Our disgusting problem

[Alyssa]

This phrase has entered our household - get ready, it's gross...."Aidan! Stop picking your nose...and eating it."

OMG, it's GROSS! He mostly does it when bored, especially in the car. Well tell him to stop, that it will make him sick, and he says "medicine?" I know I've got something about this in my Parents book which is based on their magazine column "What worked for me" and I have to go look that up...but thought I'd see if any of you have suggestions on how to make him STOP.

[chefkath]

Hmmmm.... will it really make him sick? Because if not, my advice would be to ignore it. It's totally age-appropriate behavior, so there's nothing alarming about it. I'm just a huge believer in picking (no pun intended ) my battles, and I just don't choose this one because it would be a tough one to win, and I don't think they can hurt themselves doing it. And really, when I think of all the dirt/sandbox sand/lint/etc that goes into their mouths every day, boogers seem pretty benign in comparison!

I'll bet if you don't make a big issue out of it, he'll stop soon enough. Some bigger kid whom he admires will see him do it and tell him its gross - and that will be the end of it! Or when he's a bit older, he'll figure out on his own how icky it is.

[Kaybee711]

My cousin used to pick his nose until he got nose bleeds so I think it can hurt him. Maybe if you tell him that it may start bleeding it will scare him to stopping. Maybe I shouldn't ever be a parent?

[Lette]

You know... we have the same picking problem. I'm sure the eating it phase is not far away.... and I don't know where I heard it, (tv, radio?) but...
it's actually not supposed to make you sick.. and it may even be good for you!

[bunkie68]

Alyssa, Julian does the same thing - ewww!!! Of course, sometimes he'll eat it and sometimes he'll roll it around on his fingers, get this look of disgust on his face, and then hand it to me. Mmm, what a lovely gift. I'm thinking it's something Aidan (and Julian) will both get past on their own. I'll keep checking back here, though, to see if anyone comes up with great ideas on how to stop it!

[jkl]

sorry alyssa.. there is an actual report (if u can call it that) a doctor did on nose picking and eating it... my dh recently found it on the internet (okay?!) anyways... the doc says there's nothing wrong w/ it and it actually might be healthy since its easier to clean out your nose w/ your fingers than w/ a tissue?!?! sorry if i'm making anyone sick... and also, it strengthens your immune system?!!? I'll try to see if my dh can find it again and post it for you all.. i know when he emailed it to me, I thought it was some joke and deleted it. the doctor says its society who made it a disgusting thing to do.

alyssa.... if it makes you feel any better.. my 1 year old (sarah) is sticking her finger in her nose and yesterday (before I could intervene) she went ahead and stuck her finger up another little boy's nose?!?!!?!?

[Lette]

Originally Posted by jkl

the doc says there's nothing wrong w/ it and it actually might be healthy since its easier to clean out your nose w/ your fingers than w/ a tissue?!?! sorry if i'm making anyone sick... and also, it strengthens your immune system?!!??

SEE!!! I knew I wasn't

[Lora]

I have a nose picker too! He has also been caught eating it too which totally grosses me out. My brother brought his new girl friend over to the house yesterday to meet us and Christopher picked his nose during their visit. How embarrassing! Now Patrick is beginning to follow his lead as well. Eh Gads! I know it can't hurt them but I wish I knew how to get them to stop!

Lora

[Brandi]

DH just told me about that study too. I thought he was a little crazy, but I guess not! I'm not going to start picking and eating though - DISGUSTING!

Carter has started to put his finger in there, but no real picking yet. I just don't know where they get the eating thing - what possess a child to do that?

[Alyssa]

Originally Posted by Lora

I have a nose picker too!

Of course you do...I'm starting to think Aidan & Christopher are one and the same!

Thanks for letting me know I don't have the only child that does this. I understand the point about picking (haha) your battles and maybe this isn't that harmful so let it go...but it's just so icky for me to witness. Picking is one thing, eating it...eew. I am amazed to hear it might actually be good for them somehow. I get it about cleaning out the nose, but I can't imagine how it's good to consume those germs again.

Anyway, appreciate it and I'll let it go for a while and see what happens.

[Lora]

Originally Posted by Alyssa

Of course you do...I'm starting to think Aidan & Christopher are one and the same!

It's pretty scary how much they are alike! Too bad we live so far apart. It would be interesting to see them in action together!

Lora

[Dawn]

Our Alexia use to do this. I absolutely hated it and I'm sorry, but I just refuse to have a pretty, dainty little girl picking her nose and sometimes eating it! No way! I know it's a phase and all...but yuck!

