Levi is a nail biter, and I think it’s my fault.
No, I didn’t teach my almost-three year old how to bite his nails. But I’m a reformed (well, mostly reformed) nail biter, and according to Levi’s pediatrician, the bad habit is genetic.
Or did he learn the behavior by watching me? I’ll admit it: When I’m feeling overwhelmed or particularly stressed, my fingernails sometimes find their way back into my mouth.
Unfortunately, breaking the nail biting habit in a child is different than breaking the habit in an adult. When I was in my twenties, these were the two things that helped me stop biting my nails:
Acrylic nails. When my nails were painfully short, I would get acrylics. Not only was it harder to bite plastic tips, but concealing my chewed-up fingernails made me feel more confident. More confidence somehow equaled less nail biting.
Regular manicures. When my natural nails grew long enough, I’d have the acrylics removed and get regular manicures to maintain the length. Yes, the acrylics probably made my nails weaker, but keeping them polished helped prevent them from immediately breaking. I was less likely to bite my nails when they looked clean and colorful, but I’d have to get them repainted at the first sign of chipping or else I’d pick (or chew) off the peeling nail polish.
Obviously, I’m not about to put acrylics on Levi’s nails. I suppose I could paint his nails with sparkly or neon polish, but I’m not sure my three-year-old son needs to be sporting a full manicure. An alternative might be a bitter-tasting nail biting treatment
I suppose I could do nothing and just wait for Levi to outgrow his nail biting habit. According to this Washington Post article, chronic nail biting most commonly begins in childhood, peaks in adolescence and then tapers off — and only 10 to 20 percent of adults still bite their nails.
Yeah, right. I have to do something. It’s unsanitary for Levi to constantly have his hands in his mouth (despite our best efforts to have him frequently wash his hands, they’re bound to pick up germs), and he chews his nails down so far that he’s complaining they hurt. Plus, if he’s biting his nails because he’s feeling anxious about something, I want to teach him better ways to cope.
Have you had success breaking your child’s nail biting habit? Were they as young as Levi? I’d love to hear how you did it!
PS – An ombre manicure to try at home and my secret to making manicures last a week. Also, what do you think about boys wearing nail polish?
(my Instagram photo)
My youngest has always bitten his nails occasionally, but now with our upcoming move it is almost constant. It’s so hard to know how to handle it at such a young age! Do you draw attention to it so they realize they are doing it, or ignore it so you don’t give the behavior any attention? I’ve thought about getting one of the necklaces meant for chewing to see if I can transfer the habit, because like you pointed out-preschoolers hands are never quite clean 😉 Keep us posted if you find something that works!
I’m so glad you’ve posted this! Walden bites his nails every second that he doesn’t have something in his hands. The germs! Ugh. I’m at a loss. It’s frustrating! Sorry I don’t have any tips, just empathy.