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#1
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Cleaning under toddler's nails
Pardon, I'm new at this. 2 year old, very active in dirt, gets it under
his nails. If I trim back all the way, I hit skin every now and then, and I don't want to do this for obvious reasons. I've tried getting him to claw soap (he likes doing this) and scrubbing it out (he hates doing this). Not sure he'd hold still for an orange stick, but maybe with some really special treat. This is a daily problem, usually fixed by an hour at the Y's pool, but he doesn't go ever single day. Help. blacksalt |
#2
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"kalanamak" wrote in message ... Pardon, I'm new at this. 2 year old, very active in dirt, gets it under his nails. If I trim back all the way, I hit skin every now and then, and I don't want to do this for obvious reasons. I've tried getting him to claw soap (he likes doing this) and scrubbing it out (he hates doing this). Not sure he'd hold still for an orange stick, but maybe with some really special treat. This is a daily problem, usually fixed by an hour at the Y's pool, but he doesn't go ever single day. Help. blacksalt Why is it a problem? I would wash his hands very well with a soap and water and a wash cloth, and let it go. It won't hurt him (even if some gets into his food -- he will just poop it out). If needs his hand to look clean for an important occaison, take him to the pool first. Jeff |
#3
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kalanamak wrote in message ...
Pardon, I'm new at this. 2 year old, very active in dirt, gets it under his nails. If I trim back all the way, I hit skin every now and then, and I don't want to do this for obvious reasons. I've tried getting him to claw soap (he likes doing this) and scrubbing it out (he hates doing this). Not sure he'd hold still for an orange stick, but maybe with some really special treat. This is a daily problem, usually fixed by an hour at the Y's pool, but he doesn't go ever single day. Help. blacksalt Use a soft-bristle nail brush at bathtime. It's not too hard to make up a game for him to play that involves him cleaning his own nails, but barring him doing it voluntarily, it's also pretty easy to hold a two-year-old's fingers in one hand while you swipe at them with the brush. You're the grownup; don't let your fear of your two year old allow you to be ruled by him. That's a sure-fire recipe for raising an absolute monster. Mark, MD |
#4
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Mark wrote:
You're the grownup; don't let your fear of your two year old allow you to be ruled by him. That's a sure-fire recipe for raising an absolute monster. Mark, MD What an odd thought. I don't think trying to avoid phyically hurting a child by trimming too close or jabbing with an orange stick is being ruled by him nor an example of being afraid of him. **I** hate using a brush on my nails, gives me the creepy-tickles, and never do to myself, so I thought it reasonable that it is unpleasant for him, as he does sit still for trimming of nails and sits like a statue when I trim his hair. If I have any worries about this kid is that he is too good, and gives anything to anyone who asks, particularly little girls, whom he dips his head shyly to and bats his blue eyes, a trick his father has, and that was the first step on the way to his conception. I guess there is no "trick". Perhaps I'll feel less queasy about him eating with such dirty nails when he consistantly uses silverware. blacksalt, also MD |
#5
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kalanamak wrote in message ...
