What to give a child if he constantly bites his nails. Why does a child bite his nails: How to wean from a bad habit? Recommendations of psychologists

Today I have another case from my life and it concerns a bad habit that is sometimes developed in children and adults. My middle son "caught" this disease in kindergarten, and, worst of all, passed it on to his daughter. I must say that at that time I had absolutely no idea what to do if a child bites his nails. I read smart books, listened to a lot of "authoritative" advice from experienced mothers, but the result was zero, and the advice, to be honest, was sometimes simply surprising.

Tip #1. Is the child biting his nails? To a psychologist!

In good books for mothers, they wrote that it was necessary to take the child to a psychologist - they say that the baby may have a psychological trauma and so he calms the nervous system. I thought - the child is cheerful and cheerful, plays well, sleeps soundly ... What kind of injury? I asked my baby in detail and it turned out that he just ... likes it. So do many of his friends in the group, and he did not know that biting his nails is bad ...

In general, I “swept aside” the psychologist - it was not a nervous reaction of the child, but just a repetition of what he saw, which turned out to be quite pleasant. Here was the clue: if the baby finds such an activity pleasant, then you need to convince him of the opposite, and it is unlikely that words and persuasion will help here. Forbidding and threatening is also not an option - by doing this, I would only strengthen my son in his stubbornness to bite his nails “at his leisure”. And then the advice of “experienced” came to the rescue - experienced mothers who themselves did not do this, but heard ...

Council number 2. Anoint your nails with ... muck

What was not advised to me! Sprinkle fingers with hot pepper, dip in mustard powder, wash hands with any liquid antibiotic (it tastes very bitter), and the like. It was also advised to buy a special varnish in a pharmacy, which has such a nasty taste that the child will surely look at his own hands with disgust.

I thought about my children... Little peanuts crying from terrible tickling and burning because of pepper or mustard - is that what I want? And the use of an antibiotic is unlikely to add health to the kids, I don’t really like medicines at all. Special varnish, what is its composition? At that time, 11 years ago, in city pharmacies there was only an imported similar product with instructions in Chinese.

But I did find a solution - quickly and unexpectedly.

The child bites his nails, what to do: a simple method

At that time, I actively treated and used ordinary aloe. Once again, smearing the roots of my hair with a juicy leaf, I accidentally ran my finger over my lips. A very bitter taste appeared in my mouth, which grew with every second. And how did I forget that aloe juice is so bitter? Then it dawned on me - of course! Here it is, the cure!

I looked at the huge flower that has been growing with us since time immemorial. Truly, this plant is unique. How many times a leaf of aloe treated my children with deep scratches, cuts, saved them from bronchitis and pneumonia, how many times I treated it with inflammation juice on the skin, restored hair density and put health in order. And if I do not know what to do when a child bites his nails, why not use this wonderful remedy!

For a week, I smeared the nails of the children with an aloe leaf, cut lengthwise, three times a day. To set an example for the kids, at first I defiantly lubricated my fingers and only then proceeded to the little ones.

Along the way, I was very convincing, but without pressure, otherwise the children will smell falseness, I told a story about poor fingers who need help. I remember I composed a whole fairy tale, and the kids listened in one breath, then they also retold it in kindergarten. Here, every mother can turn on her imagination and come up with a story that can touch the emotions of children. I succeeded, which was 90% success.

Important point

There is one important point: if the child attends a kindergarten or primary school, you need to leave him at home, at least for the first three days of treatment, and the mother should also stay.

Firstly, the baby will be shocked by the unusual bitter taste - he may cry, get nervous, get upset and behave not very adequately. It is unlikely that the teacher will bother with one baby and calm him down. At school, all the more so - teachers are not nannies, the whims of a child in the classroom have no place.

Secondly, mom can always captivate the child with some activity so that he forgets about the bitter taste of his fingers. It is also good to prepare healthy sweets in advance - dried apricots, dates, perhaps even your baby's favorite sweets (1-2 pieces). The sweet taste will help the child quickly get used to the new situation and not make a tragedy out of what is happening.

