Severe nail biting - 4 year old

[Lambert1981]

Over the last 6 months my youngest son has started biting his nails. Really really badly. They are bitten down probably two thirds onto the nail bed. He does it when he is engrossed in TV watching, book reading or when he is in bed.

It started out of nowhere and it's certainly not anxiety related - he is a real carefree happy little chap.

I have tried 'stop&grow' but doesn't work, tried telling him off, sticker chart etc but nothing works.

It drives me mad and his fingers look such a mess!

Any suggestions?

Hi, ds was an awful nail biter, he even did it whilst falling asleep. We tried stop and grow and talking to him but realised there was nothing much we could do. In the end he stopped of his own accord just before he was 5. We didn't do anything, he just stopped so I hope that happens to our son too.