My 2.5yo is biting his nails!! :wtf:

I realized last night that it's been a while since I've trimmed Alex's nails. I had a look at his hands and saw that there were only about 3 nails that really needed it....which is really weird because it's been weeks since I've clipped them! The other nails were right down there....and a bit uneven on the edge.

I've seen his hands in his mouth pretty often...but didn't think anything of it. I asked if he's been chewing/biting his nails off, and he said yes. :( I told him that I wish he wouldn't do that and just wait for me to cut them. Or he could ask me to cut them!

I don't know what to do!! I've never heard of a child this young with a nervous habit like this before. I don't want it to continue to the point where his nails are a gnawed, bloody mess all the time. I've heard of putting bitter/hot stuff on the fingers to make it yukky.....but I don't know if I want to go down that road, KWIM?

Help me........

I don't have any advice for you, but I wanted to sympathize. My son is almost 5 and has been doing something similar for a year or two now. He doesn't bite his nails but he picks at them and kind of rips them off. It drives me crazy, plus sometimes he ends up with cuts or tears on the skin. When I see him doing it, I remind him not to do it, but he must do it when I'm not around because he hasn't needed his nails clipped in months (years?). He does it with his toe nails too (if he's not wearing socks). He has his 5-year old well-child visit next week and I plan to ask the doctor if there is anything I can do about it. I'll let you know if she has any good suggestions. The bitter stuff to put on his nails won't help because he doesn't put them in his mouth.

Audrey

Anna recently turned into a nailbiter too. :blue: She used to hate having her nails clipped, and then all of a sudden wanted me to do it all the time. When I told her that there wasn't enough for me to clip, she started to bit. :blue: I remind her that she should ask me to clip them rather than biting them, but it doesn't help.

My oldest has a big problem with nail biting. She does it when she gets nervous I think, but she is making her nails and cuticles look horrible. I've tried almost everything with her. The only thing that works at home is catching her doing it and reminding her to stop, but that doesn't help while she is at school. I almost never have to cut her nails because she chews them down to nothing.

I bite my nails and can't get myself to stop. I have no idea how to get a child to stop.

I bite my nails and can't get myself to stop. I have no idea how to get a child to stop.
Jayne, I too bite my nails, have been doing it since I was a girl. Dugan has now started to bite his nails...I can't very well tell him to stop it when he sees me and says, but you bite YOUR nails Mommy!

I bite my nails and have been doing it since I was basically a baby. The only thing I can suggest is trying to figure out what is triggering the actual nail biting (anxiety, boredom, etc.) and then try to stop it at that point and redirect him or try to get him use another coping strategy ( maybe a chewy toy)

I still bite and pick at my nails...it is just a part of who I am now :)

Riley has never had any nails. I've bribed with nail polish, candy etc and she still bites them. She's bit them down far enough that they hurt and she still won't stop. I've basically given up. :dunno:

Kaitlyn bit her nails ever since she got all her teeth. She even started picking at the skin around the nails (up the side of the fingernails and the cuticles) until they bled.


I am like Shel - tried bribing with everything in the book. Then, one day, she noticed my 83 yr old grandmothers incredible long (natural) nails - and decided she wants her nails like that. My grandmother told her that she never bites her nails - or picks the skin. It's like it was the first time Kaitlyn had ever heard that :rolleyes: That was the end of the biting and picking.

Now it has become a battle to clip and file them - because she is afraid that I will make them too short :lol: If it's not one thing - it's another :)

Good luck!

I bite my nails and can't get myself to stop. I have no idea how to get a child to stop.
I used to bite mine, but once Anna started I finally stopped. I didn't want her seeing me doing it and thinking it was okay.

Well....I guess I'll just have to keep an eye on things. :dunno: I don't bite my nails....neither does Paul....and I never have. I don't know how or why he thinks this is a good idea. Hopefully it's just a passing phase......

I agree with Shannon, I would try to find the source of anything that is anxiety provoking and try to give him another way to express his nervousness.

I used to bite my nails. I think I stopped around 12 or so. It was a habit. Now my 5 year old does it. It doesn't bother me that much and I don't try to make her stop. I've noticed her doing it at bedtime, it must help her relax. I figure she will eventually grow out of it.