Thirdly, at home it is much easier to control the child and apply the medicine. Indeed, after each washing of hands with soap, aloe juice is washed off by half, and the baby can again bite his nails with pleasure.

I had 4 full days left. I took two days off from work (Monday, Tuesday) and started treatment on Saturday morning. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, our beloved grandmother, my mother, helped us out. The main burden fell on the first three days, and then it was much easier.

After that, I talked to the parents of children who bit their nails in kindergarten. It turned out that many have already visited a psychologist, but something is not visible. In principle, the parents of three children out of five took my advice - they cured their kids from this scourge.

The habit of biting nails in adults: how to get rid of it

Quite often, the habit of biting nails is also present in adults. At work I had an employee with such a problem. Svetlana's nails were in a deplorable state - gnawed plates almost to the inner skin and constant barbs on the periungual skin. It was embarrassing to show such hands, and Sveta stubbornly hid them under the table. She admitted to me that she looks with envy at the beautiful manicure of her colleagues, but she is not able to grow beautiful even nails, because she gnaws them “on the machine”, without even noticing.

I advised Svetlana my proven method - to lubricate the cuticles with aloe juice, but then difficulties arose. A friend did not have this plant and we agreed that my home bush would serve her as well. Every day I brought Sveta a fresh leaf, and she carefully oiled her nails. But adults are not children, and the treatment was slightly delayed ... Then I rightly decided that my dear flower would not survive such a long execution and came up with a new method.

I advised Svetlana to buy a pack of dry wormwood at the pharmacy and make an infusion. When it cools down, simply dip a cotton swab into the liquid and lubricate your nails several times a day. And then, as they say, "the ice broke." Wormwood turned out to be a great remedy - affordable, easy to prepare and very effective!

Pour 1 teaspoon of dry wormwood with half a glass of boiling water, leave to cool and strain. You can use the day, then make a new infusion.

Svetlana said that she put a bowl of infusion near the washbasin and very often simply dipped her fingers into the bitter liquid. She even liked it that way, because suddenly her nails became shiny, strong and grew quite quickly.

On my own behalf, I want to add that it is impossible to dip your fingertips in an infusion of wormwood before cooking. And in general, before contact with products, otherwise they will all be bitter. Otherwise, such a simple treatment has helped more than one adult to get rid of the habit of biting their nails.

All health!

Three times mother Irina Lirnetskaya

The child bites his nails: a problem or not? According to statistics, at the age of 3 to 6 years, this phenomenon is quite rare. From 7 to 10, the number of children biting their nails increases dramatically. But among adolescents, it rises to 45%, moreover, it is most common among boys.

Psychologists call the problem "onychophagy". Some parents do not pay attention to the fact that their child bites his nails, but apart from the hygienic component, this habit can become fixed and become a problem for a person in adulthood. Today, there is a whole range of measures to wean a child from a bad habit.

Doctors will tell you how to wean biting your child's nails. The problem is in the competence of the pediatrician, mycologist and psychotherapist.

It will be possible to choose a way to solve the problem if the true cause of the phenomenon is established. The reasons are divided into physiological and psychological and are applicable to any age.

Physiological reasons include the following:

• Tendency to nervousness, susceptibility to depression, which are hereditary. Excessive excitability of the nervous system.
• Irrational diet and the occurrence of beriberi.
• Dermatological problems. In some diseases (eczema, dermatitis), the ends of the fingers itch periodically. The child holds his fingers in his mouth not to gnaw, but to relieve tension and discomfort.
• Dissatisfaction with food, hunger, a ban on favorite foods, in particular, sweets.
• Diseases of the nervous and cardiovascular systems.

• Worm infestation and viruses. They lead to intoxication of the body and damage to the nervous system.
• Early weaning from breastfeeding and neurosis developed on this basis. Such children often suck their thumb, which can then turn into onychophagia.
• Condition of nails and fingers, poor hygiene. Nails and cuticles cause discomfort to the child.

