Nail Cutting

cut them while she is sleeping or while you have her in the tub, then she is distracted. Hope this helps!

My son was the same way at that age, it was always a fit cutting nails. Then I pulled one over on him (so to say). I started cutting while he was a sleep. If you wait until they go down for a nap and use a wet wash cloth and get you some of them nail cutters with a maginfing glass (for babies) that will work wonders. Let me know if this works for you.

A little about me: I stayed at home with my son up until about a month ago...

when my son, who is 11 months now, was an infant, I would trim his nails when he fell asleep, it made it a lot easier for both of us.

I usually cut my sons nails when he is sleeping or while he is nursing, it is the easiest time for me because he is so still. He is 7 months old and we have been doing it that way since about 4 or 5 months.

hi I have 8 children and found to wait til they were sleeing ing my arms and then hold their finger a litttle tight til red tint appears and then u can see where to cut their fingernails but my daughter always bit her young childrens nails off til they were 1 year old... have fun they grow up too fast
your friend M.

when my son was a week old I tried using the clippers. there was no way I clipped his little finger but there was blood. ever since that day I have bit his nails. probably not the best idea but hey... it works!! it's a lot faster too!!

H.

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Do it while she's sleeping! My kids are 6, 5 and 2, and I still have to do thiers at night sometimes!

I am one of those moms who nurses while clipping the nails (and using my boppy pillow). It worked for my son and has been working for my daughter. I hold the pad of each finger with the palm of her hand facing me and clip what sticks up from the finger. I love the nail clipper I have- it is made by Sassy and it looks like a little bumble bee. I have tried other clippers and these are the only ones I like for my kids.
Good luck! You have lots of great suggestions to try!

R.,
My son was about the same age when I started singing "Where is thumbkin?" to keep him distracted. He is almost two now and realizes it's time to cut his fingernails and sit still when I sing the song. By the time I get all the way through the song the first time, I'm done with both hands.
Hope this helps.
M.

Try doing it while she's sleeping!

I had the same problem with both of my children. A friend at that time suggested to me to cut their nails when they were asleep. It worked like a charm.

Hi R.,

One thing that worked for me when my 4-year-old was little was using the baby emory boards. The nails aren't very strong until they become toddlers and I found that I could very quickly & gently use the emory board and in four or five strokes wear down the nail safely to the skin without risk of cutting her. Hope this helps!
Cindy

I do it after my daughter falls asleep. Or you can try using a little mini file. We did that in the beginning and it worked. It came in one of her little kits with the bulb syringe and firt aid things.

I always cut my baby's nails when he is sleeping. Right after he nurses, he is relaxed and I can clip his little nails. I must say, his nails grow like crazy! I have to clip them about once a week!!

J.

wait until she is sound asleep. that's what i always do.

You can do it when they're sleeping.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrisburgPAChat

i've always cut my sons nails while he was sleeping. it became more challenging when he started sleeping on his stomach. now, when i notice his nails need to be trimmed, i rock him to sleep for a nap and cut them while he sleeps in my lap and lay him down when after i finish. it is also a nice time to hold him, too. now that he is 1, we don't get many opporotunities like that anymore.

Hi R.,
I always cut my babies nails when they were sleeping! Good luck!
L.

Hi, I'm T. and mom to 20 month old son. I would cut his nails/toenails when he was napping when he was younger. Now, I'll turn on Curious George or another movie that catches his attention and then quickly cut the nails. Otherwise it's a (pardon the pun) a tooth and nail fight to get it done. Or maybe see if a book would hold her attention or puppet show. Hope that helps a little.

Try trimming her nails while she is sleeping. Works like a charm!

My son was AWFUL with the nail clipping issue, too! I would do it at night, after he was asleep. I used to take a flashight, hold it in my mouth and clip away! It's amazing what they will tolerate when they're OUT! LOL I used to even take off his little socks and do his toes as well!
Also, you could have your husband hold a flashlight for you--you will be an expert in no time.

Something that I did when my three duaghters were smaller was cut their nails when they were napping. There was no fighting & they were able to all be cut at the same time. I did it about every 10-14 days so that worked best. I'd always try to touch their hands or something, so they were used to being touched on their hands & fingers.
Good luck!!!

Hi R.,

I agree with the previous post about cutting while she is sleeping. Also, I have always used cuticle scissors to cut my kids' nails. I don't exactly know what it is about the scissors, but they are softer I guess or easier to handle. Anyway, just a thought for you!
M.

Try cutting them when she's asleep. That's the only way I get my daughter's nails cut. As for the toes, I cut them when she's in her high chair.

I used to do it when my boys were sleeping...

I used to clip my sons nails while he was sleeping. While it worked well when he was an infant, it did not work once he got a little bit older. It was very difficult for long time. I would have to strap him in his highchair and he would cry and fight me. My husband would help restrain him. At 2 years old, I can now distract him with TV and he lets me do it.
With my 11 month old daughter. I put her on a table with me holding her close, make sure there is something to peak her interest on one side so she uses that hand to grab it. While she is distracted in that way, I can get the nails on the free hand cut. Then I switch the toy onto the other side of me and cut the other hand. It works well. My hope is that in doing it while she is awake, she will be less difficult than my son was between 1 and 2 years of age.
Good luck! It is not easy and not much fun.

I agree with biting the nails. Believe it or not it is actually the safest way of doing it.

try cutting them while she is sleeping. This worked for me hope it helps you!

Try doing it when she is asleep. That is the only time I was able to do it on both of my kids until they were over a year old. Good Luck!

L.

When my baby was that little I did it while he was asleep. Now he is older 8 1/2 months and actually lets me do it. Good luck.

