I guess I'm being punished for the years my parents asked me not to bite my nails because my 2 year old daughter has recently started biting hers! I stopped a LONG time ago, so it's not because she sees me do it. Honestly, I'm really surprised that it's started this young and I'm not sure how to get her to stop. She still eats a great deal with her fingers, so I don't really think I should use that bitter tasting stuff you can paint on the nails. Anyone have experience with this? What did you do?
Additional Info: I guess a couple of people didn't read the humor in my "I'm being punished" comment. I don't honestly believe that. Also, if you're going to defend the nail-biting, I'd rather you didn't bother responding, thanks. I wish I hadn't bitten my nails as a girl because my nails are not as strong as they might have been otherwise. I don't plan on punishing my daughter for this, I simply would like to deter her so that she doesn't have the same regrets I do later on in her life.
by her "fidget toys". we have a lot of sensory toys for my daughter to play with and even chew on for those times. when i see her biting her nails i just hand a sensory toy and she plays with it not even thinking about it.
Is there any info out there on this being a genetic trait? Would be fun to find out. I used CHILDREN's nail polish on my daughter (non-toxic kind) to help her remember NOT to put her nails in her mouth. OK and I am probably a bad mom, but I showed my kids pictures of germs and bacteria and told them that when they put their hands in their mouths and noses this was what they put in. I did not traumatize them with horrible pics but used the cartoonized versions with smiley faces. It still worked.
go to :http://www.whatshebuys.com/masttwobo.html and buy it. It it by far the worst tasting nail polish on earth and it lasts for a good 3-4 days. My duaghter sucked her thumb since before she was born and it's the only thing that has shopped her. She too, eats a lot with her fingers, but she has quickly learned not to lick her fingers when she's done.
On the other hand, I've been a nail biter for almost 40 years and it's the only thing that has stopped me from biting too adn I've tried everything. Trust me, it would have been much easier to stop biting my nails at age 2 than to go all my life. Nip it now while she is still young and best of all, she'll be much healthier too!
Good luck.
I have a seven year old daughter who used to bite her nails. She stopped a few months ago because she wanted long nails like mommy. I think your daughter will outgrow it if you talk about being pretty but I wouldn't punish her.
I love Melissa's idea! It's so true. I am and always have been a fidgeter. I always have to have something to do with my hands. And yes, I still bite my nails. lol. I also smoke, and when I'm not chewing my nails or smoking, I'm typing on the computer, picking off my mascara, etc. Those squeeze toys are good for me. I like something comfy to do with my hands.
You don't do anything. Do you remember quitting biting your nails? I don't I still bite them off and on and I am in my fifties. I have often painted them, peeled the polish off, etc. The point is that is a somewhat mysterious habit and I do not know how you can get someone else to quit it. My sons both bite their nails and they are in their twenties.
They are successful in their lives, and are not laying on a street corner somewhere with unpolished nails. The older one stops off and on. You can try all sorts of things. I do not believe it is a sign of anything. People have compared it to being a ritual like obsessive compulsive disorder, others indicate it is a sign of weakness or nervousness, but seriously is your daughter in any of those classes? You can tape them, put icky stuff on them, paint them, file them, whatever. It will eventually become her choice. I remember having brief success with my sons by putting clear polish on their nails and telling them to peel that off. You are not being punished, your child has not really inherited this tendency, she just does it. :You can break the cycle by not being the same way as you indicate your parents were. It is the shame that you remember, as if something were absolutely horrible about you and that that habit. We are all imperfect human beings. Let her be imperfect and celebrate all the joys she brings to your life. If her hands are clean, then that is all that really matters.
I bit my nails when I was little and my Mom just kept them clipped short to discourage me. When I started maturing and began to worry more about how I looked, I just stopped biting them. But I'm a fidgeter too, and it'll manifest itself some other way. It's aways something, isn't it? Don't draw too much attention to it, put a cute little bracelet on her wrist and maybe she'll play with that. Good luck Mom!
My 3 y/o does the same thing. It's really frustrating as a parent to not be able to get them to stop, but I don't think punishing her or putting anything on them is the way to go. I like the idea of the fidget toys, I think it's more of needing something to do with their hands, and like other habits as toddlers they usually outgrow them. I too used to bite my nails as a child, my parents did the nasty stuff on them, and it made me chew on my hair. I bet she will soon grow out of it.