Mark wrote: You're the grownup; don't let your fear of your two year old allow you to be ruled by him. That's a sure-fire recipe for raising an absolute monster. Mark, MD What an odd thought. I don't think trying to avoid phyically hurting a child by trimming too close or jabbing with an orange stick is being ruled by him nor an example of being afraid of him. **I** hate using a brush on my nails, gives me the creepy-tickles, and never do to myself, so I thought it reasonable that it is unpleasant for him, as he does sit still for trimming of nails and sits like a statue when I trim his hair. If I have any worries about this kid is that he is too good, and gives anything to anyone who asks, particularly little girls, whom he dips his head shyly to and bats his blue eyes, a trick his father has, and that was the first step on the way to his conception. I guess there is no "trick". Perhaps I'll feel less queasy about him eating with such dirty nails when he consistantly uses silverware. blacksalt, also MD What I was trying to get across is that if your son's dirty nails bother you, it's actually pretty easy to clean them. I'm not talking about some kind of brutal hold-down fight, but if it's time to clean the nails, it's time to clean the nails. My kids have all gone through periods when they balk at taking a bath. At age 7, one of my sons would splash some water on himself and announce that he had "bathed". One sniff told us otherwise, and he was gently told to go back upstairs and do it again -- the right way this time. If you're worried about cutting too close when you trim his nails, I understand; I remember my mother nipping the skin on occasion when she trimmed my fingernails. But if the alternative is either to have grubby nails or to clean them with a gentle brushing, I think the choice is pretty clear. He won't hate you for making him keep his nails clean, even though he might not particularly enjoy the process the first couple times. My comment about monsters stems from seeing so many kids who are coddled and treated with such caution by their parents that they begin to assume that it is their *right* not to be disappointed in any way. (I'm not saying that you are necessarily doing this; it's just an illustration.) The parents of these kids are so deathly afraid of disappointing their child that the child never gets a clear message that Mom is the boss, and that when the chips are down, the child's *wants* are secondary to his *needs* ("I don't want to take another bath!" "Ah yes, but you *need* to take another bath -- now go to it.") Sorry, just got off on a rant there. Final thought: I doubt that dirty fingernails ever killed anyone. This basically boils down to one of the small things that you can afford not to sweat about if you choose. Mark, MD |
#6
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"kalanamak" wrote in message ... Pardon, I'm new at this. 2 year old, very active in dirt, gets it under his nails. If I trim back all the way, I hit skin every now and then, and I don't want to do this for obvious reasons. I've tried getting him to claw soap (he likes doing this) and scrubbing it out (he hates doing this). Not sure he'd hold still for an orange stick, but maybe with some really special treat. This is a daily problem, usually fixed by an hour at the Y's pool, but he doesn't go ever single day. I believe recent research suggests that a bit of dirt is good for kids. |
#7
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My experience with my own nails suggests that longer nails seem to stay cleaner. I think this is because when you scratch something with long nails, the bits of stuff you're scratching end up sitting near the end of the nail and then falling off, but with short nails the bits of stuff would be pushed into the tight space between nail and finger when you scratch. I'm not sure if that applies to kids digging in dirt or not. If you get some interesting bath toys (cups, washcloths, watermills etc) and play with them while the child is having a bath, he might enjoy hour-long baths. Reading stories aloud while the child is in the bath can work too (as long as you watch the child for safety while you read). Some children like to stand at the kitchen sink and play with dishes, coffee percolators and things. These activities can help get fingernails clean. If you wash the hands just before cleaning the nails, or even better soak the hands for a while in the bath or wherever, I find it's easier to scrape the dirt out because it's soft. To clean the nails without hurting, find something not too sharp and not too fat. If it's too fat, it hurts because it pulls the nail away from the finger -- especially if you're trying to clean short nails. One thing you might try is a piece of paper folded once or twice. You use a corner where it's folded, and slide it in a direction such that the dirt tends to go between the folds. You may need to keep refolding a new corner for each nail. The right object for a 2-year-old may be thinner than the right object to clean an adult's nails. You need to be careful not to poke too hard and hurt. You can make cleaning nails fun. You can tell the child stories while the nails are being cleaned. You can talk to the dirt, and pretend the dirt is talking: "I'm sorry, dirt, you can't stay there. Fred wants to have nice clean nails. ... Ha, ha, we're in this nice safe fingernail. Nobody can get us here. Oh, no -- what's that? Aaaahhhh!" When you talk to the dirt you can talk as if it's your child who wants the dirt to go away. A child will often take on an attitude which seems to be assumed or expected. I wonder whether playing with slime would clean the fingernails. (It would get the slime dirty, though. Oh, well, it was an idea.) -- Cathy |
#8
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"Jeff" wrote in message ...
"kalanamak" wrote in message ... Pardon, I'm new at this. 2 year old, very active in dirt, gets it under his nails. If I trim back all the way, I hit skin every now and then, and I don't want to do this for obvious reasons. I've tried getting him to claw soap (he likes doing this) and scrubbing it out (he hates doing this). Not sure he'd hold still for an orange stick, but maybe with some really special treat. This is a daily problem, usually fixed by an hour at the Y's pool, but he doesn't go ever single day. BTW, it seems to be the swelling of skin by soaking in water that PUSHES dirt out from under fingernails. It's not primarily a matter of the dirt dissolving in the pool. Why is it a problem? I would wash his hands very well with a soap and water and a wash cloth, and let it go. It won't hurt him (even if some gets into his food -- he will just poop it out). Depends what the dirt is. Consider pinworms and some other kinds of parasitic worms. Robert |
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