Psychological, and some of them have a social basis, distinguish the following:

• A bad example of parents or it can be peers. If parents do this, then the child perceives this as the norm, especially if no one explains to him that this is bad.
• A stressful situation caused by the loss of a loved one, a threat to life.
• Intense fright or prolonged fear.
• "Unhealthy" atmosphere in the family, conflicts, father's aggression, mother's feelings and others. Children are sometimes very sensitive to the problems of adults.
• The presence of emotional deprivation in the family (little attention, misunderstanding, strictness in education).

• Problems with adaptation when changing residence, new team.
• Excessive workload of the child with lessons and extracurricular activities.
• Improper daily routine, overwork, lack of sleep cause irritability and nervous breakdowns, which sometimes can be invisible.
• Uncontrolled TV viewing, video games.
• The presence of low self-esteem, which is sometimes formed due to excessive requirements. Comparison with other children, lack of praise and encouragement negatively affects the baby. He thinks that no matter how hard he tries, his parents will still be unhappy.

Negative consequences of a bad habit

Every bad habit has consequences.

The consequences of untreated onychophagia experts include:

• violation of the integrity of the nail plate and cuticle;
• slowing down the growth of nails;

• cuticle rupture;
• wound infection;
• infection of the oral mucosa, dental problems;
• problems of the gastrointestinal tract, viral damage;
• helminth damage;
• peer ridicule.

An integrated approach to eliminating bad habits

It is important to wean a child from biting his nails, gently influencing the psyche, using the most optimal methods for perception. This must be done using an integrated approach, which consists in eliminating the psychological and physiological causes, since they are often closely related. First, it is important to determine the true cause of the problem.

Methods of struggle may depend on the age of the child and his gender.

It is difficult to negotiate with very young children, so you have to resort to tricks. Older children are more amenable to persuasion and explanation.

There are several directions of an integrated approach to eliminate the problem that has arisen:

1. Creating a healthy psychological atmosphere in the family and using appropriate techniques.
2. Hygiene of the nail plate - it is important to take care of the nails in a timely and proper manner and teach this to the child.
3. Methods of physical weaning: the use of bitter varnishes, self-adhesive plasters, folk methods and others.
4. The help of a specialist - a neurologist, psychologist, psychiatrist.

Combining several methods will allow you to cope with the situation and eliminate a bad habit.

How to take care of your child's nails

An important role is played by hygiene procedures.

You need to regularly examine the baby's fingers, make sure that there are no burrs, broken nails, sharp corners. The child will not rest until it is bitten off.

If he is old enough, he should be taught how to look after his nails. Explain to the baby that evenly trimmed nails are beautiful. At the same time, do not forget to praise the child for clean or neat nails.

Girls can get a beautiful manicure which they will try to keep. A manicure with any pattern will be especially valuable.

Strengthening nails with calcium

Means for the care of the nail plate, containing calcium, strengthen it. When a child bites his nails, they are more prone to delamination. Such tools prevent the formation of cracks, and the nails become stronger.

The concentrated preparation contains a special, easily digestible form of amino acids and calcium. In addition to strengthening, the product creates a laminating effect, making nails smooth and shiny.

But external care will be ineffective if the body has a lack of calcium. This problem is especially observed during a period of intensive growth, when there is a rapid mineralization of bones. A symptom of a lack of this element is the fragility of nails, their delamination, the appearance of white spots.

To make up for the deficiency, first of all, it is necessary to adjust the child's menu, choose foods with a high content of calcium.

If there is a need to take mineral complexes, you need to get expert advice. Only a pediatrician will be able to find out the feasibility of taking the drug, select the necessary one, prescribe the appropriate dosage and duration of administration.

Psychological impact on the child

How to wean a child from biting his nails, using psychological techniques and without injuring him? The main rule is: do not scold the child, do not shout, do not pull or hit on the hands. It is difficult to negotiate with a small child, more often there are distracting techniques. With older children, you need to calmly talk and negotiate.

• One of the main ways to achieve the desired result is to create a favorable, kind environment in the house and a trusting relationship with the child. He should feel comfortable and secure at home.
• Help the child cope with their negative emotions, soothe, praise, encourage him.
• It is necessary to explain what can happen if he continues to bite his nails. But do it without intimidating or frightening. Young children can be told any fairy tale or story, offered to come up with an ending with a sad or happy ending. Older children should know all the consequences of a bad habit.
• Establish the correct daily routine with a comprehensive balanced diet. The child should have enough time for rest and walks.
• Having created a trusting environment, find out: what excites and worries the baby or teenager.
• Spend more time with the "rodent", bodily contact, pleasant, kind words, and the creation of positive emotions are important.

