nail biting toddler

[sunbaby]

dd is 2. she bites her nails. it is getting worse. she bites them until they bleed and some of her worst hands have nails HALF the size they should be. today some of these fingers were swollen. it breaks my heart. dh and i went to a therapist about this and she said it is probably dd's way of handling inevitable developmental stress. she advised that we 'try not to have too much energy around it'. so we have tried that, and still it's getting worse. sometimes she crys when she plays w/ playdough because her fingers hurt.
i am educated in child development, a SAHM, and baffled. i know i have some of my own issues w/ anxiety that i work on and am improving enourmously. we are being extra concientious about routines, transitions, feelings, levels of stimulation etc....and still she is knawing away at her fingers....i am so, so sad about this. any ideas?

[smeta]

My dd bites her nails too, but not that severly. Ouch. Sounds like a tough one.

Could you try distracting her when she starts doing it (without saying "stop biting")? Like you notice she's doing it and say "hey, you want to do this puzzle"?

Of course if she usually bites them in the car or in bed that would be hard.

If the theapist thinks she's doing it to deal with developemental issues, is there any other way to help her through that? Maybe see someone else, seems like they should've had more suggestions for you!

Good luck!

[sunbaby]

smeta, she is more or less un-distractable. sometimes she will not eat, even when she has said she's starving, because she's too busy biting. we do try to offer alternatives that are good stress relief and busy her hands, but it's not changing anything. . i am so, so sad about this. i dont bug her about it, i just try to redirect her. i am considering going to a different therapist, since it feels that it is beyond a point at which i can simply 'try not to have too much energy around it'.