Bad habit

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  • July 9, 2011 at 8:43 am
    dmccall3
    Participant

    My DS3 has begun thhe habit of biting his fingernails. It’s quite a habit already and bites em close enough to cause them to hurt some. How would I go about stopping this?

    Thanks!

    Dana

    July 9, 2011 at 11:36 am
    Misty
    Participant

    Let me know I’m 35 and still do it!Embarassed  But I did get this stuff that you put on your nails and it’s the worse I have ever had and I’ve tried everything, saw it on Rachel Ray one day.  It’s called Click here: Stop Biting Nails Control-It! Nail Biting Treatment

    This stuff works even for me.  My problem was/is putting it on consistantly every day.  And my nails are very week so they grew out and would get brittle.  I have to try to be consistent and I keep them short so they can get stronger.  Thanks for reminding me to stop !

    July 9, 2011 at 3:19 pm
    blue j
    Participant

    Here’s something to consider… what is it that compells your child to bite his fingers?  Is he doing it when he is overwhelmed, tired, sad, lonely, etc?  If there is a pattern to his behavior, redirection may work.  Rather than say, “Don’t chew your nails,” try redirecting him with other activities that fill the need he’s fulfilling through biting the nails.

    For instance, when I used to bite my nails as a child, I needed that biting motion, that need to chomp and pull on something firm.  However, the desire arose because I was distressed/ worried.  I would also do it when I was tired as it became something that I equated with soothing myself. Though my mother didn’t recognize this, when one of my children showed the same type of tendency, I found that exercise is a good way to reduce distressed feelings and is an acceptable way of dealing with those emotions.

    Just remember that whatever you do to do it *with* your son rather than telling him to do it himself. They need to see you do it as well, if that makes sense. Otherwise, depending upon the child, he may feel like you’re just giving him busywork, which will soon be thrown to the wayside.

    July 9, 2011 at 6:18 pm
    missceegee
    Participant

    I second the Stop Biting Nails treatment that Misty recommended. It worked for dd10 when she began biting hers as a 1 year old. It also stopped ds7 and dd4 from thumb sucking when they were two.

    July 9, 2011 at 9:29 pm
    dmccall3
    Participant

    Thanks everybody! As for when he does it I’ve only noticed it when he has idle hands such as when I’m reading to him. I’ll pay more attention to the when’s of it and see what I come up with. I sent a link to the stop biting nails treatment to my DH so we’ll see if that’s something we try for him. Thanks everyone for the help!

    July 10, 2011 at 7:20 am
    HeidiS
    Participant

    Yes, let me know if it works..I tried everything with my now 28 year old, even giving him legos during read alouds etc etc..and he still chews his nails. He now can look at it objectively but he knows its better than a cigarette and he is just an oral person. always had to have something in his mouth, even when he was tiny…so at least he has figured out for him that its just part of who he is..

    now as for me…well, guess where my son got it from Embarassed. But I discovered those cute glue on nails from the drugstore, well, they help me not to chew. They are tough, but easy to put on and cheap! Also really hard to bite. lol..worked for me to grow my own out long enough that maybe I can let them be…..maybe:)

     

    July 10, 2011 at 11:39 am
    dmccall3
    Participant

    Oh! Interesting! My son is extremely oral! When he was born the nurses at the hospital were like, oh boy, he’s on oral baby (good luck nursing on demand)! And at 3 he still puts everything in his mouth! I wonder if I can nip it in the bud since he just started it. We’ll see…

    Thanks! (I’m glad the nails work for you. I don’t guess they would be appropriate for my son. Haha. Too bad!)

    July 11, 2011 at 3:04 pm
    sheraz
    Participant

    Could you give him some gum or its equivilent when he starts?

    July 11, 2011 at 4:58 pm
    dmccall3
    Participant

    Oh gum. I hadn’t thought of that. Isn’t 3 too young for gum? I thought he’d just swallow it. But I could try…

    July 11, 2011 at 5:24 pm
    sheraz
    Participant

    My 2yo swallows it, my 3 yo chews for quite a while.  (not that we have it everyday, but I used it to get rid of the binkies…she’s pretty “oral” too. Wink  I think it depends on the child.

    July 11, 2011 at 8:15 pm
    blue j
    Participant

    For some reason I didn’t realize how young your little guy was…. was thinking he was 7 or 8. A friend of mine got this for her dd who would chew on her shirts, fingers… really anything that’s handy.  She says it is a great help. Her dd is not autistic just very much an oral stimulation child.

     

    July 12, 2011 at 8:59 pm
    dmccall3
    Participant

    Thanks blue j! I’ve been trying to pay attention to the when and it’s definitely idle time – which he actually doesn’t have much of! And if it’s not biting hs nails, it’s picking his nose. Ugh. I asked his pediatrician at his 3 yo check-up how to stop him from the nose thing and she said you couldn’t so I’ve just been ignoring it for the most part. As for the nail biting it’s causing pain sometimes so I do want him to stop. Thanks again!

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