• The child already knows that this is bad and wants to fight this habit, but he needs help. Become a team, help him. With children, you can agree to use the so-called "stop words". As soon as the baby returns to the bad habit, use the appropriate word.

Creative activities, games with a child, sports

Hand exercises play an important role. It can be modeling, games that develop hand motor skills, drawing or playing musical instruments.

If, in the process of being carried away by some business, the child unconsciously pulls his hand into his mouth, it is necessary to gently distract him, without focusing attention, put any object or toy in his hand, ask for help, offer to chew on the dryer.

Classes, games with small objects (in this case, it is necessary to take into account the age of the child) will distract him from a bad habit. To teach a child to show emotions, children are best revealed in games, sports, communication with peers.

To relieve stress, you need to teach your child to be distracted and relax. Games, sports, ordinary physical exercises using special breathing techniques help relieve stress and excitement. To do this, the child must take deep breaths and exhalations for several minutes.

To interest the baby, you can give him a toy in his hands and present a similar exercise in the form of a game. You can relieve tension with a simple exercise: clench and unclench your fists, squeeze or hug a soft toy.

Application of bitter varnish "Nekusayka" and "Belweder"

To wean a baby from biting his nails, in addition to traditional medicine, a number of bitter varnish coatings are offered, acting on the principle of mustard or pepper. These include "Nekusayka" and "Belweder".

They have a transparent structure, so they are suitable for both girls and boys. They also help strengthen the nail plate, contain calcium and vitamin E.

In addition to them, bitter ointments are on sale. But these funds have some danger: getting into the eyes, into the mouth, if the baby continues to gnaw on the nail plates.

There is also a cosmetic preparation "Mavala stop". It is harmless and provides nails with a bitter taste. Apply to nails and fingertips. After hand hygiene, it is washed off, so you need to reapply.

Aloe Vera Recipe

Aloe vera is a medicinal plant that has a number of valuable qualities used in medicine and cosmetology. Absolutely safe for the child. This plant is indoor, has juice with a bitter, very unpleasant aftertaste.

A bracelet

This method is more suitable for older children. who are already aware of the problem and want to fix it.

The principle of operation is as follows:

1. A bracelet or elastic band is worn on the wrist. They should not be too tight, otherwise the blood circulation process will be disturbed.
2. It is necessary to teach the baby or teenager to click it on the hand when the fingers are in the mouth.
3. This habit will cause associations of pain and gradually it will pass.

The advantage of the method is that the baby learns to control his own actions, and the resulting success brings joy and increases self-esteem. But if a child is not able to cope with a habit in this way, he should not be scolded or reproached for this. It is necessary to propose a new way to solve the problem.

If the child is small, this method is also acceptable, but parents will need to pull the elastic. This means that control should be maximum.

Gloves

How to stop biting your child's nails with gloves? Wear gloves to your child if possible.: while falling asleep, watching TV, outdoors. In hot weather, you need to use thin gloves made of natural fabrics.

It will even be interesting for girls, create the image of a “lady”. Boys will be happy to wear gloves that will create an unusual look. The less access to the nails, the faster it will be possible to eliminate a bad habit. There are also gloves with touch sensitivity, for the convenience of using the phone.

Self-adhesive sticky pads

Putting pieces of plaster on the ends of your fingers is also a proven method. The patch restricts access to the nails, creates some inconvenience. To keep the baby interested you can use children's multi-colored patches with any pattern.

When sticking, it is necessary to explain to the child the reason for their actions. You need to glue it so that it covers the entire nail plate. Change as needed.

Folk ways

How to wean a child from biting his nails with folk methods?

