Nail-biting can be related to stress. If he is stressed it should show up in other ways such as:
- Poor sleep;
- Grumpy mood;
- Being worried;
- Change in eating;
- Stomach pain;
- Headaches.
Nail-biting can also be related to the problem of eating dirt and other non-food things. This is called pica. If either of these is the case, consult with your son's doctor.
But most nail-biting is not related to any other problem. It is just a habit. Habits can develop by accident and then just continue. Repetitive behavior like nail-biting can be a form of self-soothing. It is something to do.
If children bite their nails quite short, they may irritate the finger or even the nail bed. Sometimes, kids can get a minor infection in their fingers. Occasionally, nail-biters really chew at their fingers and can make them rather unsightly.
The irritation can be a trigger for more nail-biting. This is similar to how children will pick at a scab from a minor cut.
You could just forget about his nail-biting. He will probably stop on his own. Most children his age who bite their nails just stop.
If you decide that you should not or cannot just ignore his nail-biting, it is best to have a plan. Simply nagging him will frustrate you and can interfere with your relationship.
If his nail-biting bothers you, there are a couple of things you can try. Tell him you don't want him to bite his nails. Explain that it is not polite, it will make his fingernails ugly, can lead to infection and it bothers you.
Put hand cream on his fingers to soothe any irritation that might be triggering his nail-biting.
If he doesn't like the taste of the hand cream, this will help. Do this a couple of times each day and repeat it every time you see him biting his nails. Maybe he can do it himself.
Pay positive attention to his nails when they get a bit longer and you have to cut them. You could make something like watching TV depend on his having unbitten nails.
You can use clear nail polish to strengthen his nails and make them more difficult to bite.
Finally, there are over the counter preparations to help people stop biting their nails. They taste terrible, but are not toxic and will do no harm. Ask your pharmacist for help. Follow directions on the package.
Dr. Patrick McGrath is a Psychologist with the Family Help Program, a research and a service program at the IWK Health Centre, and Professor of Psychology, Pediatrics and Psychiatry at Dalhousie University. He lives in Halifax and East LaHave.Any ideas for stopping a child nail biting?
Sometimes nail-biting is a sign of tenseness, sometimes it's just a habit that mean noting in particular. Nail-biting is common in high-strung children who are inclined to worry a lot, and it runs in families. Children often bite thier nails when they are anxious. A good general approach is to find out what pressures your child has and try to relieve them.
Nagging or punishing the nail bitter usually doesn't stop them for longer than half a minute since they seldom realize they are doing it. Bitter-tasting liquids on the nail may work, but sometimes, if it's put against his/her will, the child is bound to think he's being punished. That only gives him/her another thing to be tense about and may prolong the habit.
If your child is otherwise reasonably happy and relaxed, you don't need to make too much of nail-biting.Any ideas for stopping a child nail biting?
I was a nail-biter as a kid and it was purely a nervous habit. If I was worried over something, or anxious then my hands would go to my mouth and I'd bite my nails. My mum and dad would tell me off, as soon as they saw my hand go to my mouth I'd get some variation of ';STOP IT!'; or ';Nails! No!';, to be totally honest the negative attention being drawn to it just made the problem worse as it made me tense, and when I was tense .....
I gradually just grew out of it. When I got to be about 10/11 years old all of my little girl-friends were starting to play with nail polish and it was the ';in-thing'; to have a little signet ring on your finger. I couldn't paint my nails as they were raggy and bitten and I felt I couldn't wear a ring as it would draw attention to my hands which would in turn draw attention to my fingers. Wanting to have nails that were nice and neat rather than raggy and chewed made me stop biting them. I have the odd day where I'll lapse and bite all my nails off, but generally I have normal length, nicely cared for fingernails now.
I would watch your child to see when they're biting. Are they doing it when they're nervous? Tired? Bored? Upset? There will be some trigger. Once you notice what the trigger is, don't draw attention to the biting. In my experience, drawing attention just made me worse. When the trigger occurs, distract your child before their hand can go to their mouth. For instance, if they bite when they're tired as soon as you see that they are tired then give them something else to do which distracts them from biting their nails - say it's time to put PJs on, or brush their teeth, or they should wash their hands. anything really that will break their habit.
Unless he/she is biting to the point that their nails are bleeding and in danger of becoming infected, then don't push the issue. Try to break the habit without drawing attention to what you're doing, avoid making a big deal of it (particularly if their trigger is nervousness or upset). He/she will grow out of it.
Get some special stuff from the chemist ('Nail the Habit' is one)....you put the child's fingers in it and it dries but tastes horrid. Washing doesn't get rid of it for a long time...if they put their finger in their mouth, they will not want to do so again...it works.
This may sound too grown up kind of thing but there is a nail hardening polish that you put on and its like a beige it hardens and tastes Horrible so that could work. there are some other colors like pink blue black and green
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=12440987
hand sanitizer..keeps hands clean and tastes HORRIBLE lol they wont want their hands anywhere near their mouth.
pay them
