Nose Picking - Des Moines,IA

My daughter had this habit & I started to be very diligent & everytime I caught her I had her go wash her hands. It got to the point that I just had to give her a look & say no words. she got tired of getting interrupted every few minutes & dropped it. Side note..Staph colonizes in the nose & could be very serious situation if it gets in the blood. Not with standing the germ spreading issue. My Dr. told me to put antibiotic ointment on a q-tip & swab her nose until the picking stops & that will cut down on the levels of bacteria etc.. to spread. Hope this helps you.

Nose picking is common at this age. That said, he may be picking it hard and deep and his nose may be bleeding because it's dry with crusty boogers stuck inside. Try moisturizing the nose with a saline spray. Also apply Vaseline inside the nose to help keep it moisturizing. This helps me.

I've also read the suggestion to use a personal lubricant instead of Vaseline because it is water based. I use it sometimes but really prefer the Vaseline because it helps for a longer period of time. when I use the personal lubricant I have to reapply it a couple of times during the day.

His nose might itch because of allergies. Have him tested.

Boys do that- they have to learn not to- consistency is the key.. each and every time you see him do it- let him know its not good for him to do that and change course on him.
It will take some time but adventually he will get it----> you would hate to just let him continue and become a kindergartener and still have this issue. Good luck and I am sure you will do fine!

I have 4 kids and theyve done a bit of that. What usually worked for me was to say that it can stretch out your nose and it will get really huge, and everyone will notice, and in our society its considered such a gross habit that other kids wont want to play with him. Sometimes pier pressure helps. My aunt growing up, was an ear, nose and throat doctor, and I always remember her saying that people can tell the nostrils have been stretched and flare way out when people are nose pickers, that really had an impression on me. Also, it just has to be a rule set early as possible, just like rules of not swearing etc. I'll never forget the memory of a childhood classmate hiding behind a book in class and picking his nose incessantly. I could not believe that he thought no one would notice! So you see, its something you have to nip in the bud, but at the same time, certain things, like cleaning out ears etc, just have to be done in privacy in the bathroom. Teach him to blow his nose clean in the bathroom. We all know people have to do it to a certain extent, but no one wants to watch him do it, I sure know people wouldnt come hang out with me if i were picking my nose. You have to make it very clear how people will shun him for it, like the boy in my class who I only remember for that! Goodluck to you!

We use Ayr nose gel that you can find in pharmacies to help with dryness. As far as the germ spreading factor, I explained to my son (also 4) why it is important to keep fingers out of our noses. I kept it short and sweet and explained it causes colds to spread. Some of the time I even say, "whoops, just caught you with your finger up your nose, better go wash so you won't spread your germs". I think he gets it and I don't see him doing it so much anymore.

Yes this is common with children his age. As with the other post, keep his nose lubricated. Buy a bottle on the shelf of nose spray that is saline. If you can't find this you can make your own. 1tsp. of salt to 4c. of boiled water or 1/2tsp of salt to 2c. of boiled water. Put in a tightly sealed jar. Get a plastic syringe and use it in his nose morning and night.(Squirt it in) Try and talk to him and tell him he is hurting his nose but let him know that your not upset with him for doing this but it really isn't nice. Don't scare him.
Homemade saline doesn't last to long, approx. a wk. so if it takes longer make fresh saline. Make sure water comes to a hot boil with salt in it, let it cool, then pour it in a celar. Good luck!!

I don't have much else to add that the ladies below haven't said, but I have to disagree with "Iowa K". As much as I too want to tell my 3 1/2 yr old nose picker that his nose is going to stretch and everyone will know that he picks his nose, I have to restrain myself from saying that. It's the same reason I can't tell him "we can't have McDonald's everyday because it will make us fat". Kids are quick, and I can't have him seeing someone a bit larger, eating at McDonald's and then calling them fat outloud. There are others of a different ancestory than white European where large nostrils are common, and I don't want my child to blurt out - he/she picks their nose! just because it's larger...