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3 year-old biting finger nails



 
 
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  #1  
Old March 10th 04, 06:25 AM
D&K Condron
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Default 3 year-old biting finger nails

Anyone in the group have experience dealing with a young nail biter? My son
has been doing this for a couple of months now, and I am looking for more
ideas to help him stop. We have tried the positive reinforcement route - a
small treat in the evening if he hasn't bitten his nails that day - which
has only worked on random days (so I guess it hasn't really worked We
have tried explaining that his fingers are dirty and he might get sick, and
we've tried giving him small things to play with in the car or while reading
on the couch to keep his hands occupied, all to know avail. We haven't yet
tried the nasty tasting stuff you can put on fingernails - my son is great
about washing his hands every time he uses the bathroom, so I don't know how
well it would stay on, anyway.

The Amer. Academy of Pediatrics has an article that says to ignore it and it
will eventually go away, but my parents did that for me and I bit my nails
until I was 32. I wouldn't have any huge objection to it, except that he
bites them down so far sometimes that they get sore - he isn't making the
connection, though, that he made them sore by his own actions and can
therefore make them better by not biting. At what age can they reason that
kind of thing out, anyway?

He also picks his nose a lot, but most kids his age I know do, too, so I
don't know if that is related or not.

Just wondering what worked (or didn't) for others.

Kat


  #2  
Old March 11th 04, 10:39 PM
FionaM
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Default 3 year-old biting finger nails

My daughter had the same problem.
The thing is it can just become a Habit, kids doing it before they even
realise.
I used that bitter stuff for nails for 10 days. And it worked. It was
constant applying, but it broke the habbit.
At the start of it I aslo asked her what she would want as a reward for nice
looking nails, (she chose makeup)
I told her I would buy her some nail polish and make up if she stoped biting
her nails.
It worked for her.
She is now 5 and still has nice nails.

Fiona

"D&K Condron" wrote in message
...
Anyone in the group have experience dealing with a young nail biter? My

son
has been doing this for a couple of months now, and I am looking for more
ideas to help him stop. We have tried the positive reinforcement route -

a
small treat in the evening if he hasn't bitten his nails that day - which
has only worked on random days (so I guess it hasn't really worked We
have tried explaining that his fingers are dirty and he might get sick,

and
we've tried giving him small things to play with in the car or while

reading
on the couch to keep his hands occupied, all to know avail. We haven't

yet
tried the nasty tasting stuff you can put on fingernails - my son is great
about washing his hands every time he uses the bathroom, so I don't know

how
well it would stay on, anyway.

The Amer. Academy of Pediatrics has an article that says to ignore it and

it
will eventually go away, but my parents did that for me and I bit my nails
until I was 32. I wouldn't have any huge objection to it, except that he
bites them down so far sometimes that they get sore - he isn't making the
connection, though, that he made them sore by his own actions and can
therefore make them better by not biting. At what age can they reason

that
kind of thing out, anyway?

He also picks his nose a lot, but most kids his age I know do, too, so I
don't know if that is related or not.

Just wondering what worked (or didn't) for others.

Kat




  #3  
Old March 14th 04, 12:16 AM
Bill Fischer
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Posts: n/a
Default 3 year-old biting finger nails

Kat,

I was a member of the American Academy of pediatrics for years. It's
true: most kids will grow out of it.

At age 3, gentle reminders are best. And positive reinforcement is good,
such as "It makes me happy when I see you're not biting your nails."

Avoid yelling, hand swatting, or other coercive maneuvers. In my
experience, when parents go down these routes, the behavior gets worse.
Patience is more productive.

There are other actions you might consider when your child gets older.
We can discuss those later.

But with some behaviors, sometimes it's better for a parent to be calm,
stick to gentle reminders, and acknowledge that the behavior is the
child's to overcome. It is, after all, his problem and not years.

For all children, good hand washing before meals and snacks is wise,
especially for a nail biter.

Bill Fischer MD

D&K Condron wrote:
Anyone in the group have experience dealing with a young nail biter? My son
has been doing this for a couple of months now, and I am looking for more
ideas to help him stop. We have tried the positive reinforcement route - a
small treat in the evening if he hasn't bitten his nails that day - which
has only worked on random days (so I guess it hasn't really worked We
have tried explaining that his fingers are dirty and he might get sick, and
we've tried giving him small things to play with in the car or while reading
on the couch to keep his hands occupied, all to know avail. We haven't yet
tried the nasty tasting stuff you can put on fingernails - my son is great
about washing his hands every time he uses the bathroom, so I don't know how
well it would stay on, anyway.

The Amer. Academy of Pediatrics has an article that says to ignore it and it
will eventually go away, but my parents did that for me and I bit my nails
until I was 32. I wouldn't have any huge objection to it, except that he
bites them down so far sometimes that they get sore - he isn't making the
connection, though, that he made them sore by his own actions and can
therefore make them better by not biting. At what age can they reason that
kind of thing out, anyway?

He also picks his nose a lot, but most kids his age I know do, too, so I
don't know if that is related or not.

Just wondering what worked (or didn't) for others.

Kat



 




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