You’ve racked your brain coming up with ideas to get your child to
stop chewing her fingernails, but nothing has worked. Have no fear –
there are some simple solutions you can use.
“Nail biting is an unconscious habit that many children have,”
says Rochelle Harris, PhD, clinical psychologist, Developmental and
Behavioral Sciences at Children’s Mercy Hospitals and Clinics. “While
this is common problem when children are young, most of them do grow
out of it.”
Dr. Harris says there are many reasons why children bite their
nails:
Nervous habit
Curiosity
Boredom
To relieve stress
To pass time
Force of habit
“One third of elementary school students bite their nails, but
there are numerous ways you can help your child stop,” Dr. Harris
says. Some suggestions include:
Keep your child’s hands occupied. Try to pinpoint the times and
places she bites her nails (watching T.V. or riding in the car) and
then give her something to do to occupy her hands. Nighttime is a
common time children bite their nails, so give her gloves to wear.
Wait and hope. This approach can be hard for a parent, but the
decision to stop is ultimately up to the child. She has to want to stop
herself.
Provide an award/incentive to motivate her to stop. Remember that
children don’t like to be nagged, so point out times when she isn’t
biting her nails, i.e. “I like the way you’re petting the dog.”
Try using over-the-counter products. For girls, try nail polish
that smells bad. For boys, soak a Band-Aid in cologne to put on his
fingers to remind him when he chews his nails.
