Toddler toenails - is this normal?

[JordanKX]

Just curious if all kiddos toenails are curved... and I don't mean a toenail going OVER the toe in a curl.

DS's toenails barely grow any "white" on them and immediately curl into his toe. I have to keep a good eye on them and keep them clipped every few days or they'll cut into the skin and then it's nearly impossible to cut. And if I do let them go an extra few days and cut them, the imbeddedness leaves a huge mark and, I'd imagine, was really uncomfortable.

His shoes are not too small by any means, so he shouldn't have anything Pressing down on the toes to make them curl like this.

Just wondering if this is normal?

[crunchy_mommy]

My DS's don't do that... Could still be common though, I have no idea!

It sounds like your DS is very prone to ingrown toenails... So you can google or talk to a podiatrist about how to best prevent it. I know there are things that help like cutting the nail straight across, not cutting it too short, going shoeless as much as possible, etc....

ETA: I know you said his shoes aren't too small, any chance they are too big? Maybe his foot is sliding forward and putting pressure on the toenails???

[T-man's Mama]

Interesting....my son's big-toe toenails do the opposite...they seem to grow straight UP, once they extend past the nail bed. I also have to keep them trimmed really well, because otherwise he will scratch me to death in bed, or they'll catch on something and bend backwards (ouch!).Maybe once their feet and toes get bigger, these things will resolve on their own?

[Catubodua]

Originally Posted by T-man's Mama 

Interesting....my son's big-toe toenails do the opposite...they seem to grow straight UP, once they extend past the nail bed. I also have to keep them trimmed really well, because otherwise he will scratch me to death in bed,

this is us too - i have to keep on top of them or else i find myself having trouble getting his socks on and we get scratched up in bed.

[pantrygirl]

You are going to laugh but for the first 2 years, they seem to grow curved around the tow. It didn't look painful but I did have to wait a bit until the whites grew more so I could cut them. Recently though I notiece her big toe nail is growing out and up. Her smaller toes still curve but the big toe is up and hard. I have to file the darn thing. I am staring at my toddler's toes too much. lol

[Greenlea]

Do they seem brittle?  Could be a fungus.

[carmen358]

My DD's toenails do this too! The first time I noticed it I was horrified because she had little "dents" in her toes where they were pressing into the skin. It doesn't happen with her big toe though.

[Caitlin0919]

DD's toes are the same way, except the big toenail which seems to grow up. If it's uncomfortable for her at all, she doesn't act like it. It can be quite a project getting her to let me clip her nails, but I try to keep on top of it so they don't get too crazy. DH has had a lot of issues with ingrown toenails in the past, so I'm hoping she hasn't inherited that from him.

[konayossie]

DS's toenails totally do this, only it's not the big toe (that toenail is pretty funky too, but more in the growing up/flat way that some of the pp are mentioning). I've never remembered to ask the ped about it. Neither DH nor I have ever had ingrown toenails, so I don't know what's up with it.

[McGucks]

Don't think it's ingrown toenails.  BIL's toenails (or at least one of them, so I hear--I don't look at the man's feet) grow curled under and my understanding is he has to keep them very short or they are impossible to cut.

[LuminosaJane]

My dd's do the curl under thing too.  I wasn't too worried about it since my mom said mine did the same thing as a kid.  They are normal now.  My dd and I both have hot, sweaty feet though--maybe this could contribute? 

[JordanKX]

Glad to see DS isn't the only one :-)

And ditto on Not the big toe either. That one is still really weird :-)

I'm not "worried", per se. But as it's becoming more and more difficult to cut them, it just worries me that they'd hurt. Seems like they'd hurt ME!

Thanks for your replies.

[MCPM]

I've got another one at my house! The indentation in the skin is the freaky part, but it doesn't hurt her at all - and...she's five years old. So I don't know if she's going to grow out of it but she hasn't yet!