picking at skin and scabs

[mizzoh]

ds ( 3 years old) has a habit of picking at a loose piece of skin on his fingers until it is red and raw. he will also pick at scabs. how do i get him to stop? we have tried:

--explaining to him it will get sore and infected if he continues to pull at the skin ( he apparently doesn't care)
--applying band-aids ( they just come off his finger, although this does work for scabs elsewhere on the body)
--ignoring it, hoping the pain would make him stop on his own ( it doesn't)

nothing works. if anyone has any suggestions i would LOVE to hear them!

[alicia622]

DS, also 3, does the same thing. I mostly ignore it or remind him it will hurt if he picks it. He keeps picking.

[JAL]

Humm, I saw this tread and thought "great! I need this advice too!" So nothing to that works to add,

I did told my dd she would get scars that would be there forever (she is 3) she said
"I like scars"

[Just1More]

We've done this, too. And so did a friend's little boy. Same age.

Between the two of us, and putting together the things each child said we concluded that they think they are getting rid of it by picking the scab off. DD just wouldn't believe me that she was making it worse. Next time I'm going to show her in the mirror and try to get her to see what's really happening. I may also get some books and explain about blood and skin and such in greater detail. She's so curious, understanding the entire process of healing my help her be hands off.

But, practically, we used band-aids and gloves. She thought it was fun to wear gloves, and it prevented her from picking which a.) broke the habit, and b.) let the placed heal up and remove the temptation.

I dunno if that helps or not...

[Just1More]

Oh, and I think that loose skin/hang nails by the fingers indicates low Vitamin C.

Could be wrong on that...

[prescottchels]

on the topic of scabs... skin often gets itchy when it's healing so this might start the scab picking for some and I remember doing this too. It just seemed kinda neat to pick it off and see new skin or oops blood

one option to help the healing and maybe lessen the itching: put salve (or neosporin) on the healing wound/scab and cover it w/a bandaid til it's all healed. Get DC involved in this daily process, give them some ownership/control. maybe it will help.

Good luck!
Chelsie

[PikkuMyy]

I did it as a child and still do it as an adult. Some antibiotic ointment definitely helps to stop the itching and speed the healing process, though. I try to always put it on at night if I have something that needs to heal because even if I still pick during the day, it heals in far fewer days if it's got the cream on at night.

[elfimka]

What about googling for some scary looking scar pictures? And saying that those people picked on scar/skin and this is what they look like now?

[emmalizz]

.

[SeekingJoy]

I like the idea of giving the LO an alternative of rubbing a salve on it instead of picking. I think we will try that next time. DS picks and normally I just remind him to leave it alone, but an alternative would be good.

[Polliwog]

Originally Posted by emmalizz

Yeah, and in the process giving your child a new set of scars, in their minds. :

I agree.

I was a scab picker when I was a kid and for the most part, I've outgrown it. Definitely try to keep them moist so they don't get itchy.

[lee1203]

Originally Posted by PikkuMyy

I did it as a child and still do it as an adult.

Same here. Antibiotic ointment definitely helps. I'll sometimes use hydrocortisone cream when it hits the itchy stage, although I don't know if you're supposed to use it on such a young child.

Originally Posted by elfimka

What about googling for some scary looking scar pictures? And saying that those people picked on scar/skin and this is what they look like now?

As someone who has scars not just from picking at sores, but also because of a genetic skin disease, I think this is a less than stellar idea. Explaining my scars to toddlers is annoying enough, it'd be far worse if I had to deal with them telling me it's my fault.

[mizzoh]

Originally Posted by JAL

I did told my dd she would get scars that would be there forever (she is 3) she said
"I like scars"

when i tell ds it will get infected and then really hurt, he says "i want it to hurt"

we will definitely use the trick of putting salve on the scabs and i am sure that will help. it's the loose skin around the nails that are the hardest to keep him from. right now he's got a couple fingers he's "working on".

Originally Posted by Just1More

Oh, and I think that loose skin/hang nails by the fingers indicates low Vitamin C.

Could be wrong on that...

i will look into that, thanks

Originally Posted by elfimka

What about googling for some scary looking scar pictures? And saying that those people picked on scar/skin and this is what they look like now?

ds would probably think they look cool and not scary

i'm relieved to hear this seems to be somewhat normal for the age.

[mama_mojo]

DD only stops picking when I "annoy" her with calendula cream. It is worth it to her (only in the last year and she's 7) to not pick if it keeps me from putting cream on. I will say, the calendula cream definitely helps her not pick even before she found me so annoying.

[ErinsJuneBug]

I have a nail/finger biter here.

No advice either. I could say "hands out of your mouth" 50 times a day. We've tried giving her things to play with or chew on when she is bored - but nothing has worked.