How can I stop my daughter from chewing her fingernails?

Question

She's 16 and she just can't stop and it's stressing the whole family out.

Answer 1

Try explaining about all the bad bacteria that could be under her nails and how it can give her health problems, you could also explain that when she eventually wants to grow her nails when she is a little older that the nails themselves will be damaged and may never grow properly again and the problems she might have making her hands presentable so that she can have a job where her hands are on show most of the time.
Good luck and stick at it, she is worth it.

Answer 2

i have bitten my nails ever since i can remember. Don't waste your money on the pills or potions. They don't work. Has she just started chewing them or is it an ongoing thing? If she just started find out what is stressing her out and when that is fixed then maybe she will stop. If it is an ongoing problem - try putting her fingers in dish soap. It won't burn her fingers if the nails are too far down, but every time she puts them in her mouth it tastes disgusting. This didn't work for me because i ended up washing it off... no willpower... but if she really wants to stop it could help.
What is working for me is very extreme, but i swear it works. i hit my funny bone and it makes my fingers tingly... and i absolutely can't force my self to chew even consciously and definitely not subconsciously when my fingers are numb. i found this out by accident, but now when i find myself chewing i purposely bump my funny bone. And i stop. i know have tiny nails but they are growing. DON'T let her hit it hard... cause it can be painful... just enough to cause that tingly sensation.
Good luck to your daughter and your family.

Answer 3

I dont know if you've tried this, but take her to get a manicure. Maybe she won't bite them out of fear of messing them up.

If she really can't stop, maybe it's more than just a habit. Is something really stressing her out?

My last suggestion would be to tell her to put her fingers in some nail polish remover for a few seconds- she won't want to bite them after that! It tastes so gross (Not that I sit around tasting it, but I accidentally bit my nails after taking polish off and it was so disgusting!)

Good luck!

Answer 4

I had a terrible time with that as well. I put false finger nails on for about 2 months as you will find you don't chew on those. Once the habbit is broken I had the false nails taken off and always keep my real ones polished.

Answer 5

Take her in to get a set of acrylic nails on. These are not bitable (I know, I tried). After a month or two of having these on (she'll need a fill every two weeks, probably), the nail-biting habit should be broken.

Answer 6

My sister had the same problem. What we did to make her stop is put pepper juice on her nails and when she would go to bite them she would get that horrid taste in her mouth. After a week or two she stopped.

Answer 7

leave her alone! teenagers go through more than u think! how in the hell does that stress the whole family out! its her fingernails!! what? do u want her to be perfect! dont u think shes going trough some stress herself!! shes not doing it just..cause...she might have bad nerves!! how dare u think u can change how she feels to fit ur needs..deal with it and talk to her about any problems she might be having.. thats whats wrong with parents..u all think about urselfs instead of ur kids internal feelings..no ones never died of nail bacteria or from germs on or under the nails..so..humph..

Answer 8

get a video or a book about fingernails, and what they are made of and also tell her that even though she may spit them out, if they are swallowed, it may contribute to an appendisitis (spelling?)...well, anyway, that is how i learned to stop biting my nails of over 15 yrs.

Answer 9

WELL YOU CAN BUY SOME PRODUCTS ONLiNE LiKE;
http://www.nailbiting.vendercom.co.uk/Products.htm

GOOD LUCK!