How to Stop Children from Biting Their Fingernails
Pick a specific strategy., Distract your child’s hands.Help her to find something else to do with their hands., Keep your child’s mouth busy., Cover your child’s nails., Put something that tastes terrible on her nails., Encourage your child to take...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Pick a specific strategy.
Consider letting your child help pick the strategy that she feels more comfortable with.
Choose the techniques that are best suited to your child’s personality.Try using multiple strategies at once.
If a strategy doesn’t work, then try something else. -
Step 2: Distract your child’s hands.Help her to find something else to do with their hands.
Some good ways to keep a child’s hands busy are:
Drawing and painting.
Knitting.
Sculpting with clay.
Playing a game.
Playing with a bracelet or necklace.
Playing with Silly Putty.
Keeping their hands in their pockets. , Good ideas to try are:
Chewing gum.
Sucking on mints or hard candy.
Eating small, healthy snacks like carrots or celery.
Carrying around a water bottle. , Her nails will be harder to bite if they’re not easily accessible.Some good things to try are:
Nail polish Fake nails Gloves Band-Aids Tape , Make sure that it is non-toxic.
Some good examples are:
Nail biting solutions which are applied to the fingernails.
Bad tasting nail polish.
Hot sauce or something else spicy.
Lemon juice or something else pungent. , Consider treating your child to a manicure.Encourage your child to eat calcium and magnesium rich foods such as milk, nuts and eggs.
These foods will help her nails to heal and grow more quickly. -
Step 3: Keep your child’s mouth busy.
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Step 4: Cover your child’s nails.
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Step 5: Put something that tastes terrible on her nails.
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Step 6: Encourage your child to take care of her nails.Encourage your child to keep her fingernails short.
Detailed Guide
Consider letting your child help pick the strategy that she feels more comfortable with.
Choose the techniques that are best suited to your child’s personality.Try using multiple strategies at once.
If a strategy doesn’t work, then try something else.
Some good ways to keep a child’s hands busy are:
Drawing and painting.
Knitting.
Sculpting with clay.
Playing a game.
Playing with a bracelet or necklace.
Playing with Silly Putty.
Keeping their hands in their pockets. , Good ideas to try are:
Chewing gum.
Sucking on mints or hard candy.
Eating small, healthy snacks like carrots or celery.
Carrying around a water bottle. , Her nails will be harder to bite if they’re not easily accessible.Some good things to try are:
Nail polish Fake nails Gloves Band-Aids Tape , Make sure that it is non-toxic.
Some good examples are:
Nail biting solutions which are applied to the fingernails.
Bad tasting nail polish.
Hot sauce or something else spicy.
Lemon juice or something else pungent. , Consider treating your child to a manicure.Encourage your child to eat calcium and magnesium rich foods such as milk, nuts and eggs.
These foods will help her nails to heal and grow more quickly.
About the Author
Kyle Morales
Committed to making cooking accessible and understandable for everyone.
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