2yo terrified of nail cutting - any ideas?

[tiokiko]

Our 2yo DD is absolutely terrified of having her finger- or toenails cut and I don't know what to do.

She used to be fine, but for the past 6-8 weeks has gone wild whenever we've even spoken about nail cutting.

If I try to actually cut/clip her nails she shouts, screams and kicks.

I'm torn because although I don't want this to become a big issue, I also don't want to force her to have her nails cut when she is so upset.

I am sure that she hasn't been cut when clipping her nails in the past; have done stuff like get someone else (grandparents who she loooooves) to do it or talk about doing it to a doll.

Any ideas? It's horrible seeing her so upst but she s having a reat great time at home
Cxx

[MarniesMummy]

Do it when she's asleep.

[nightmarebeforechristmas]

can you make it part of a manicure, painting nails/hand cream and stuff.

[mylifewithmangers]

Yes to in her sleep

[MrsKitty]

Yes, I've been doing DS's nails in his sleep for a year or so now (3.10)

[piprabbit]

File them instead - a decent glass file should do it pretty quickly. She could even have a go herself pretty safely.

[BarbieLovesKen]

Is she a light sleeper? my SIL used to cut her 2 year old ds's in his sleep

[BarbieLovesKen]

maryz - thinking biting them is actually recommended! (in many books I've seen anyway)

That said, couldnt bring myself too...

[alicatte]

I cut DS1's nails in his sleep until he felt happy to have them cut again. Toenails were the hardest - I used to put a cotton sock around his foot and rest it on a pillow so I could hold it still without waking him. It worked!

[alicatte]

Never thought of filing them - that might have been a good option piprabbit.

[tiokiko]

Some good ideas, thanks - maybe I will try when she's sleeping. At the moment she's so scared that she won't even let me look at them so I don't think filing will work.

Possibly a pretend manicure with 'painting' her nails - will see how I go doing it while she sleeps and take it from there.

(BTW - apols for the un-MN kisses at the end - I'd been emailing a friend and was talking about the same thing so was on kissy auto-pilot .)

[narmada]

You could show her you cutting yours, and how it doesn't hurt at all (make a song and dance about that).

You could ask her (this is what worked for my DD with hair- and nail-cutting) if maybe you could just try cutting one little nail and if it hurts you will definitely stop. She might not go for that if she is really averse though. In which case, defo do it in her sleep.

[tiokiko]

Thanks Narmada - have tried that already and no go. Showed her me cutting my nails, DH doing his, have played at cutting her doll's nails (not all in one day, am making sound like we are making a big deal out of which I'm trying not to).

Think doing it while she sleeps is the way to go - will maybe try at naptime tomorrow.

[narmada]

I thought you would have tried it!

[AliceandtheGinormousBaps]

OP - our DD was exactly the same, made even worse by getting eczema on one foot which made the nails grow funny so careful cutting needed. DH had to pin her down while i cut, with her kicking me (really hard!)

In the end, she suggested the nail fairy but it works! I say she must close her eyes and the nail fairy will come and make her nails look pretty. I cut them, then put sparkly pink varnish on. She is now happy to have them done while she watches me do it and no more screaming and kicking.

Oh, and cutting them when she slept never worked for us.

Good luck

[bambiandthumper]

DS (3) is EXACTLY the same!

At first DH would grab him after his bath when wrapped in a towel, and I would sort of clip haphazardly while he screamed the place down!!
The best way is definitely when they are asleep, or if you sit them on their lap, with their hand looped behind your back so they can't see what is happening.

But as soon as they know it's happening it obviously kills