In combination with the proposed methods, you can use the tips that have been used for many years:

1. Lubricate the nails with something bitter: mustard or pepper. It is worth remembering the danger of contact with the mucous membrane of the eye, the child can get burned, one has only to rub his eyes.
2. Coat your nails with green. An unpleasant look will repel the baby, and a green mouth after nails will also cause disgust.
3. Make a scented pillow for your child with mint, lemon balm, chamomile, lavender. In this case, you must be sure that he is not allergic to these plants.

It is easy for older children to explain the consequences. The girl will be strongly affected by the idea that her manicure can be spoiled for life by ugly deformed nails. It is impossible to scold a child, otherwise he will understand that it is not worth doing this with his parents, but he can do it alone.

Young children, even with the awareness of all the harmfulness of the habit, sometimes unconsciously continue to bite their nails. To ban without explanation and persuasion does not make sense.

The doctor also advises against using mustard and hot peppers for weaning, as they can get on the mucous membrane of the eye and cause a burn, but aloe vera is a safe remedy.

If the reason lies in the presence of stressful situations, it is necessary to help the child relax, offer soothing teas, give a massage, teach to concentrate, distract the child. As a distraction, you can offer seeds, nuts, unless, of course, age allows.

Elena Malysheva advises using bitter varnish or plaster, thus she was weaned from this bad habit in childhood. An effective way is both an elastic band and gloves.

Seeing a neurologist for a sedative

Medical research confirms the link between MDM (minimal brain dysfunction) in young children and the development of obsessive-compulsive disorders. These include onycophagy.

MDM occurs in children with some brain damage, which could be acquired in the last months of pregnancy, during childbirth or after. Neurologists are convinced that there is often some kind of neurological problem behind onycophagia, a dysfunction of the nervous system.

When it is impossible to cope on your own, it is recommended to resort to the help of specialized specialists.

In this case, you need to consult a neurologist. He will establish the degree of the problem, prescribe the necessary sedatives.

To begin with, he will prescribe soothing herbal teas with mint, valerian, aromatherapy with ylang-ylang oils, lavender, lemon balm.

Calming drugs include "Glycine", which is an amino acid, improves brain function, reduces excitability, improves sleep quality.

Homeopathic remedies - "Notta" or "Baby-sed".

Important to remember! The appointment of the drug is carried out only by a doctor, after examining the child. He prescribes the dose and duration of administration. Self-administration is strictly prohibited.

Common mistakes parents make

In this situation, parents often make mistakes, the most common of them are as follows:

1. They do not fully assess the current situation, do not pay attention, believing that everything will work out by itself. This is the worst mistake. Cases when a child stops biting his nails on his own are very rare.
2. Intimidation and threats develop a sense of guilt in the baby, he only withdraws into himself and ceases to trust his parents.
3. Prohibitions: if a child is forbidden, then on a subconscious level, he will do what is impossible.

When Doctor's Help Is Needed

Often the problem lies in the physiological problems of the body.: lack of mineral components, poor absorption of calcium, elements and vitamins. A gastroenterologist, based on the state of the gastrointestinal tract, will prescribe herbal remedies, vitamins or mineral complexes.

If onycophagia is persistent and cannot be eliminated by classical neurological and psychological methods, it may be necessary to think about a mental illness. The main indicator is the lack of control over impulses.

Nail biting is a superficial problem that may indicate a more serious condition. In such cases, hospitalization and the selection of psychotropic drugs are necessary. The good news is that these situations are extremely rare.

The bad habit of biting nails must be eliminated comprehensively. using proven methods and methods. Each child is an individual, so you will have to go through several ways until you find the right one. The main thing is to maintain a good and trusting relationship with the baby and create a favorable psychological climate in the family.

Article formatting: Natalie Podolskaya

Video about the bad habit of biting your nails

How to wean a child from biting his nails, you will learn from this video:

When parents see that the baby has developed an ugly habit of putting his hands in his mouth, they begin to look for effective means of how to wean the child from biting his nails. The first impulse is to strictly stop this outrage in word and deed. However, the solution of a delicate problem does not tolerate fuss - it is necessary to understand the reasons and find the best way out so as not to aggravate the situation with inept pedagogical influence.

