Ok, i have bitten my fingernails for years. And now my 2 year old son bites his like crazy. He bites them so short that he's always getting sores, and cries about it all the time. I dont know what to do for him. Any help on what i can do to get him to stop?
2007-03-05 15:38:22 · 8 answers · asked by lil_guicho216 3 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Toddler & Preschooler
There are usually polishes out there that you can paint on his nails that have a horrible taste and it will make him stop. You could do the same for yourself. You can probably find it at a pharmacy, etc.
2007-03-05 15:43:29 · answer #1 · answered by Lyndsay G 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
more info at the link. man I love babycenter.com
What to do
Keep his hands occupied. If you can pinpoint the times and places when your child's particularly likely to bite his nails — while watching TV, for example, or riding in the car — try giving him substitutes such as finger puppets, a squeezable ball, or a bendable toy to keep his hands busy. Cut his fingernails short so there's nothing to tempt him to bite.
Wait and hope. Beyond giving him toys to play with, your best bet is to ignore the behavior altogether. Your toddler's nail biting is an unconscious habit, which means he doesn't realize he's doing it — until you call attention to it, of course — so nagging and punishing won't help. And explaining to him how gross you think it is will probably just enthrall him and goad him into doing it even more. And if your child is in the throes of toddler contrariness — when everything you ask for elicits a hearty "no" in response — he might respond to pressure to stop by embracing the habit with full zeal. You'll see bitter-tasting solutions at the drugstore, but at this age, painting these concoctions on his nails will seem like unjust punishment. (They will be more helpful as reminders in the elementary years when he'll probably want to stop.)
Check it out. In some cases, nail biting — especially if grouped with other nervous behaviors — can signal tension. For example, if your child bites his nails so intensely that he tears his nail beds or bloodies his fingertips, or chews on his nails and engages in other self-destructive behaviors such as pulling his hair out, talk to his pediatrician. He may be suffering more anxiety or stress than is usual for kids his age.
Most children, however, choose one or a few habits to indulge in (thumb sucking and nose play is a common combination), then give them up without any encouragement. Do your best to ignore the habit and all of a sudden one day you'll realize it's gone the way of diapers and teething rings.
2007-03-05 19:11:40 · answer #2 · answered by ~m 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lucky for him- he is young and it will be easier to get him to break the habit. Bad news for you- it'll be nearly impossible if you don't stop biting your own nails. If you try to stop him but don't stop yourself, you will just be confusing him and sendig him a bad message. It's that whole "Do as I say not as I do." adage.
First, you need to stop biting your nails. You can use that nail polish that every one talks about on your own nails in combination with sucking on a mint or chewing gum to get yourself to stop.
After you quit your bad habit you need to consistently correct your son when he starts biting his nails. As soon as you see him put a nail to his teeth, pull his hand away and look him in the eye and say "No, don't bite your nails. I don't bite my nails any more-see". This may take a lot of time and effort on your part but if you don't do this now, then he'll always be a nail biter and will hate it when he gets older.
Also, make sure that you keep all of his nails trimmed once he quits biting them so the temptation doesn't return.
2007-03-05 18:03:10 · answer #3 · answered by Erin H 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
your son is 2 so you can't really reason with him so try something like lemon juice on his fingers so when he bites they taste sour. or there is some nail-polish that you can buy that does basically the same thing. it doesn't hurt you. and it's clear. or try using band-aids that he likes on his fingers bat- man something like that put them on and make a game out of it ,tell him you will put these on him but if he bites his nails you will take that one off and he has to stop for however long you decide, to earn the band aid back and soon he wont have anymore sore nails. it's a thought. good luck
2007-03-05 15:49:12 · answer #4 · answered by sassy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can buy the stuff that tastes terrible--a clear polish that will leave an extremely bitter taste in your mouth when you bite your nails. The bad thing about this for your young children though, is they still eat with their hands a lot. It will make anything they touch taste like it, as well.
2007-03-05 15:43:22 · answer #5 · answered by It's Me 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I bite my nails and have never been able to stop either. They have stuff on the markets for thumb sucking and nail biting, you just put it on their nails but I would not do that for my son who sucks his thumb. It's obvious he started because he sees you doing it, try to break the habit together, or don't let him see you doing it. Tell him that you both are going to stop bitting your nails and tell him that you need his help to stop and make it a game that if he sees you biting your nails he can tell you to stop and you can tell him to stop when he does it. Good luck!!
2007-03-05 15:48:09 · answer #6 · answered by Baby Julie due 5/12 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a medication that the doctor can prescribe for you to paint on his nails that tastes bad. Otherwise you can tape them or put on gloves to discourage the biting.
Poor little guy...
2007-03-05 15:41:57 · answer #7 · answered by Jennifer L 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
GO TO THE DOC & ASK IF THERE'S ANYTHING LIKE PLASTERS OR SOMETHING U CAN PUT ON HIS FINGERS & SEE IF HE STOPS?
2007-03-05 15:43:32 · answer #8 · answered by tupac4evaa 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