17 month old and CONSTANT nose picking.

[Lacrymosa]

This started about a week ago. Usually it's when we're in public or with people, she randomly started picking her nose and now it is happening ALL the time! Is this normal? Is there anything you can do to break this habit early on?

[treeoflife3]

I don't know how normal it is but for as long as I can remember, I've ALWAYS had the urge to pick my nose.  Sorry, gross and TMI but its true.  I have never had a clear, snot/booger free nose and its always driven me crazy trying to clear it out.  I also used to get a ton of bloody noses when I was little which was probably partially having fingers in my nose all the time, but I think also just a higher susceptability to them.  My nose has thin easily dried skin and the over production of snot doesn't seem to help much.

I think most kids probably go through a nose picking phase... its interesting to put your fingers in new places.. especially when you can pull something out!  at least, when you are little.. but perhaps there is something else going on?  I've never been checked out myself but I keep meaning to ask my doctor.  No one else I know has my nose issues.  I am also a mouth breather.  I literally can't breath well enough through my nose to do it alone.. I don't think I have a deviated septum though!

[AnnaNova]

i wouldnt worry about it. my toddler does almost the same thing, not too often though.

your little guy is discovering his body and its just exploration... he doesnt know its not appropriate... i used to babysit a little guy that would pick his nose until it bleeded...

that being said, i understand it sometimes may be embarassing in public, when your toddler does this, i would just remove his finger carefully and say 'is something bothering you? lets take a look' and take him to the bathroom, or somewhere more private, and i would only do that if someone stared at him or made a comment, otherwise, i wouldnt make a big deal out of it... ask about it at his next dr's visit and dr can take a look and see if theres another reason. but im pretty positive most kids do that as they become more aware of their bodies and bodily functions

[Zimbah]

My 2y2m old DD picks her nose a lot and has done for well over 6 months. It's really gross and I hate it, especially when she then eats the pickings although in some respects I guess that's better than wiping it on me or the furniture!  When she first started I told her not too and moved her hands but she just got upset and I quickly realised there was little point as there's no way I could enforce it at that age (short of shouting etc which I wasn't going to do).  Now I usually ignore it, sometimes if she's sitting on my lap doing it I tell her she has to sit on the floor if she's going to do that - sometimes that makes her stop, sometimes she happily goes to sit on the floor and carry on picking .  I also always offer her a tissue which sometimes she accepts and wipes her nose instead.  I really hope she stops doing it.  I guess when she gets older maybe 3 or 4 I'll start enforcing that if she wants to do it she has to go into another room to do it as other people don't like to see.

[mamazee]

There's no way to stop it until they're old enough for you to communicate to about privacy and going into another room to do stuff like that.  I'm afraid all toddlers pick their noses.  No way around it.

[BunnySlippers]

I think I remember reading that constant nose-picking can be a sign of worms.