5yo nail biter, how do we break the habit?

[skeeterbug]

My 5yo ds bites his fingernails so much that I never have to trim them. He does not bite them so much that they bleed, but they are short as can be. Mostly I am worried about habit part of this. I really don't want him growing up with this habit because I know it will be hard to break if it continues. Anyone had any success dealing with this in a young child?

 

Nose picking is next on the list. At least with his super-short fingernails he can't dig as much out! :eek:

[PIE!]

:bigear:

[Chris in VA]

I've had good success with the yucky-tasting, bitter stuff you paint on, but it isn't enough for some kiddos. They need to substitute something for the habit. Also, they have to buy into the idea that they need to stop. Maybe a combo--sticker chart/some sort of big incentive + substituting + bitter stuff.

 

Keep in mind it may not only be a habit, but also sensorial. I bite mine, on occasion, because sensorially, nails really bother me. I have a weird skin condition like warts, and the edges of my fingers get itchy and irritated when my nails are long. (Plus it's habit and anxiety--a lovely combo...)

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

Same problem. everything I read says that there is no way to break the habit. Most attempts to discipline or dissuade have negative repercussions.

 

In our particular case, my son's nail biting went down CONSIDERABLY after an unrelated diagnosis of Celiac (intolerance to gluten) was found, and his diet was changed. Now, it is considerably less often, and we even cut a few nails the other day!

 

Most everything I've found has said to make sure there are no other issues (stress, anxiety, illness...) and then to just ignore.

 

If it drives you crazy to watch, you can always gently ask your child to go chew his nails elsewhere.

 

I'm sorry I don't have a solution!

[craftyerin]

I bit mine for 34 years. There was NOTHING anyone could do to make me stop as a child. Any admonition just made me hide it more. I had to WANT to.

[Snickerdoodle]

Buy a small can of Thinking Putty and see if you can't direct him to keeping his hands busy when you see the fingers go to the mouth.

[Tess in the Burbs]

get MAVALA. It's stronger than what they sell in the stores and it works. I paid $10 at my pediatric dentists but it's online if you search. Worth every penny.

[marbel]

I bit mine for 34 years. There was NOTHING anyone could do to make me stop as a child. Any admonition just made me hide it more. I had to WANT to.

 

Same experience here. My mom used that bitter stuff but I chewed it off anyway.

 

My daughter had a bad nail-biting habit. It drove my husband nuts and he was always on her. Ugh! It took me a while to convince him to leave her alone. I gave her a manicure set and told her when her nails looked nice she could start using colored polish. It still took some time, but she stopped and now she has beautiful nails.

 

Of course that's not much help for the mom of a boy.

[amo_mea_filiis.]

I'm using stop bite on my ds's nails. His biting MUST stop because he is destroying his bottom gums. The stop bite also prevents him from booger eating because he can't put his fingers in his mouth. I will be upgrading to stronger stuff because he's starting to tolerate the stop bite.

 

I would start with Stop Bite.

[*Michelle*]

I didn't stop biting my nails until I was 18. That's when I started smoking. When I stopped smoking, I started biting my nails again.

 

The only way I can resist now is to keep my nails super short and filed perfectly smooth. Any rough parts make me bite.

[Pawz4me]

I bit mine for 34 years. There was NOTHING anyone could do to make me stop as a child. Any admonition just made me hide it more. I had to WANT to.

 

:iagree:

 

Be aware that anything you do to make biting his nails an unpleasant experience may potentially cause him to start another, and perhaps even more self-destructive, habit.

[kfeusse]

my daughter bit her nails until she was about 10...I tired everything, nohting worked....but when she was 10 she decided she wanted to grow her nails out so she could draw designs on them with nail polish....she saw a friend do that and being the crafty type kid she is, that was right up her alley. We used the icky tasting nail polish stuff...and it worked...she was motivated though.

[marbel]

Wouldn't have been much help to me. I've never desired to paint my nails or make them look nice. I just don't care about stuff like that.

 

Honestly, I don't see the problem/big deal.

 

LOL I should have been more specific.. for some girls, for my girl anyway, that was an incentive to stop. I don't think it's unusual but certainly not universal. ;)

 

Bitten-down nails give an impression of poor grooming habits. And, fingers in the mouth bring bacteria there too. But, I wouldn't nag or harass a kid over it.

[chepyl]

Nothing. My parents did everything and I still bite my nails at 33! It is a stress thing with me. I stopped when I moved out for college. Then college got harder...bye bye nails. I have quit with all three pregnancies....newborn, no sleep...bye bye nails ;)

 

 

I would like to stop, but it is unconscious moat of the time. Now my DD is doing it....week!

[abbeyej]

I'm one of those long-term nail-biters. I *have* to have polish on my nails *and* I *have* to want to stop. The terrible tasting stuff never did anything for me -- just made me mad (even when I thought I wanted to quit). A good coat of polish (even clear) and a desire to quit works for me.

 

If I were you, I'd talk to him about it first. Ask which he thinks might work -- the nasty tasting stuff or real polish. If he wanted a color, I'd let him do it, personally, but you could just offer clear if you're more comfortable with that. And I would offer a small "carrot" for each week he goes without biting his nails, and a larger "carrot" at each month mark for 2-3 months. Something that would truly be motivating to him...

 

Also, take a photo of his nails now. And another in a week. Get him involved in the "science experiment" of watching his nails grow when he's not biting them.

[jujsky]

Buy Bitter Apple spray at the pet store. It won't hurt her -- it's bitter herbs concentrated and tastes horrible. DS used to bite/suck on his clothing -- mostly on the collar of his shirts -- and the spray broke his habit.