I Have a nose-picker...any Suggestions for What to Do?

My mom told me that there were gross bugs (and described the bugs in detail) in my boogers and that when I eat the boogers that I was eating the gross slimy bugs. I can't belive that I still remember that.

This is actually common and does not have to do with being a copy cat. My child did and she was not in daycare. She's exploring. Just keep telling her no and pulling her finger out of her nose and/or mouth. Laugh about it and take a picture or two so you can tease her when she gets older ;) This is not something that you really need to worry about it.

i pretty sure that it's just a phase that all kids go thru. My son is 19 months old too and he does the samething.

My little guy who is now 4 had a major nose picking problem, but would wipe them on things. It was so gross and driving me nuts. I made up this story about "booger bugs" I know sounds a bit stupid. Basically I told him that any time he picked his nose the booger bugs would come out and want to eat his boogers. I made a really loud hissing noise that he didn't like and said that was what the booger bugs sounded like. Then whenever I caught him picking I would remind him and hiss. He hated the noise and within a week the problem stopped. I know it isn't exactly like yours, but still you could try it! Good Luck!

My son started this as well, but sometime after he was 2. The more I pay attention to it, the worse it gets. At ECFE they recommended I make a game out of putting the finger/buggar into a kleenex. Did not work. Removing his finger when I see him doing it makes him mad. His preschool teachers are telling him it could make him sick. Now at 3 that seems to work the best, but he understands what it means to be sick. It also seems to hae become habbit...he does not realize he's even doing it. Yikes! I'm sure if the kids start teasing him it will stop soon!

I know there are things you can put on fingers/thumbs that taste yucky.

Good luck!

Maybe your daughter is too young for my suggestion but it worked for my sister on her 3 kids. The main thinkg is reminding them each time you see it happen that they shouldnt do it. continue to ask her if she needs a kleenex. there is a poem called sharp toothed snail:

"Inside everybody’s nose
There lives a sharp-toothed snail.
So if you stick your finger in,
He may bite off your nail.
Stick it farther up inside,
And he may bite your ring off.
Stick it all the way, and he
May bite the whole darn thing off."
-------by Shel Silverstein from Where the Sidewalk Ends

we repeated that to the kids a few times then just started saying sharp toothed snail everytime we caught them doing it. eventually the reminding set in and they all got better about it.

I didn't read through your answers but I worked at day care and it isn't unusual to see that in young children your daughters age. Just keep telling her yucky and pull her hand away then show her to use a kleenex. She will pick it up pretty fast once she learns to blow her nose. At least it is her OWN nose she is sticking her fingers in, my granddaughter would try to stick her fingers in anyone's nose that was within reach.

over washing her hands will dry them out and make them crack and be sore.

When I worked in preschool a supervisor suggested having the kids wash their hands every time they put their finger up their nose. Pretty soon they get tired of all that handwashing and quit. It also deals with the germ issue. Not sure if this will work for you but might be worth a try.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's normal =) Kids at her age suddenly figure out how perfectly their finger fits into their nostril! LoL When you see her doing it just remind her that it's gross. Pretty soon the facination will dwindle.

My 3 1/2 year old son does the same thing! it is very disgusting and repulsive, however I don't know how to stop it either. If I pull his hand away and tell him icky, he thinks it is funny and does it even more. So I am trying the ignore it and hopefully he'll quit doing it route. I had a cousin who did that when he was 8 years old.... maybe they'll just grow out of it (like when they are teenagers lol). If you find something that works, let me know!

Us telling my daughter how gross it was didn't do much, but one time we were standing in line at the movie theater and my partner said "get your finger out of your nose". The couple in front of us heard and turned around to look at her and laughed. She got really embarrassed and has been a little bit better about it, especially in public. Maybe it just took her knowing that other people think it's gross- not just her parents.

We also tell her that boogers are dirty nasty germs that your body gets rid of for a reason, and if you keep putting them back in your body you can get sick, which is mostly true.

lol.
as a former nose picker as a child, i remember feeling embarrassed when my mom would point it out in front of other people.

so what i would suggest is to never make it a big deal. you have to let her control it somehow. maybe just secretly teaching her that if she wants to do that she has to be in the bathroom with a tissue.... something like that. maybe just looking at her when she is doing it will help... you konw, giving her a secret look that will make her stop.

one thing i do know is that even though you think its gross, she doesnt, and theres nothing harmful about it. after all our noses and our mouths are connected anyway, snot drains down the back into our throats anyway... so... its not going to hurt her to eat them. but just encourage that its something she needs to do in the bathroom with a tissue. that might help.
never make her feel embarrased about it though. :D
good luck.

Booger picking (and eating) is cute. I think more kids should do it.

My son starting sticking his finger in his nose and laughing about a month ago. I told him "That's yukky. If you want to stick your finger somewhere, stick it in your ear." It seems to work. When I see him going for his nose I just say ear and he sticks in there and laughs. I have actually seem him going for his nose and divert to his ear before I said anything. It doesn't embarass him but is a gentele reminder and it seems to be working. He doesn't do it very often anymore.
Good Luck!

A.,
This behavior, like any other, is learned. Even if she's just exploring, she's getting something out of your reaction. I like the idea about the poem to read to her, but most importantly, keep telling her no, pulling her finger out, and perhaps even showing her how to use a tissue. It really helps kids to know what they SHOULD be doing, rather than what they should not be doing. Keep at it and she WILL learn eventually. You may even have to do a modified time out (place her on a stool away from toys and hold her there away from you - count to 60 (or as close as you can get!)) Whatever you do, if you stick with it over and over again, she'll understand. Good luck!
Amy