There are many reasons why children may bite their nails - out of curiosity or boredom to relieve stress, or out of inertia. The craving for biting your nails or putting them between your teeth is one of the most common "nervous" bad habits, the list of which includes thumb sucking, nose picking, hair picking, teeth grinding. All of them, most often, grow up with the baby.

Tooth-marked nails are often a way to relive and alleviate intense, but thankfully transient, childhood experiences. All kids are worried about something - whether it's learning new things in kindergarten, or feeling insecure at a holiday or playground - these are the most popular motives, but there are many of them.

If a child bites his nails, mainly in such situations, then this is his way to survive stress and calm himself. In this case, do not worry - most likely, the baby will simply one day stop doing it himself. However, if the process continues for too long, or it's a habit that parents can't stand, there are easy ways to get rid of it. The choice of strategy depends on the age of the child and his readiness to work in tandem with an adult.

Uncovering the cause of hidden anxiety

If the baby is 3-4 years old, one should, without focusing on the habit, observe the child. It may be possible to find out at what moments he puts his hands in his mouth - for example, when watching an exciting cartoon. Then it will be possible to act pointwise - to take little hands with your favorite cars, a teddy bear, a cracker.

If a specific trigger situation is not identified, then it is worth analyzing family life - perhaps there is some global reason for hidden anxiety - moving, repairing, divorce of parents. Even if the child is too young to fully comprehend the situation, he feels the nervousness of adults. Parents need to discuss with their son or daughter the changes that are taking place in the family, in a language they understand, to reassure the kids.

We do not reprimand and do not punish

The little man bites his nails unknowingly, this is characteristic of all nervous habits. If he does not even notice what he is doing, scolding, prohibitions and punishments will be useless. Such a reaction of parents is more likely to bring the opposite effect - the child may begin to do this on purpose to show character or determine the boundaries of what is permitted. The baby can even hide with his fingers in his mouth so that mom does not see.

Three-year-olds strive to get an emotional response from their parents, the brighter the better, so loud screams without explanation will definitely not correct the situation. You can even wait for the moment when your beloved child makes his mother look like the same habits. After all, adults often catch themselves in the same behavior - most parents, when they think about it, realize with shame that they show similar behavior in some situations.

We minimize the harm from the habit, remove provoking factors

In the case of toddlers, as long as the child doesn't hurt themselves too much and doesn't seem overly excited, the best thing parents can do is to stick to this strategy:

• Cut your child's nails short and neat to reduce the urge to nibble on jagged edges with burrs.
• Make sure the baby's hands are washed to prevent bacteria from entering the mouth.
• As far as possible, you can divert the attention of the baby to something else - for example, unobtrusively take his hands.

If you forcefully order to stop or withdraw your hands, stress will increase, there will be an emphasis on the negative, and the habit can only intensify.

Any direct influence before the child is psychologically not ready to stop himself - for example, smearing nails with bitter solutions - will be perceived as punishment, no matter what the parents think about it. At this age, the less the parents fuss about the habit, the more likely it is that it will not stick and the child will stop on its own. It is enough to often pay attention to how mom and dad take care of their nails, why they do it, and how great it is when the nails look beautiful.

In time and competently we start a conversation about the fact that nails have no place in the mouth

If a bad habit is noticed in a child older than 5-6 years old or a schoolchild, then soft hidden methods of struggle are no longer the best solution. Parents should not wait until other children start laughing at their son or daughter because of ugly nails, or an outside adult will expose such behavior to the child.

It is better if mom or dad starts a difficult conversation with their child for the first time. The same strategy will have to be chosen if the child goes to kindergarten - because. in a group, parents cannot control the cleanliness of the baby's hands and a bad habit is already a real danger to health. Many children at the age of three are already ready for a serious conversation.

In a conversation with a child, you need to refrain from teaching, it is better to adhere to this algorithm:

• Pay attention to a bad habit, tell that many people, even adults, do such things and don’t even notice it - they pick their nose and teeth, bite their nails, it’s ugly and unhealthy to do so, because. under the nails and on the handles during the day accumulate "malicious" bacteria. If they get into the mouth, then a person can get sick.
• Next, you need to help the child realize in what situations he bites his nails - you can agree on a code gesture or word that parents will use at first to remind the child to stop. A physical reminder—a pat on the back or holding hands—may seem punitive to many children. Another option is to replace the unwanted action with something else, maybe funny - for example, say hello to the little finger, rub it; knock fists against each other.

