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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Nail biting - is there a cure?

17 replies

XAusted · 02/08/2003 21:10

Sorry if this has been covered in depth elsewhere - I've tried a "search" but it's not working for me just now ...

My dd (6) and ds (4) both bite their finger nails. Any one got any ideas for breaking this habit? I've never done it myself so I'm a bit lost. Maybe it's hereditary, dh is constantly picking at his fingers and gnawing them (although he doesn't bite his nails). It drives me MAD!

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Chinchilla · 02/08/2003 21:17

I bite my nails, although not all the time. I manage to grow nails occasionally, and find that I bite less when kept busy mentally. It was only my own will that made me stop, and nothing anyone said would encourage me. I even bit them with that disgusting stuff you paint on them!

What I am trying to say is that it is almost impossible to stop someone with a habit, unless they want to stop. Try bribing them with extra pocket money if they have unbitten nails each week

Original poster

XAusted · 02/08/2003 21:24

Hmm. I know what you mean about biting less when occupied mentally. Dd and ds both chomp away on their nails when they're watching TV or standing about waiting in a queue, etc. I suppose it's just something to do!

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badjelly · 04/08/2003 09:30

I do it and have lost count of the amount of times I've tried to stop although, as chinchilla says, the busier you are the easier it is. My problem is I watch to much telly!

beetroot · 04/08/2003 10:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

bundle · 01/09/2003 15:12

my 3 yr old dd1 bites hers too. I've been wondering if she's 'stressed' or whether it's just a normal part of growing up for children. she bites her toenails as well as her fingernails and last night made her big toe bleed & needed a plaster to protect it. she says she won't do it again..but i'm not so sure
any ideas? (we've incorporated lots of non-nail-biting princesses into bedtime stories to no avail, and even promised lavish colours of nail polish..)

chiggles · 03/09/2003 10:01

My ds (2yrs) started biting his nails, (toes too!) I tried that 'Stop and grow', he just sucked that off first. He did it when he was watching telly. We went camping for 2 weeks and cause he never really sat down for long he just stopped on his own. He doesn't even do it now when he watches telly. I think it's just one of those things that you've got to stop by distraction and once they've stopped it's OK.
He just sits and plays with his 'little boy bits' now when he's got no nappy on!! Can't win!

sloggalog · 05/09/2003 14:57

My DD (4) has bitten her nails (fingers and toes) since age 2. I've tried distraction/nice nail varnish/encouragment. Nothing seemed to work. I stopped mentioning it and just said how nice her nails looked with varnish on etc. She does it less frequently now - I'm hoping it will just gradually stop. I used to do it when I was a child - still pick bits around nail edges when I'm really stressed now. May be there is a heredity element to it. FWIW I would try to ignore it as much as poss - I think it's a bit like stammering - the more you focus on it the worse it can get.

monkey · 05/09/2003 17:34

I agree with sloggalog - (btw are you new & if so welcome!). I bit my nails as a child & my stepdad really got a bee in his bonnet about it. He'd get angry & even threaten to take me out & dip my fingers in dog poo! I was constantly coated in stopn' grow or whatever too & it made no difference.

I stopped, at age 9, all by myself when I went on a weeks holiday with my grandma who didn't mention it. Maybe it's something they've got to want to do.

I regret having bitten my nails so long - the pink bit ends really low down ifswim & I think they're ugly & I 'm sure it's because I bit them. maybe you can warn them of the perils of ugly nails later in life! (although I doubt it'll make any difference). or warn them of all the germs they're putting in their mouths every time they put their fingers in. maybe fociussing on this, and not the actual nail biting might help?

Original poster

XAusted · 05/09/2003 20:10

My kids mostly do it when watching videos. Maybe if I eject the video each time I catch them at it they'll get the message.

OP posts:

easy · 05/09/2003 20:15

I've come to the conclusion it's genetic. DH bites his terribly, as a computer programmer he does it while he's working, the more knotty the problem, the more bitten the nails.

DS's (4 Years) nails are bitten too, but I never see him do it. I think he must bite them in bed !!!

I suppose there are worse things he could do

Original poster

XAusted · 05/09/2003 20:18

Ah. Shame the kids have inherited dh's annoying genes instead of my perfect ones.

OP posts:

bundle · 05/09/2003 21:06

thanks for the advice. I must stop nagging her about it, I'm sure you're right, it just makes it worse. a nail-biting friend compared her hands to mine and said wouldn't dd like to have nails like her mummy's and she looked quite impressed! but caught her eyeing up her bitten toe today and just stopped her from chewing raggedy edges & turning it into another bloody mess just as it's healed. have talked a lot about germs etc - in fact she's had 2 mildish tummy bugs lately which I'm sure are due to dragging hands along railings/mucky tube handrails (yuk yuk yuk) and then chewing fingers...
oh - and I speak as a former biter myself - gave up aged 13 when the tubby 12 yr old I fancied was going out with a girl with long, perfect nails. never bitten them since.

Eeek · 05/09/2003 21:28

Stop and grow gets to taste quite nice after a while. Instead try giving them a nailfile - I bite mine even now when the edges are rough - and when you nibble them the edges are always rough. Having said that - it was bribery that got me to stop (£1 for the first week, 50p for each subsequent week)

aloha · 05/09/2003 22:08

I wouldn't stress about it or even mention it. I bit my nails until adolescence. Don't do it now. Dh bit his until we got engaged (he was 41) and my stepdaughter has just given up aged 12. It didn't do any of us any harm and we all have lovely nails now really not worth worrying about IMO.

aloha · 05/09/2003 22:10

Only suggestion to help them if they 'want' to he helped is to file rough edges with an emery board regularly - I always found rough edges irresistible and still can't stop picking at them if I don't file them down first.

bundle · 05/09/2003 22:12

eeek - that sounds quite lucrative..
aloha - that's really sweet, your dh had obviously found his true love

mrsforgetful · 05/09/2003 23:10

i paid my 5 yr old 10p per nail i could cut each sunday....took several weeks before i had to pay out a whole £1!!!
he's now nearly 7 and we compete to see who's nails grow the most each week! he still bites them- and sometimes gets infections....but compared to 2 years ago when he'd start on his toes if really desparate- then i don't worry about the odd nibble!

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