Finger Nail Cutting

I trimmed my daughter's nails just after she woke up from her nap - she was still a little sleepy and didn't mind being held close. I could usually get one hand done before she got upset. I held her on my lap facing outward, and now she is much better about it (she will be 2 soon). I was too afraid to wake her to try it when she was sleeping, but this seemed to work well for us. Good LUck!
E.

My friend suggested that I cut her nails while she's sleeping. It's a great idea. No fuss or fighting. Try it.

My son is almost 13 months, and this has been a battle for us too. I have found that a really good distraction is the only thing that works. Sometimes my husband will play his guitar, and I will give my son a rattle to shake. We'll sing songs with him on my lap cutting his nails until he realizes what I'm doing. We seem to be able to get at least one hand done that way!

Hi S.,
I have always cut my daughters nails when she is sleeping.

hey S.
i had the same problem with my kids. i just cut them while they were sleeping and they never knew i did it. my son is 5years old and still thinks that i never cut his nails before. so try doing it when she's sleeping and see how it works out and dont forget to let us know how it turned out. good luck.

My cousin had the same problem with her son (I think she still may and he is 5 now) But she has always cut them when he was sleeping without a problem. I could always cut his nails without a problem, so that is another suggestion, have someone else try. Hope it helps and good luck, A.

My son who is 15 months old is the same way when my husband and I try to cut his fingernails. We have never cut him before either but he just wont have anything to do with it.
What we do, is give him someting to keep his mind off it. For example, we give him a cracker, or a toy that he loves. Preferably one that makes noise. Being sure we are accurate and not cut him. Also singing and making funny faces seems to work.
We have been doing this all along and it seems like he is getting used to it. He doesnt squirm and fuss as much as he did in the beging.

Hi
I don't know if this is something kids ever outgrow. My 6 year old still freaks out when he sees the clippers! Trimming during naps never worked for me. He always woke up and caught me in the act, making me feel even worse! I have a friend who plays "beauty parlor" with her daughter. She does a whole set up once a week and does her hair, nails (trimmed and painted), and even a little make up just for fun. I'm not sure how a 1 year old will respond to a beauty treatment, but if she knows it's something mommy & big girls do she might give it a try?

Good luck,
R.

Hi S.,
My son used to give me a hard time and I think it was anxiety about the thought that it might hurt, though it never actually did. So we started a little game. I told him if he blew on the finger while I was cutting it, that would keep it from hurting. I encouraged him with each finger "C'mon, blow". Even if there was a little "ow-ee" I would just say, "well you have to keep blowing". I don't know if it was the distraction or the fact that he got to participate. It worked, so I kept doing it! :)
Good luck!

hi Sadi,
you have already have 32 responds and i haven't read any of them yet, but I'm sure a few may say, "trim those little nails while she sleeps." It may take a few tries though. My daughter turns 7 on Monday, but i do remember her waking after the 2nd or 3rd nail, and i would just go back and finish when she fell back to sleep. GOOD LUCK!! D.

It is easier since you have a girl. I would do it as if it were a mini manicure after you cut her nails tell her that you will paint them a pretty color. I know you may think she is to young and may not understand but if at first you do it to yourself and than explain to her that they have to be cut first and than you can paint them. It should work I had the same problem with my daughter and to this day I still paint her nails after I cut them.

Hi!
My 13 month old doesn't like getting his nails cut either. Like your daughter, my son will usually only let me get 1 or 2 nails cut before he freaks. I've tried toys, singing, etc, which sometimes works, but sometimes I just have to cut some now and cut some later (even if it's just a minute or so in between). He can really fidget when he wants to and I fear that I'll end up poking or cutting him! Toenails are even worse!! Don't know if this really helps... Good luck! If you find a solution, let me know!

Hi S., this may sound silly, but then again, we are always doing silly things to get our babies to cooperate! lol My son is 9 months old and he is now at the stage where he starts to fuss and pull his hand away as well. One day, i was trimming a nail and i left a little piece of it, so i bit it off and spit it on a paper towel that i had there b/c god knows if i let go, i wont get his hand back- lol and when he seen that, he was HYSTERICALLY laughing!! So now when i am trimming him nails, i trim them and then will put the finger in my mouth for a second and make the sound as though i am spitting out his nail- lol And if i do it with every nail, he sits still the entire time, even his toe nails, laughing hysterically! lol I know its silly, but i hope it works for u as well as it does for me!! lol Good luck hun!!

Hi S.,
My daughter did the same thing. Previously it was no big deal to cut her nails, I would do it now and then after changing her diaper...but then it became a big deal and she would get all upset over me just trying to trim them. What I found that worked for her was to sit her in my lap facing outward and talk to her as I trim them. When I talk, I tell her "Mom has to cut your nails because they are getting too long but after we can go downstairs and play..." Then I go on to name all the different things we can do and play with after we're done, as if I'm giving her a list of things to choose from. Because she recognizes the names of all the toys I am naming it seems to hold her attention and she will quietly sit as I trim her nails. I then give her lots of praise for sitting nicely and we go downstairs and play with one of the things I mentioned. It is almost like you can see her thinking about what I'm saying. Maybe this will work for your daughter too. Good luck!

