Nail Biters won't kick the habit! Help...?

Question

I'm at my wits end and don't know how to stop my son who is 6 and my daughter who is 12 to STOP biting their nails. They do it so fast that I don't have time to say "Get your fingers out of your mouth."
I feel that it is very un-sanitary and just ugly cause it makes the skin under their nails all peely and red.

Helpful advice MORE than welcome....unrealistic or cruel advice will receive a thumbs down ahead of time.
Thanks

Answer 1

Nervousness is the beginning of most of the nail biting habits.I am 12 too.And I used to bite my nails.(This is a funny story)In grade 2 I had a really cranky teacher and she checked our nails every Monday and I forgot to cut my nails.So I started to bite them.Then when I came home from school I continued to bite my nails and my mom asked me why.And I told her.So she talked to my teacher that I bit my nails and told her to talked o me about it.And my teacher told me that she won't get mad at me if I forgot to cut my nails again.And i stopped biting my nails.(Also please make sure that their friends aren't doing it.Maybe they saw it from them.)It worked for me. :) Hope it helps.

Answer 2

I used to be a terrible nail biter when I was young (up through middle school). Honestly, I was bribed to quit. I tried a lot of other ways, but when my grandpa offered me $50 to quit I managed. He made me have to grow them out to a decent length and keep it that way for a few months before I was able to get the money. Bribing isn't probably the best option, but if you can find something that would make it worth your kids' while it may work. I've had a few relapses here and there in my life and I find that once I have my nails grown out, if one starts to break, chip, or peel I need to immediately cut or file it. Otherwise I end up biting it before I realize. It's a really difficult habit to kick, but it is possible. Oh, and I don't recommend the bad tasting nail polish that's supposed to help with nail biting. It makes everything you eat with your hands taste bad even if you don't actually get your nail anywhere near your mouth. It's awful and should be outlawed as a form of torture.

Answer 3

TWO SUCESS STORIES..Speaking from experience. I believe there may be something hereditary going on. Much to my surprise my son now 6 is / was a nail biter too. (I'll get back to ds below.)
1st.. I WAS a nail biter for as long I could remember. I eventually broke the habit by becoming more aware of my habits by observing what I was doing. (the idea of leaving 1 nail to grow then challenge 2 nails and working up... was what help me overcome the HABIT.) Took time and I tend to bite only on occasion and it alerts me that I am upset by an external circumstance at the moment. Considering my experience and success helps me to assist my DS.
I first noticed his biting at a very young age.((My heart sunk.)) I too would gently remind my son hands away from mouth/ "face". Then out of desperation, I had to heed warning that 'Santa' would be watching him and I would have to tell 'Santa' how his nails looked. This seemed to work best, as my ds would want to report and show me each day his progress. Allowing me to offer praise for a job well done. He was truely amazed of his accomplishments when his nails grew. We celebrated by buying his own clippers and put a 'Clifford' sticker on his nail cutters so he would know they were his and not his Dads. True Success!! Until the start of Kindergarten. The habit returned after the first week. I had begun checking his nails daily once again with only positive praises and suggesting he let only one hand of nails grow, then he could work on letting the other grow... when all ten are long. We write 'Santa' a note to say hello. It seems to work with only minor set backs. These set backs are a good indicator to me when he is troubled by something. Allowing us to then talk about things and ease into whatever it is that is creating this reaction.
I am hopeful that as he matures his nail biting will become a thing of the past far sooner than myself. Good luck to you and your family. I THINK Cutters and Stickers may be a good motivator and maybe a calander to keep track. Are the children competitive or can one set a good example for the other... to help get them off to a good start.

Answer 4

I'm fourteen, and I bit my nails until the end of last year. I would constantly try to stop, and I tried everything- hypnosis, bad-tasting nail polish, a rubber band aroung my wrist, the works. The thing that finally worked for me was painting my nails and chewing gum. Together, I have /finally/ kicked the habit. I can't offer help for your son, but for your daughter, go out to Longs and buy her ten different colors of polish (just get her the cheap stuff, she won't tell the difference), some polish remover (the strong stuff), some cottom pads, and Trident gum (trident helps clean teeth, and it comes in a sweeter citrus flavor). Help her paint her nails (I do it every night as I'm watching TV) and hand her the gum. Also, since gum triggers an appetite, you may want to sometimes substitute gum for something like trail mix.

Answer 5

Your children are very nervous and hyperactive with the added problem of suppressing it all. There is an energy inside that begs for release and so they bite their nails just like other people chain smoke or exhibit other compulsive behaviors. They may be nervous about something or may be undernourished and hungry even after eating. Unfortunately but not conclusively in your case nail biting can also be a sign of a mental or emotional disorder the clinical name being chronic onychophagia. Get some chewy things for them to nosh on in between meals like dried apples, banana chips, trail mix, and similar healthy treats. When you have the opportunity take them to the doctor for diagnosis.

Answer 6

Start them off easy. Tell them they can bite all their nails except one. If they can do that reward them. Gradually increase the number of nails they can't bite. I used to bite my nails and what helped me was stopping one at a time. They are probably biting their nails because they're bored or nervous about something. Try to keep them busy.

Answer 7

Maybe you could reward them the longer they go without biting their nails. Also, I don't know if you think this is cruel, but I know that some people use lotion or something specifically made for this to make it so that when you bite your nail it has a bad taste.

Answer 8

both of my kids bite their nail down to the quick..a boy and a girl
i never bite my nails so they did not get it from me
i was told to try to put stuff on their fingers that would taste bad but i did not like the idea
therefore my children are grown now..my son still bites the nails
the daughter gets fake ones to keep her from doing it...lol
so maybe just do not worry about it for now...

Answer 9

There is a polish out there for nail biters and thumb suckers. It taste horrible but it is non toxic. It helped my sister in laws children nine and thirteen.

Answer 10

i would try to make them want to stop. with me, my parents paid me. I got $5 or something for every week I didn't bite my nails. with my sister, I started taking her for manicures every two weeks, and then we go out to dinner, so if she bites her nails, she misses this thing she likes to do.

alternatively, they sell stuff you can paint nails with to make them taste bad, but your kids will peel it off in a heartbeat if they don't want to stop.