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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 |
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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 |
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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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