nail biting 2 yr old??

Question

my daughter is 2 and she is constantly biting her finger nails AND her toe nails. i cannot get her to quit i have tried hot sauce, telling her it is gross, and spanking her hands. my mother in law said it could be vitamin defeciency so ive been giving her vitamins but still, she bites

Answer 1

It is not vitamin deficiency at all. Your daughter has a problem with anxiety. You should address this with her pediatrician. Also, it isn't that big a deal unless she's biting her nails until they bleed. Most kids grow out of it. You /can/ purchase nail polish that tastes absolutely foul for the purpose of making her stop, but it's not likely to work very well at her age. Talk to her pediatrician. She has an anxiety problem.

Answer 2

Good luck!! My daughters did it until just this last year and they're 6 and 7! I tried everything, vitamins, hot sauce, etc... They would stop for a little while and then start it back up. Been going on since they were two. What stopped them is getting a nail infection. They didn't like that. Also, I let them clip their nails now. You could try keeping hers clipped. When the girls were little I would do it and they wouldn't bit them, but when I forgot they would bite them. Good luck.

Answer 3

My oldest son went through the same thing but he was a bit older. Just remember, the more you call attention to it, the more she will do it. When you catch her doing it instead of scolding her, give her something else to do, like a lump of play dough or another hands on toy. After a few weeks of diverting my son after catching him doing it he stopped. I know it hurts you to see her doing this and it concerns you, but many kids do it. Good luck!!! As for the ones that say to put the polish on that tastes nasty. It doesn't work. If she's bent on biting her nails she'll soon realize after a few seconds in her mouth the taste goes away. It won't deter her.

Answer 4

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RE:
nail biting 2 yr old??
my daughter is 2 and she is constantly biting her finger nails AND her toe nails. i cannot get her to quit i have tried hot sauce, telling her it is gross, and spanking her hands. my mother in law said it could be vitamin defeciency so ive been giving her vitamins but still, she bites

Answer 5

Maybe not hot sauce, but I think there is something you can buy for this sort of thing that tastes horrible -- I had a friend with the same problem when she was younger. Maybe threaten that she will have to wear gloves and socks all the time if she does not stop?? I don't know if she is old enough to understand that though. Good luck!

Answer 6

My son does the same thing. He is now 3 and he still does it. His doctor said to let it be. Just to remind him when I see him doing it that it is not healthy for his fingernails. He does it just the same though. He even gets little puss pockets on the side of his one fingernail that I have to clean out with peroxide once in awhile. That hurts him realy bad and he cries so I remind him of not biting his nails everytime. To no avail. The only thing I reccomend is waiting it out. See if there is a particular time which your child always bites her nails. Just like my son, we have to keep an eye on him when he is on time out, or in his car seat....so I can see how it can be a nervous issue!!!

Answer 7

It's a nervous habit, just like cracking one's knuckles or chewing ones lip or twirling and chewing one's hair, and even a two year old can have a nervous habit. It's likely she's not even thinking about it when she does it; once you have a repetitive motion you just keep doing it.

Try to put something very gross and bitter tasting on her hands; I'd reccommend asking a pharmacist like at Jewel-Osco if she knows any kind of solution to put on one's fingertips. I know when I was growing up my mother bought this gross bitter solution she put on my hands.

What helps is making her wear mittens around the house and painting her nails and reminding her its pretty.

Answer 8

use STOP 'n' GROW ull get it at ur local pharmacy it works all u ave 2 do is apply it onto de nail(s) an it will taste bitter so it will put er off nail biting 4 lyf i use 2 bite my nails an it worked 4 me

Answer 9

My son did that and grew out of it. We never punished him. He just stopped eventually. If it is causing problems, take him to the doc for advise.

Answer 10

Well.That is tough.Wash her hands with a smell bad soap or foam and she shpuld quite!