Ingrown toenail in 14 week old baby

[mower]

One of the first things I noticed about ds was his big toenails they looked rather strange when he was born.

Now 15 weeks on the toe looks even worse the toe seems to surround the toenail making the toenail look sunk in. Have never been able to cut it as the skin surrounds it.

It went red and sore took him to gp who gave penacillin which made it not so red but it hasn't righted the problem. Asked health visitor she has referred him to chroipodist but 6 week wait!! Phoned up a private one who is coming round tomorrow as i'm getting worried about it, not caused ds any pain that I know of.

Anyone else ever had this in such a young baby??

Hi Mower. My son had exactly the same thing on his second toe on each foot. I noticed it when he was born and kept an eye on it. It never got red, just was rather "hooked" and growing into the skin.

I took him to the clinic when he was 10 weeks and told the health visitor I was worried it was ingrowing (and I was having trouble cutting it)She told me that under no circumstance should you cut a babys toenails as it can cause them to ingrow. Well that was news to me- I had always cut my daughters!

Anyway, he is now 19 weeks old and I have to say that they seem to be righting themselves. About once a week i run my nail underneath the nail to lift it away very, very slightly, and as they have grown more, they seem to be getting more "normal"

I hope your son is OK. I'd be really interested to hear what the chiropidist says to you- I felt a bit fobbed off by the hv to be honest.

Don't try to cut it. It's probably fine. I was worried about one of mine when they were under 1 and even saw a doctor, but it sorted itself, they usually do. The nails are very soft at this age and ride over the skin as the baby goes; the nails won't cut into the skin they way adult nails do.

ah thats interesting. My daughters older now but hers have always grown in badly too. Have always cut them with great difficultly. She was a toddler by the time both her big toe nails changed and went really thick and horrible. wet wrapping her excema didnt help i dont think. thought she would never get right but it corrected itself in time. they still try to curl/grow in though