Nail Biting - Chicago,IL

I had been biting my fingernails past their quick since i was 4. My mom tried all that stuff too, never worked at all.. I stopped 3 months ago...seriously. My 8 year daughter bites her lip until it bleeds and i kept telling her to stop but when she explained it was hard for her like biting my nails was hard for me something clicked. I made a deal with her for both of us to quit, and we did. now her lips are very smooth and pretty and i have long nails for the first time in my life.

If its truly hard for your son then i suggest a sort of "pact". You two come up with something bad you can quit as well and then quit together. be sure to celebrate with a something after a month or so.

My 8-year old son is also a nail biter. I used to be as well (wasn't hurting anyone but my own fingers) and stressful events would make it worse since I do have anxiety issues. I finally kicked the habit in college when I realized that the reason I kept getting colds/flu/sinus infections was because I was putting my fingers in my mouth after touching door handles, computer keyboards at the computer lab, etc. NASTY!! I was putting germs from every person who had touched that thing before me directly into my mouth!! I graduated to finger/hang nail picking since then. It's a nervous habit that most of the time, I don't even realize I'm doing (much like biting my fingers was. It certainly wasn't because my fingers tasted good or anything). I actually stopped all of it altogether once...and then I had final exams...I've been picking ever since.

I've been working with my son to help him be more aware of when he is biting his fingers and also helping him understand the whole germ side of sticking his fingers in his mouth. He's equally as grossed out and really is trying to be more aware so that he can break the habit on his own (with some little helpful "fingers out" reminders from us when we see him doing it). He's not scolded for biting. We don't fight him on it. In the grand scheme of things, it's really not that big of a deal and certainly not the worst thing he could be doing!

The bigger deal you make out of it, the more resistant he's going to be.

As a former nail biter, I grew up to be a productive member of society even though I bit my nails until I was 19 or 20 years old.

my daughter sucked her thumb and didn't want me to use Mavala Stop too. She promised she would quit on her own - but never did.

I painted her nail every 3rd day and she had no clue. She knew it tasted very bad and asked if we painted them and I said no. It worked. She quit sucking her thumb over a year now.

I would try doing it while he is asleep.
or find some studies that show what it does to your digestive system with all the nail bitings in him. He may not get the whole picture but will get the idea. That may be enough to "scare" him into not doing it anymore.

** There isn't Patricia? there goes that idea. Well make one up and have it with big words to sound professional... Im kidding lol

I'm 43 and sadly I still bite my nails. It's a nervous habit I've had as long as I can remember. I've tried to stop a lot of times and it's hard because, obviously, your fingers are always attached to your body (LOL!).

Any idea why he bites his nails? It's generally linked to anxiety (I know that's why I started - very tense home life), so maybe figuring out why he's stressed could help. Not sure why the idea of putting the stuff on his nails freaks him out so much. I think it would be ok to put the stuff on at night, or perhaps band-aids on all fingers when he gets home from school - it might help him see how often he wants to bite so he understands.

I googled and there are no really horrible consequences to your body/digestive system, etc. Germs are an issue, obviously, but that's about it.

I have tried everything to get my 4 year old to stop biting her nails. I've gotten that stuff before and she thinks it tastes gross and then chews on the anyways. Good luck! I think this is a really hard habit to break. I would maybe give him a week. Tell him that if you don't see improvement then you will pain his nails with the stuff.

my daughter is a hair puller (age 8, almost9), she was really starting to look "weird" and had a few thinning spots. someone recommended "the habit control workbook". i bought it online. we have been "working" it. when i go through the chapters and read out loud to her, i try to translate it to more her age. she fell in the "severe" category. we are on week 4 and she has not picked/pulled since 9/30/11! we will still work it but this is huge progress!!!

Sounds like an anxiety problem, maybe counseling?