Do it while she's sleeping. Just be easy wih her so you don't wake her, but that is how I did both my boys nails.
good luck

The best time to do it is when she is asleep. My son is 14 months old and we still cut his at night when he goes to sleep before we lay him in his crib.

I had /have the same problems with my son. Now, at 2 1/2, I am still cutting his fingernails and toenails when he is out cold in a nap! They stay cleaner this way, too. I've other people say they do it when they watch t.v. with a child. Good luck!

I used to cut them while they were sleeping.

Cut her nails while she is sleep.

I did my son's when he feel asleep for a nap or bedtime. It was the best, cause he was out of it and didn't realize what I was doing.

Try waiting until she is fast asleep with her hands relaxed and then try the manicure!

We do it while the kids sleep. And yes, there are times that we can only do a few nails in one evening (or naptime) b/c they start to wake up.

Good luck!

Try to do it when she's sleeping...but wait until it is almst time for her to wake up in case you wake her accidentally. Also, I filed my daughter's nails instead of cutting them for a while....it only took one time of accidentally cutting her with the clippers to feel guilty for life.
Good luck.
J. W

I found when my daughters and grandchildren where little the best time to trim their nails when when they were napping. It was alot easier because there very relaxed. I hope this helps with your little one.

Hi

What I used to do was leave a nail clipper in the car and when my son fell asleep, I would cut nails while he was in his car carrier/seat.

I found that the best way to do it at that age is wait till they are asleep. Its so much easier!

my son used to not be so bad when i cut his nails but now does not like it. the other day when i was in the tub with him, i cut his nails. he was more involved with the water in the tub then what i was doing to him. i think babies are more relaxed in the water and their nails are also softer and easier to cut. i know it is not good when you are trying to help them and you feel you can't.

The best advice would be to clip the nails while she is napping. That has been the only fool proof way I can trim a hand at a time, sometimes both. My son sucks his thumb, so when he is awake is not an option! Hope this helps.

Hi

I always did it during feeding...either while I was nursing my son, or I would have Dad feed him and when he got a little sleepy I'd go for it. I also found that instead of using a clipper that you squeeze down on it was easier for me to use a cuticle remover (the kind that you slide along not the scissor type). His nails were so soft that it worked really well and I wasn't worried about accidentally clipping off his finger tips. It just seemed more controlled for me.

Best of luck,
M.

This is definitely a two person job! My husband holds my son, while I cut his nails... in addition, he LOVES to watch little videos on our cell phones while we do it.
It might sound silly, but it works like a charm... he is 20 months old now, and just starting to actually cooperate (but not every time.)

So until they, I suggest finding a great distraction and getting 2 more hands involved!

My husband would cut my son's nails while I breastfed him. I'm sure the same would work during a bottle feeding too.

My middle child was like that, so we used to wait until he was asleep for the night and sneek into his room armed with a flashlight and nail clippers :)

When my kids were that age, I had the same problem. I went to the drug store and found a variety of large emery boards. Some were rougher than others - some were for filing, others were for smoothing. I picked one that was less rough and used it to file my kids' nails. I found the large boards were so easy to handle. Now I have an infant nail clipper in which the handle is a hard plastic bulb which makes it easier for me to hold. It is made by "especially for baby" and is sold at either Walmart or Babies R Us.

Have you tried clipping nails while your daughter is sleeping?My SIL had a lot of luck clipping her son's nails while he slept.

Cut her nails while she is still awake, but groggy... also do it in position where she is sitting on you naturally. This at least worked for me.

I've heard of others who have used their mouths to bite off the nails - but this just wasn't for me, I was concerned about the bacteria in my mouth causing an infection if I accidentally bit down too far and/or she got her hand in her mouth before I could wipe it, etc. And, I wanted her to be used to what I was doing for the months/years ahead...

Now, we sit together with her on my lap and she let's me do it (with little fuss), but I do keep her visually distracted as much as possible! :)

I don't know if you're nursing, but that was the only time I could trim my son's nails at that age. Also, we went through a phase of putting socks over his hands at night to keep the scratching down.

I'm sure people have already suggested this, but cut her nails while she's sleeping. That's what I do with my son, and there is no fighting at all! Good luck!

Do it while she is sleeping. That works the best for me. Good luck.

Have you tried waiting until she is asleep to cut them?

Hi R., My daughter did the exact same thing,and it upset me so much. I was always afraid that I would cut her finger. Try cutting them in her sleep. That's when I always did it. Good luck
W.

Use a nail file. That way it is softer when you are done and there is no risk of cutting her little fingers. Also, you can do this when she is sleeping!

When my little girl was so small, I always had to put the baby clippers on the side table before bed or naptime. Then I would rock/nurse her to sleep, reach over for the clippers, and cut her nails when she didn't even know it!

Do it while she sleeps. It is the best way to get them trimmed. Or also if your nervous about the clippers just use a nail file it works just as good.

I typically do it when she falls asleep or while I'm nursing her. Sometimes if she gets into whatever's on TV, then I can do it without her noticing or caring.

Dear R.,

If she's a heavy sleeper do it while she's asleep. I had to do that with my son several times...worked like a charm :)

-M.

I am a fanatic nail cutter. I can't stand the scratchiness in babies and in older kids, the dirt. What I do is not give them a choice. Be confident and gently pry each finger open and snip. You may not be able to get it done all at once but if you are consistant they will have no choice but to have it done as they get older. Another option is to have someone who is a bit more experienced in this sort of thing to show you how it is done so you can learn from seeing it. Sometimes that is really helpful too.
Good luck

Some people might think this is not a great idea or that its kind of gross but you can bite the nails off if the clippers aren't working very well. The nails are so soft and it's not a big deal and it's better than worrying about snipping thier skin. (which I have done too)

I too used to do my kids nails when they were asleep.

Try clipping them when she is asleep or very drowsy...