Hi S.,

I think every child goes through this stage. When my kids did it I would cut their nails while they slept. They never knew it was happening and I was able to concentrate on trimming rather than not cutting them in the process of them flailing and screaming. I hope you make it though this milestone unscathed. <wink>

Do it while she is sleeping. I had the same problems with both my children and started doing while they were asleep. Worked good for me.

Hi S.,
I used to have the same problem with Jr. but I turned it into a game. Now we do "this little piggie" or a counting game and he is so totally cool with getting his finger and toe nails cut - Hopefully your daughter will be as easily distracted as my son and this will work for you!
M.

Hi S.
There are a couple of things I have tried that I found that work the first is to cut while they are sleeping and the other is I give my son a pair of nail clippers that I bought at babies r us they look like a bug and he plays with them in one hand while I cut the other and then we switch. I'm sure you could use any little toy.
~S.~

have you tried to cut them when she is sleeping

My daughter started with the same behavior at about 12 months. Luckily she is obsessed with stickers. So we pick a sheet of small stickers and she gets to put a sticker on every finger once I cut her nail. It takes a little longer than just cutting all ten at once right in a row...but there's no screaming and tears.
It's funny the hoops we'll jump through for our kids, isn't it? :)

A trick I learned from a friend is to get a little cloths pin. (One that you pinch it and it opens) Let her have it as HER clippers. She can cut your nails her grammas nails her fathers nails. I can get my daughter to do anything if I tell her lets get pretty. I dress her in her dress up clothes and we do her hair and cut her nails, she cuts my nails and brushes my hair (I had a hard time with hair brushing too)

She's probably upset simply because you're holding her hand still. When she's sleeping is definately the best time to cut her nails. It's also the best time to remove a splinter (if that ever comes up). Good luck to you.

Hello,

Have you ever tried cutting her nails while she's sleeping? Personally, I'm too nervous to do it so my husband does it to our 4 month old while he sleeps and he doesn't even budge. Just a thought.

Cut them while she is sleeping.

when my son gave me problems i use to just do it when he was sleeping seems to be working with him

When my son was younger he used to do the same thing so after many battles I gave up and just waited till he was sleeping then I cut his nails. Now he's almost four and he doesn't fight me anymore at all. I think it's just a stage they go through.

I cut my son's nails while he's sleeping, it's much easier and no crying. He freaks out when I try to cut his toe nails when he's awake, so doing it while he sleeps makes for a more peaceful experience.

My son used to be the same way, to the point that my husband would hold him down while I trimmed them (not my suggestion). I spoke with his doctor about it and he told me to distract him with a convesation or toy, and if that doesn't work, wait until he's asleep and be gental. Both have worked well. Good luck.

Have you tried to cut her nails after she is sleeping..We had to do that to one of ours..

have you tried singing to her or giving her a toy to occupy her. they say try to do it when they are sleeping. i am starting to have the same problem with my 7 month old son. he is alwyas pulling away or trying to get his hands away. i stick the binky in his mouth and or sing the itsy bisty spider to him and he somewhat lets me get it done but it definately is more of a challenge now than when he was 4 months old. well hope this helped. good luck.

Hi S.-
You could try cutting them while she is sleeping. I heard that is something you can do with an infant. Not sure how deep your daughter sleeps, but it's worth a try.

Have you tried distraction. I clip my sons nails right after bath time (before bed) and I turn on the tv or a dvd that he will watch for a few mins. (usually bob the builder) and I do them really quick...this has worked for us for some time now. Now that he is almost 2 he wants to do it himself so I let him (pretend) to clip then I say mommy's turn and he lets me...sometimes he makes me do his toes first LOL.
I say do it when she is tired and easily distracted by something else...she will put up much less of a fight. Good luck

Hi. Wait until she is sleeping or try filing the nails instead, takes longer but you can get the job done. Maybe let her watch you trim your nails and then trim hers. Good luck!

I bribe my kids with mini m&m's.. I give them just enough to keep them still while I cut.. if they struggle, the bowl gets taken away.. I also plop them in front of the tv with their fave show on while I do it.. distraction works great!

do it while she's sleeping!

Hi S.!

I'm a mother of three, and I know exactly what you're talking about! Here's a little tip: wait until she is napping! I found it was much easier to trim fingernails while my children were asleep. That way, they did not put up any fuss whatsoever, and I could get all of their nails done and they had no clue it was even happening!

Good luck!

J.

Same here my friend, and I have cut her when she was about 3 months, horrible. Wait until she's asleep, it's not the easiest, but it's better than her getting upset. Ideally, it would be great if she feel asleep on your lap, never happens for me, I wait until she's been in the crib for at least 1/2 hr, then I cut away. Good luck Girlfriend.

A couple of suggestions: cut them while she is asleep while you're holding her
-- sing a song while you are cutting them
--cut them while she is watching a favorite show
--make a routine after bathtime every other time and maybe she'll get used to it. May not be easy at first, but be consistent and persistent.
--give her a reward afterward (maybe a "special treat")

As with anything else, try to relax cuz they all sense the tension with anything. Pretend it doesn't mean anything.

Hi S.!
When my baby was younger, I was the one afraid. Sometimes after a bath I would bite his nails with my teeth instead of the clipper. I know it sounds gross, but it worked. Now that he's older, he can be entertained with TV and it helps destract him a bit. You can also try cutting her nails when she's sleeping, but sometimes, a few fingers at a time is okay. (I've done that too, it's easier than fighting with them).
Good luck and happy birthday to your daughter!

J.