How can I get my son to stop biting his nails?

[ranthony]

My Ds 6 was a long time thumb sucker at bedtime. I had the dentist tell him that once his teeth started falling out he would have to stop the thumb sucking or else his "big teeth" could come in crooked.

Well, this actually worked like a charm for ending the thumb sucking...but now he's biting his nails. It really bothers me, for obvious reasons, and I've spoken to him about it many times.

I've also asked his teacher to keep an eye out for it at school and she has reported not noticing it happening at all.

Tonight I noticed that as we snuggled on the couch and watched a movie he started biting his nails and I then made the connection that this is basically replacing his thumb sucking.

Any suggestions on how I can put a stop to this?

 

[a1tinkfans]

Isn't there some stuff (looks like nail polish, not shiny though) that you can put on nail to gently "remind" him that it is not a safe thing to do, GERMS and all????

Good Luck!!

 

[MSSANDRA]

Have the dr tell him that it is not healthy for him either. Lots of germs on his hands and fingers can get infected. Mabey get it stoped before it gets to be a habit.

 

[minkydog]

good luck with that. I'm a 51yo nurse who has been biting my nails since I was a toddler. Nothing deters me. Nothing. Not bitter polish, arm in a cast, spankings, stern warnings. At this point my nails are almost down intot he cuticles I know my hands are ugly, but I can't seem to stop biting my nails. On the flip side, I have never gotten particularly ill from it. I'm healthier than my kids are, probably because I wash my hands so much. It's a nasty habit and it drives my husband nuts. I liken it to binge eating or smoking. Its that hard to stop. In every other way i am a well-adjusted adult with good judgement. I just can't stop biting my nails.

 

[LJRJR]

My son was a nail biter. He went thru it at about age 3 and then at age 5 (he is six now). I think for him nervousness or boredom brought it on. I have a wonderful pediatrician who told me not to make a big deal of it, and to ignore it and it will go away. Both times, he stopped after about six months. I tried to ignore it as best I could, but I was very upset to see my son doing this of course because it was unhealthy (germs) and it was not good for his teeth or the way his hands looked. I tried to follow the Drs advice, but then I would often say his name very sternly to him and give him a look, just so that he would know what I was talking about, or I would take my hands and motion to him exactly what he was doing, which would remind him of what he was doing. At one point I made up a rewards chart where I would say to him "I noticed that you have not bitten your nails this morning, you get a star on your chart" I dont think I would take the stars away, I dont remember. Then after a certain amount of stars he would get a treat, such as a small toy or just time alone with Mommy with a trip to get an ice cream. Good luck, a combination of all these things worked for me. Just dont make a big deal of it, I have two other children and home and I did not want them getting on his case about it, so those secret signals or the way I said his voice kept it so that the whole world did not know what I was telling him.

 

[reservations4five]

good luck with that. I'm a 51yo nurse who has been biting my nails since I was a toddler. Nothing deters me. Nothing. Not bitter polish, arm in a cast, spankings, stern warnings. At this point my nails are almost down intot he cuticles I know my hands are ugly, but I can't seem to stop biting my nails. On the flip side, I have never gotten particularly ill from it. I'm healthier than my kids are, probably because I wash my hands so much. It's a nasty habit and it drives my husband nuts. I liken it to binge eating or smoking. Its that hard to stop. In every other way i am a well-adjusted adult with good judgement. I just can't stop biting my nails.

Me too- 31 year old nurse- and I bite my nails to the quick. It started as a anxiety thing and now its just as bad.... My GM tried everything to get me to stop- but I will even bite through acrylic nails and tips. I give up.

 

[my2princessgirls]

Isn't there some stuff (looks like nail polish, not shiny though) that you can put on nail to gently "remind" him that it is not a safe thing to do, GERMS and all????

Good Luck!!

I'm not sure if they make this anymore. I remember growing up the little girls next door bit her nails, and her mom used this. I tried to find it for my girls, and I can't find it anywhere in my area.

My oldest (5) finally quit biting hers when she saw one of her friends with princess stickers on her nails (I told her she had to have long nails for those). My youngest (3) still hasn't quit biting hers, even though she is jealous of sissy's pretty nail stickers! I try to ignore it, but she gets it into the quick and then it hurts her. She used to bite and pick at her toenails, but got one infected, and that ended that for her! I don't want it to take an infection to get her to stop with her fingers.

 

[cjstarr]

Same here and I'm 55 now and it has never cause any health issue that I know of. It is the only bad habit that I have as I don't smoke or drink. For me it is a nervous habit and is not something I do around the clock but when I'm nervous about something I start bitting my nails. With me it's almost like a premonition that something is going to happen and usually does, go figure.