4-Year-Old Daughter Biting Nails (Even Her Toenails!)

I used to do that, both fingers and toes. It's really, really, really hard to stop nail-biting, even when you really want to. I always wanted to stop, but couldn't. I don't know if anyone could have successfully bribed me with anything. You can keep trying. But the experts say that one habit has to be replaced with another, so maybe you can find another action she can replace it with.

Good luck. I'm still kind of a nervous, twitchy, picky, bite-y person.

I'm with Rosebud. I'm a twitchy, picky, bitey person and chewed my nails to a bloody pulp throughout childhood. I have some sensory issues, but that term didn't exist when I was a kid. The need to pick at and worry any irregularity on my skin, clothing or nails is just part of it, an inherent part of me. My mom, my teachers, anybody who made an issue of it only made it worse.

In grade school, I would put bad-tasting things on my nails, even once buying a commercial anti-bite liquid with my own allowance. Never worked. I was finally able to stop the nail-biting (and hair twirling and chewing) my senior year in high school, but it took months of dedicated effort. I always switched to manipulating something smooth – a pebble or a string of beads, and filing off all roughness from my nails the moment they appeared. I also still will get a sheet of scratch paper and gouge and fray the edges for however long I have to sit still. Or styrofoam cups, another good target that's not my own body.

I still have to do this, and I'm 63. If I get any 'thing' that doesn't belong on my skin, nails or cuticles, I find myself tearing and nibbling at it. I stop and find something else to do as soon as I notice.

If your daughter has specific times that she does this, gently offer her something else to do with her hands. Reading or watching TV, sitting quietly for any reason, when she's going to bed and doing "nothing" are probably her worst times. There are also chewing sticks made especially for kids with oral sensory dysfunctions that give them a safe alternative for their need to chew. You can find these online. But if you bug her about it, you may only make her feel twitchier and more in need of this behavior.

I was a nail biter too. I always did it more when I was stressed (which was sadly a LOT when I was a kid.) I got yelled at, punished and teased but I just couldn't seem to stop. I did pretty much grow out of it as a teenager, but during stressful times I still have the compulsion to bite. So now I have acrylic nails.
My youngest has an anxiety disorder and will also bite her nails during stressful times. The nasty tasting "bite no more" clear polish can work for a while but it's just a temporary fix.
I wish I had some advice, all I can say is try not to make her feel bad, it's really hard to control :(

I noticed our daughter starting to bite her nails at age 5; my husband bites his on/off. I wanted to nip it in the bud so I started pointing out how beautiful nails looked on girls when they are a bit longer; she began noticing grandma's pretty and long painted nails. I promised finger nail polish if she let them grow; up until then it had not really been allowed. The our good friend came over. I noticed that his two front teeth were chipping at the bottom and I thought, aha! Knowing that he is also a nail-biter I asked him in front of our daughter if his teeth chipped from biting his nails. He sheepishly said "yes ..." I used that as a learning tool (sorry, at his expense, but oh well!) w/ her and she stopped biting her nails pronto. She didn't want to chip her teeth!

Hmmm I am a nail biter too, always have been. I was told by a science teacher in seventh grade that it's because I didn't get to "suck" enough as an infant? I thought that was weird but my mom did tell me I never took a pacifier. I am just curious, did she take a pacifier? I really hate the feel of the nail clipper, I don't really know why. Maybe you could ask her if that is why she does it. Then file instead of clip? Don't know just throwing ideas out there. :) Good luck

I have the same problem with my 4 year old. I even asked here about it a while back. She pretty much has stopped with the toe nails but the finger nails are so short I don't think I've cut them for a couple of years. I've tried the stuff that tastes gross to put on her nails, bribing with fingernail polish, telling her about germs and how she can get sick. Nothing! Good luck!

k

Lots of kids do that.
They will hopefully grow out of it.
Its hard to make them stop.

BUT tell her, that that is how germs are transmitted. And she can get sick.
My Hubby bites his nails.
When he does, he gets sick....

Fingernails are dirty and full of germs.

Nail polish does not work.
It does not work for my daughter.
My daughter is 8.

My almost 5 year old son does the exact same thing. I have tried every bribe and nothing works. I went to the store to look for the nasty tasting stuff and I couldn't find it anywhere. I am going to ask the pediatrician next month if he has any suggestions. I've even told him that he's going to have to go to the doctor if he doesn't stop. I don't think he even notices he's doing it until I say something, so I just try to point it out as much as possible to try and get him to stop. maybe my nagging will eventually be too much! LOL

I've always bitten my fingernails and bit my toes until I was a teenager. Lol. Bribery never worked for me. Even when I've gone and spent $30 to get my nails done, they are scratched the next day because if I can't chew them, I'll chomp them up and down lightly. It's a sensory thing. I always need something in my mouth, and they're right there.
I've never seen her do this at my house, but she's so busy over here too. Try getting a soft, silky piece of fabric and when you notice her doing it, hand it to her. The more focus that you put on it, the more she'll do it. Just try to replace the behavior with something else like the fabric.