Wondering if any other moms have face this challenged. My soon to be 2 year old daughter bites her nails. I wouldn't be too concerned if she didn't bite her nails so low, but she does! Also, I just don't want her to grow up to be a nail biter. Wondering if this is one of those quirky and harmless habits that will pass. Neither my husband or I bite our nails so I'm not too sure where the habit came from. I've noticed that she tends to do it a lot more when she's in her car seat so maybe it's just boredom, but i'm not too sure. Has anyone else faced this and if so what did you do or not do to get your toddler to stop the nail biting.
My 2 year old had been doing it too - since he was about 20 months old (now 28 months). I distract him, tell him to get his hands out of his mouth. It's genetic I believe - anyone in the family do it? Both me and my DH did it as kids (DH still does it) and my mom, grandma, ILs etc....I wouldn't make a big deal about it - my son has lessened his activity of biting lately....
2 of my 3 kids are nail biters. My husband is too. When he was young, he was tortured with devices and yucky tasting things to try and stop the habit. I wasn't going to do that to my kids.
I believe it's one of those things that the nail biter has to decide (like quitting smoking). No one can force you to quit. You have to WANT to, then get help.
When she is this young, and new at biting, try to keep her hands busy. In the car, watching TV, or any idle time, give her a toy or Cheerios or a book. Hopefully you can gently ease her out of it before it's stuck for life.
If not, teach her when it's inappropriate to have her hands in her mouth (just like if she were a finger sucker). When she's older, you can encourage her to have nice nails so you can polish them. She needs to want to quit.
My kids are old enough to understand that putting your hands in your mouth increases the chances of getting sick, but it doesn't matter. It continues, just like their Dad.
I've not faced this, so I certainly cannot speak from experience, but with a 2+ year old I definitely have experience in trying to thwart off undesirable behavior! You could give 'distraction' a try. When she starts biting on her nails, have a book, toy, sticker - anything - ready for her to fiddle with. Giving her something else upon which to focus might effectively draw her attention elsewhere. I wouldn't necessarily draw attention to the nail biting ("Stop biting your nails, here play with this book"), rather just bring a lot of attention to the distraction item ("Ella, look: It's your favorite book!" or "Wow Ella, check out this new sticker! Can you put it on your shirt, your hand, etc.").
This could also be a comfort thing too. Some kids suck a finger or a thumb, some twirl their hair, some kids twirl corners of blankets or pillows...and the repetitive act is soothing for them.
Put a little vinegar under her nails or something that she won't like. That should stop her biting. My mom said they use to put pepper but I said that's just mean and possibly harmful to the little ones' tummy.
My daughter will be 4 in September and she has been biting her nails for six months to a year. I have tried to explain to her that it will hurt if she bites them too low, and that it might bleed and get infected but she won't stop. If you catch her in the act and say something she will stop for about a minute or two and then it's right back in her mouth. I don't think she realizes she is doing it half the time. I know that's not very helpful, but I just wanted to let you know that you want to nip it in the bud quickly because I thought my daughter would stop and it has gotten worse instead. now she often chews on the skin on the ends of her fingers too. But I am at a loss, so if you figure out a good solution, let me know.
I am not a nail biter either & i absolutely hate when people bite their nails! Sure enough, when my daughter was 2-ish she started! I could not get her to stop. I'd yell, explain calmly; finally one day she just stopped on her own. Oh, did i mention bought princess nailpolish & kept it out of reach but in sight & told her when her nails grow, we can paint them! Bribery...works every time!!
Her being a girl, maybe you can paint her nails. We got some of that stuff that dries in 60 seconds or something like that. When I was younger I used to bite my nails, until I started painting them (because nail polish doesn't taste good).
Just a bit more information. My 12 year old daughter still bites her nails off and on. The dentist said that when kids bite nails it effects the teeth. It wears down the front ones so that they take on the shape of the fingernail, and will need corrective dental care. So, I could not get my daughter to stop, tried pepper, nail polish, nice smelling hand lotion and just reasoning to why the anxiety and how to handle it with exercise. I had more success with getting my thumb sucking youngest daughter to stop that! Good luck.
