[kittynpokey]

my DD has been biting her nails for a lil while now. i was just hoping it would be something she would grow outta but it dont look like it. she has them so short. really below the skin. any ideas how i can get her to stop? thanks.
Lisa

 

[chandasz]

I'm having the same issue!!! She's even biting her toenails..... They look sore and sometimes she says they hurt. She's almost 2 1/2.

What stinks is that I used to do the same thing when I was little! UGH

 

[kittynpokey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chandasz What stinks is that I used to do the same thing when I was little! UGH

my lil sis always did it. i never did. i hope there is a way to stop this.
Lisa

 

[shoefairy3]

my kids do it too...but they copy me.

It is a nasty habit and 99% of the time i am not even aware that i am doing it

 

[Fab]

My son is 30 months old and he likes to bite his finger nails too...

I always tell him not to do it . He usually shakes his head saying "no, no" and as soon as I leave the room he starts doing it again...

 

[ExuberantDaffodil]

Mama to a nail biter checking in!

I tried gentle reminders... distractions...

and then....

:

Stop Bite nail solution

:

Guess which of these trategies worked?

None.

He chews right through the solution just like I did when I was little. Go figure. I hope someone chimes in with a success story.

 

[Roxswood]

Yep my dd started biting her nails just before she turned two.

I really feel this is one of those things I have to ignore so as not to turn it into something more than it is. She actually is doing it less and less but I wouldn't recommend trying to stop them as that just made me do it more when I was a child.

 

[crazydiamond]

Could there be an issue with your DD not liking the way long nails feel?

I bring this up because this is exactly the issue I have. I've bitten my nails for as long as I can remember and not one thing has helped me stop on all my years. For me, the biting has nothing to do with boredom or habit, it has everything to do with hating the way nails feel. I carry nailclippers with me ALL the time so that sometimes I can manage to clip them off before I bite. But clippers can't seem to cut as low (not to mention they're more painful) than biting. By the time my nails start showing white, I'm already driven crazy from them being there. . .I've found that constantly biting them down is the only way to keep sane. Just offering an alternate perspective. . .

 

[chandasz]

My dd seems to be obsessed with nails..... She keeps asking me to cut them even though she's bitten them down SO far they look painful. She wants me to cut dolly's nails too. She looked at my nails yesterday and said that we needed to go home and cut them too!

I used to bite my nails when I was a kid but I don't remember them looking so raw and painful.....

 

[AmyC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chandasz My dd seems to be obsessed with nails..... She keeps asking me to cut them even though she's bitten them down SO far they look painful. She wants me to cut dolly's nails too. She looked at my nails yesterday and said that we needed to go home and cut them too!

I could agree with everything (except the dolly part. Haven't done that one, yet.) Yesterday, she looked at my hand and said, "Your nails need a trim, Mom? Got to trim your nails, too."

My daughter started biting her finger and toenails and I was really upset with myself for not doing a better job of keeping them trimmed (maybe she wouldn't have started?) I started encouraging her to tell me if something is bothering her ("Toenail bothering me, Mom" "This fingernail's bothering me!") and I would get the clippers or scissors and trim them on demand. This has helped--she tends to announce it rather than just biting, but there's not always something to trim. It's so frustrating.

My daughter is almost 2.5 (30 months in ten days!) so it sounds similar agewise to others who've responded.

 

[rharr!]

My dd has always bitten her nails. She is 4yrs old now. She has never bitten them until they were painful though. Which is why I let it slide. Less work for me

 

[kodamama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rharr! My dd has always bitten her nails. She is 4yrs old now. She has never bitten them until they were painful though. Which is why I let it slide. Less work for me

I kinda wish he did, I wouldn't have to chase him down to cut them every week!

I have no insights, I used to when I was little then I just stopped. Guess I outgrew it? My mom bites her cuticles, always has, always will. Good luck!

 

[~member~]

I think it's normal for toddlers to bite their own nails. It's not like there were nail clippers available back in the day.
All of my dc bit their nails off, until they were mature enough to use the nail clippers. If their hands are clean, I see no problem.