Worried About Daughter's Toenails!

Vitamin E is what you need for stronger hair and nails. Calcuim and Vitamin D are great for strong bones but they don't help so much with nails. I can't think of what foods are high in vitamin E at the moment but I'm sure you can look it up. Also, if she has thin hair, she will probably have thin nails. Nails are made out of the same material as hair. You can also put lotion that has vitamin E in it on your hands and feet every day and that will help some. Otherwise, just try to keep up with them as much as possible.

Will she eat jell-o? Gelatin is great for nails (fingers and toes). You might also talk to your pediatrician about giving her a multivitamin.

Good luck.

I don't have advice, just want to say I'm glad I'm not the only one! I feel terrible, but our 2-yr-old's nails are always bending/breaking, and it must be painful, although she doesn't complain. I worry about them catching on fabrics. I try to trim them often, but it's hard to get her to hold still long, although she is getting better. The filing sounds like a good idea, but I am worried she wouldn't like that - she doesn't care for electric things like the hair dryer. Another thing I wonder about is when I should start trying to push her cuticles back. The moons don't show at all on a couple of her fingers, but I'm afraid I'll hurt her, even when she's fresh out of the shower and they are still wet. Anyway, good luck!

Try painting them with a clear nail strengthener. I think Sally Hansen makes one. That's the only thing that comes to mind.

I do have to say that sandal's open toed shoes are very bad for children this young in age because they do drop things on their feet and stub them without knowing constantly.I had to take my son in to see his peditrician when he was 2 yrs old becasue of flipflops I bought for him to run around the house in, he stubbed his toe bent the side caused it to become a hang nail and from their ingrown to infection had to be on an antibiotic.Make sure that the shoes you put her in fit her correctly they should be a thumbs length for toes to wiggle.

she can't loose her toenails randomly, there would have to be some traumatic event or surgical procedure for that. Little ones have thin toenails until age 3-3 1/2. I read this in dr. sears book (love him!). Use a file, rather than clippers...for some reason, prevents breakage and seals the nail. I just got this battery powered file from babies r' us that works GREAT! My 8 month old has the same issue, with in-growns to boot (thanks to mommy, it sucks!). But, filing them seems to work better. Plus, she thinks the vibration feels funny and trusts it more than the clippers (which, she patiently puts up with but has squirmed a few times and I "got her", after which, i got teary and called the nurse...who giggled and said everyone's done it.) To strengthen nails, talk to her doctor. Vitamins in little ones are tricky, their metabolisms are still developing, and she may or may not (I have an MPH, I'm NOT a doctor) be able to absorb Vitamin E. So, even just call and ask the nurses (I always found the older nurses had more tricks up their sleeves).