears. Good luck!!

If you trim his nails so they are quite short it should help. It is a habit that slow down gradually. Maybe it is a sign of stress or anxiety. Think about possible causes of that. Whatever you do - don't overreact. You will make it worse. It is better to ignore it. My son picks his nose and eats it from time to time. I will pick him up and/or distract him in some way. But if I tell him not to pick his nose, it would reinforce the behavior. Talk to your child and find out what his fears and anxieties are. My son has gone through being frightened of a lot of things. He has asked me with every insect, if it will hurt him. I say things like no - all they do is look for food, they are not interested in you. The spider only wants a fly, etc., etc. It really works to give him confidence.

i have that problem with my 5yr old,i did it when i was little,and my granny-God love her-told me i would get worms if i kept doin it,i stopped,but i could never tell my kid that,i was thinking about getting that polish that has a bitter taste,but am unsure bout him being too young

My son also bit his nails, but he was a bit older when he started, maybe 8 or so. My husband has been struggling with this his whole life, so I know where he gets it from. It was definitely from anxiety, we spoke with his pediatrician about it and she basically told us not worry about it unless it caused problems. We tried a few things and nothing worked, so we left it alone, even though it drove us crazy. He probably did this for a over a year, and then he suddenly stopped. He is now thirteen and has not done it since. He made the decision on his own, apparently he started thinking about how “gross” it was and that it was “bad” for him. My thought is that by not focusing on it and letting him figure it out on his own, he was able to overcome it hopefully for good; he says has no urge to bit his nails anymore. This obviously does not work for everyone as my husband still does it, but you never know. Good luck.

As a life-long nail biter (mostly reformed since about 16), I find that I'm most likely to be tempted when I'm tense or nervous, bored, or haven't had enough physical exercise.

Like Cathy S., I found that my mom nagging or scolding only made it harder for me to stop biting, because it made me feel more anxious and tense. What works best for me is to be sure I've had enough activity during the day, keeping my nails filed smooth (I often touch up the edges twice a day), and having some alternative thing to do with my fingers – I tend to fiddle with my hair, or stroke some pleasant object or fabric between my fingers.

I tried everything as a child to break my own habit, including buying the nasty-flavored nail condiment out of my own allowance. Like a smoker, I had to try again and again to break the habit. I was always ashamed of my nails. I finally managed to stop the constant nibbling by the end of high school, but will always be a little compulsive in this way. For me, it is one expression of some Sensory Integration issues I've had my whole life.

When you notice your son nibbling, try giving him something better to do, and see if his nails need smoothing. Nagging probably won't do much good, and could make it worse. But if you can chat with him about the reasons he does it and whether HE would like to stop, he might appreciate reminders from you.