Nail Biting (3 Year Old) - Bremerton,WA

My little girl try to pick up this habit a few months ago as I am like you I bite my nails to I talked to her pediatrician about it and she told me about this polish you put on their nails called no bite it is harmless but it has this awful taste and after a couple times putting it in her mouth she hasnt done it much since. But her pediatrician told me she got it from watching me do it so I tried not doing it especially in front of her.

whatshebuys.com sells a product called Mavala Stop. It takes 10+ serious hand washings to wash it off and it tastes really, really bad. http://www.whatshebuys.com/masttwobo.html

Just your 3 year old know you are placing it on his nails because if he accidentally places a finger in his mouth it's so bad he might throw up if he isn't aware it's polish. Oh, and don't give him any finger foods with it on (one moment on the lips - and trust me, you want to rub your lip on anything to get the taste off). It only costs $12.00, I would buy 2 (just to keep them handy.

You can try the Mavala Stop polish. I bought ours on amazon. It really tastes terrible. It didn't work for my determined biter, but I could see where it would work for others. Use caution though...it can also make food taste bad if he is eating anything with his fingers. I haven't found anything that works. My daughter doesn't just chew her nails, but the skin all around her nails. It looks terrible and painful. Post here if you find another good solution.

I was a nail biter.. Terrible habit, I also was under a lot of stress at home.. My father was always angry and I was always worried he would blow up. .. Not saying your child is, but it gave me something to sooth myself..

I was finally able to break the habit, when a beloved aunt asked me about my nails. She said "your mother has such beautiful nails.. I bet you do too.. If you will grow them out I will polish them for you.."

This intrigued me.. so I really had to concentrate to quit biting them.. Thank goodness my nails grow pretty fast, so I saw results fairly quickly..

3 is young so he will need your help. Take his fingers out of his mouth without a word each time you see hm doing this.

Do find the cremes or polish that you can place on his fingers.. this will be his own reminder..

Most of all it will take total commitment from you and those around him, to give him the signal or remove his fingers each time you witness it.

If you think he needs a replacement to sooth him or comfort him.. find something you can live with.. Maybe teething beads he can wear..

Some kids hate the feel of broken or rough nails. Try keeping them neatly trimmed and file them nightly.

Our pediatric dentist recommended Mavala Stop, and it really does work! It tastes horribly bitter, and as others have said, be careful with the finger foods. I only have to use it on my son's nails once in a while and it breaks the habit.

Is he anxious or stressed by nature? This is often an anxiety thing. Mine bites his when his are too long, but not as a habit. The cause is more important. I've been biting mine for 40 years. It's hard to stop because it becomes unconscious. Hope you can figure it out. Good luck!

I bit my nails at a young age... as did my father and brother.. so I do think in part it is inherent.. Also, I have read that a mineral deficiency can be the culprit, so you might want to check out the net for info..

While I could NEVER stop biting my nails when I was younger..... I finally did manage to stop in my late 20s.. The difference is that my diet is much different than it was when I was younger.. When younger, I ate/drank more stimulant causing foods such as lots of sugar,caffeine, white flour.... basically insulin raising foods that cause me to become jittery... Now, my diet is much GREENER.... and the green is what helps calm my system.. which leads me to this.. notice if certain foods trigger your son's nail biting... I've read that anything that raises your pulse could be something your body is allergic to and while you may not have severe symptoms now, you might in the future..

Now as an adult, I still have to watch it.. my nail biting is so ingrained that if I am not present minded in a stressful situation, I will start biting my nails without even thinking about it..

I would keep a nutrition journal and see IF perhaps certain things trigger the nail biting. as for his behavior.. I didn't always bit my nails when anxious... I even bit them when happy... I think you could say, anything that caused extremes of happy or anxious could set me off... The body and mind connection is such a funny thing..

My son did it for a while and I tried to ignore it. Seems it was like a tick and went away. He has had a couple ticks and they usually go away. He may not even realize he is doing it. Our son was blinking his eyes a lot and it went away but just came back. We have a trip coming up so I am wondering if that has triggered it again.

Both my kids were finger and/or thumb suckers. The pediatric dentist told me to stop the habit ASAP. He recommended taping oven mitts on them. he said I couldn't use socks because they'd suck right through them. Oven mitts were TOO big so I used the thickest socks I could find.
Although, everyone else thought it some kind of cruel and unusual punishment, it did work. It took at least 2 weeks, if not longer, and the minute they came off to get dressed, bathe, whatever, fingers went straight to the mouth, so it took awhile. I did what had to be done, then mitts (socks) went right back on.
Some advise: do it in the winter (too hot in the summer), be prepared for people to think you're absolutely the meanest mom ever, put non skid pads on the palm area, get it done before they start school, and buy stock in masking tape.
I taped them to long sleeves. DO NOT tape it too tight; it only needs to be adhered to the sleeve. And you need a ton of tape. They WILL get it off if you don't wrap it around about 50 times and hide the end underneath where they can't find it.
It's frustrating for both of you because, well, they can't use their hands. That's why I went through so much tape. I took the mitts off to eat, bathe, etc. then had to retape them back on. Very important they are on for car rides. Don't take them off too early (like I did), or all your efforts are for not.
I hated it, they don't even remember it (now 7 and 10) but I do, it did work.

Try a textered blanket or bracelet for him to play with see if that works. We are doing that with my 4.5 yer old.