Many children have a habit of biting their nails. Your child probably does it too. What are the possible consequences? Why do they do it? And how can you stop them?
Stress and pressure are often the triggers for nail biting, says pediatrician Monica Niehaus. “It gives them temporary relief from emotionally and physically unpleasant situations.”
Children usually start biting their nails around age 3 or 4. They often outgrow the habit, but not always.
Nail biting can not only lead to unsightly infections in the nail bed, but also damage the front teeth, putting undue pressure on the jaw, which can cause special problems.
It also increases the risk of getting sick from germs that are transferred from hands — and young children in particular put them everywhere — to the mouth, warns Niehaus.
Parents’ confusion
Parents are often at a loss as to how to stop this habit. Threats and punishments are not a good idea, as they can make nail biting worse.
Bitter nail polish doesn’t always work to deter biting. A better strategy is to encourage your child to stop and walk them through it. Here’s one idea: Put a star sticker on the calendar for each day your child doesn’t bite their nails. When it accumulates to two weeks, your child gets a reward.
It’s easier to get your child to stop biting their nails if you know the situations in which they usually occur. Then you can eliminate some of the triggers, perhaps TV shows that irritate the child.
Regularly trimming and filing your child’s nails can also help. “Nail biting may be less tempting if there’s less nail to bite,” says Niehaus.
If all these efforts fail, you should take your child to the pediatrician. The same applies to the skin around the nail that is infected or bleeding from the nail bed.
Cognitive behavioral therapy can be an effective treatment. With the help of a therapist, the child learns how to better cope with stress and avoid nail biting.