How to Stop a 3 Year Old from Biting Her Fingernails

Very normal behavior when coping with anxiety or just bored. Give her something more appropriate when you catch her in the act. Let her chew on gum, laughy taffy or something else. You can buy these chew straws from Occupational Therapists. They are in the shape of a letter T. It sends sensory input to the brain and is calming. It's just like an adult who taps their foot, twirls their hair, cracks their knuckles, etc. Here's a link to buy them online. Click on "oral Motor"" then "Designed to Chew." Hopefully by focusing her attention on something else, she'll save her beautiful nails. :) Good luck.

http://specialchildren.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?z...

S.,
This will sound a bit strange, look up the website
www.emofree.com it will show you a technique that uses the meridian points on the body to stop unwanted behavior and emotions.

The steps are easy. I've worked through the DVDs that can be purchased (the info is all online you will not need the DVDs)and I have seen how effective it is in my life. It requires no medicine and it save you from trying all different bad flavors to make her stop.

My mom used to pop me in the mouth when I bit my nails. This would have been soooo much better!

Have a great day and best wishes with your daughter's nails.
A. h.

you can buy the nail polish called "Thumb" sp? and it is like fire when they put it in there mouth...my son stopped that way..or course you have to keep applying it every 1-2 hours b/c it wears off. It doesn't hurt them!

I started using "Thumbs" for my 4 yo dd. I bought it at Walgreens in the baby aisle. It goes on like nail polish and tastes so bad that she won't put her fingers in her mouth. Regular nail polish worked for a couple hours, but Thumbs has made the long term difference.

I wish you the best of luck.
I personally bite my fingernails to the quick until I was in highschool. Then is started getting them done, and that was it.
Maybe getting them pretty and painting them and stickers and such would give her some insintive?
Another thought is making her wash her hands EVERY time you see her biting. I did this with my daughter who wouldn't stop picking her nose. She stopped because washing her hands took too much time out of her day.

When I was younger my mom and dad rubbed onions or garlic to stop me. I won't do that but if my dd was a nial biter I would try talking to her and explaining why you don't want her to. Is she nervous about something? Is she scared about something? Or does she just have to keep her hands busy? Try to figure out why she is biting her nails. I used to and still do if I'm nervous. So why I was about 12 like most girls I wanted to look my best. I painted my nails to stop. It works. So if after talking to her offer to paint her nails w/ lite pinks or other colors or clear and ask her to keep her hands looking beautiful. Good luck.

dip her fingers in somthing that tastes bad to her and leaves a lasting taste. Nothing poiseness of course.Extracts from a health food store, salsa, or tintures should do it. Ask the clerk at the health food store what would be safe for a 3 year old.

i'm actually in the same position as you. I have a 6yo boy who has been biting his nails to the quick since he was about 3 also. We constantly remind him to stop whenever we catch him with his fingers in his mouth (whether he is chewing or not because it eventually goes there). It frustrates him, but cut the problem down. also, now that he is in 1st grade, it has also cut down significantly. He still chew his nail, but only the white part. He doesn't cause them to bleed anymore. My daughter, we tried the bad flavored polished but many times they were pepper flavors and she actually liked them so we started painting her nails with colors and after a year or so, she stopped "messing up her polish." We also refused to let her paint them when we caught her chewing them. This was a great incentive. I sympathize because I am a lifetime nail biter. I'm much better now and mostly pick at the cuticles instead of the nails (which actually looks worse) but I know how hard it is to break a subconsious habit. Patience, consistency and time are the best ways to stop.

Hi S.,

Rub some garlic on them. She will not like the taste and everytime she puts them in her mouth she will get the taste.

I painted my nails in elemantry school and it got me to quit. i hated the chips of polish in my mouth. also they make a protuct called bitter thumb or something like that. i have seen it at walgreens. good luck.

Have you tried painting her nails, for everyday that she does not bite them you can paint them, even different colors when she bite's them no painting. Little girls love to have their nails painted. Hope that this works. Good luck

We had this same issue with my son when he was that age. He bit his nails all the time to the point of making them bleed. We tried everything, and nothing works right away. It will take time for her to break the habit. One thing that worked for our son was if we gave him something else to do when he felt like chewing. Try cutting a drinking straw down to a size that will fit in her pocket. Let her carry it around with her all day, and tell her every time she feels like chewing her fingers, to take out the straw and chew that instead. For our son, that worked over time. The other thing that helped him was peer pressure. Once he got into school, he felt awkward chewing his fingers in front of his friends. I would ask your pediatrician and your daycare provider or preschool teacher. They have likely seen this before and might have some tips for you. I'm not sure it ever completely goes away. He still chews his nails occasionally, and he's almost 10 now.