So what I would do is when I would see her finger up her nose, I would say "Lexie, do you want a tissue?" (i have told her that tissues are for cleaning your nose) and she would ALWAYS say, "yes, tissue please.". So, I would hand her a kleenex. Now, I hardly see her doing it! :supergrin: If I should catch her, either I will remind her about a tissue and she'll take one or more often, she asks for a tissue now all on her own!

This worked for us. I couldn't see ignoring a problem like that for fear of it getting worse as she gets older.

I wouldn't get mad or make a big deal about it though to attract more attention to it....I just started asking her if she wanted a tissue instead. Worked wonders! Now she's almost done with her kleenex box of tissues since she's always asking for them now! She has definately associated the tissues with cleaning her nose now instead of using her finger, and like I said, hardly ever now do I see her finger up there.



Good luck!

[Karri]

Yeah - its pretty digusting
Aidan recently found that his finger fits perfectly in his nostrils. So its in there ALL the time. I have found that he stops sooner if I just turn a blind eye than if I try to reason with him.

[~Deborah~]

Sign us up for nose pickers anonymous.

[Brooke]

We have the same issues at our house.

[Stacy]

Dylan is too busy with his hands down his pants. He doesn't have time to stick a finger up his nose.

[aylhu]

I heard about that report about the boogs innoculating us, too!

Anyway, dd picks, but, thankfully, has yet to eat. It definitely happens more when she's bored and as she's falling asleep. I just let her then. And during the day, when she tries to hand them to me, I say, go get a tissue or a washcloth and she does. I agree with not making a big deal out of it b/c then it's just plain fun for them!

[SarahK]

Obviously we're not at this stage yet...

Anyhow, I read somewhere about a doctor who got her child to stop picking his nose by making him wash his hands every time he was done picking--she didn't comment on the picking itself...she just told him that hands had to be washed thoroughly every time he was done. At first he was washing his hands multiple times an hour...and he got tired of the hand washing, so he stopped picking.

[Alyssa]

Originally Posted by StacyLHussy

Dylan is too busy with his hands down his pants. He doesn't have time to stick a finger up his nose.

I guess I should be thankful then that what Dylan does only happens once in a while with Aidan!

Originally Posted by Dawn

So what I would do is when I would see her finger up her nose, I would say "Lexie, do you want a tissue?" (i have told her that tissues are for cleaning your nose) and she would ALWAYS say, "yes, tissue please.". So, I would hand her a kleenex. Now, I hardly see her doing it! :supergrin: If I should catch her, either I will remind her about a tissue and she'll take one or more often, she asks for a tissue now all on her own!

Originally Posted by Dawn

This worked for us. I couldn't see ignoring a problem like that for fear of it getting worse as she gets older.

That could work, the only challenge will be to follow through with giving him a tissue in the car, where the incident happen most. (His seat is in the third row now.)

Originally Posted by SarahK

Obviously we're not at this stage yet...

Originally Posted by SarahK

Anyhow, I read somewhere about a doctor who got her child to stop picking his nose by making him wash his hands every time he was done picking--she didn't comment on the picking itself...she just told him that hands had to be washed thoroughly every time he was done. At first he was washing his hands multiple times an hour...and he got tired of the hand washing, so he stopped picking.

I wonder if that would work...Aidan does like washing his hand, but forcing it that much might make him think twice. Again, though, the problem is the follow through since this mostly happens in the car. Regardless, something to consider.

[Dawn]

Originally Posted by Alyssa

That could work, the only challenge will be to follow through with giving him a tissue in the car, where the incident happen most. (His seat is in the third row now.)

Ah yes! That is why I keep a big stash of kleenex in the car (20 individual travel size packets with 10-15 tissues in each for $1.00 at the dollar store). When she asks for one when we're in the car (hence, she wants to pick her nose. ) , I keep them handy all over and I just reach back and give her one. However, you said he's in the 3rd row in the car...that could be a problem because he's too far away for you to reach back. UNLESS, each time you put him in there, also put a kleenex on his lap (in hopes he won't throw it) and when you see him picking you can tell him to use the tissue on his lap or whatever. I sometimes do that with Lexie, and she'll wind up clenching on to the kleenex whether she uses it or not, but at least it's there in case she does need to use it. Again, the only problem for you is if he throws it down. But it may be worth a try.

This ONE time Alexia asked for one in the car & I didn't have any (before I bought them for the car) so she kept on asking and asking and asking. I had none so she eventually took the route of putting her finger in her nose. Can't blame her really...the poor girl did ask and I had none. Until I creatively thought to give her a bibster as a tissue. It did work.

I keep those packets of kleenex everywhere now...glove compartment, middle console in the car, diaper bag, etc.