Together we choose a strategy for the fight for beautiful nails

There are many more ways that you can try to cope with an ugly habit - the main thing is that you need to choose them in cooperation with the child, taking into account his age and character:

• colored stickers,
• patch,
• funny faces painted on nails,
• bonus system for beautiful nails,
• children's manicure,
• special bitter liquid,
• substitution for another action,
• a plate of dried fruits or crackers (replacing the habit of biting your nails with snacks must be done with caution).

Different children prefer different techniques. The more the child feels like a partner, the more successful the process will be.

Nail biting is a fairly common problem that even parents of two- and three-year-olds can face. But more often it still occurs at school age (especially older ones). In this case, the child usually does not even notice his actions and is not aware of them. How can parents stop their child from biting their nails? What do you need to know about it?

Why do children bite their nails?

There are many reasons for this. Most of them are associated with severe psychological discomfort. Although sometimes this habit arises “out of the blue” - out of boredom or out of a desire to imitate someone. That is, there are reasons of both non-psychological and psychological nature.

In such cases, getting rid of a bad habit is easy: you just need to eliminate its source.


But psychological problems require special attention and correction.

• Difficulty adapting to new conditions. For example, going to kindergarten, school, transition from primary to secondary education, when the structure of lesson work changes completely and the workload increases, many new teachers appear. The child may begin to “bite” the difficulties that have arisen.
• Strong stress. This may be, say, the fear of punishment for a bad mark, worries about the divorce of parents or moving to a new place, the constant fear of answering at the blackboard or writing control. Perhaps the family has a bad psychological microclimate - constant scandals, swearing.
• Attention deficit. When a child feels unwanted and neglected, he may also begin to "bite" unpleasant feelings.
• Habit change. If the baby was weaned off the pacifier rather late, he could find an alternative to her in the form of his finger. Gradually, thumb sucking developed into biting nails and cuticles.
• Dependence on technology. Excessive passion for TV, computer, modern phones leads to the fact that the delicate psyche of a small person constantly absorbs flows of negative information that they are unable to cope with. To calm down, the child bites his nails (or sucks his thumb).
• Autoaggression. For some reason (which the psychologist can help determine), the baby tends to direct aggression towards himself, afraid of harming others (or punishing himself). Therefore, such children bite their nails, as if protecting others from their aggression.
• Too high requirements. If parents raise a little perfectionist, who must certainly be the best in everything, any inconsistency with this picture causes severe stress, is perceived as “the end of the world”.
• Permanent bans. When a small person is constantly deprived of pleasure (for the slightest offense they are forbidden to eat sweets, take their favorite toys), he finds compensation for the lost pleasure in biting his fingernails.

Often such a problem accompanies serious neurological disorders (for example, hyperactivity, increased excitability). It can be solved only in complex therapy prescribed by doctors after a thorough examination.

Possible consequences

Biting their nails, children subconsciously seem to “gnaw out” their problems. Often, the help of a competent psychologist is required to find them out. But if you leave the situation unchanged, the habit can develop into a persistent neurosis - onychophagia. Then you will have to “fight” with her, connecting already psychiatrists.

In addition, if a child is not weaned from biting his nails in time, this can lead to other serious problems, such as:

• rotavirus infection (due to the ingestion of pathogenic microbes from the hands);
• helminthic invasions - the same reason;
• inflammation of the periungual integument;
• periodontitis;
• aesthetic problem - damaged skin and nail plates;
• deformation of the nails, violation of their proper growth;
• dental diseases;
• peer ridicule;
• decreased self-esteem, isolation.

Try not to scold or punish your child for a bad habit. After all, it manifests itself at an unconscious level. This means that it cannot be defeated by coercion and punishment. So you will only make it worse: increase nervous tension and lower the child's self-esteem. Or provoke you to do it out of spite. The less your negative actions will be associated with a bad habit, the more likely it is to solve the problem painlessly.

How to beat the habit?

To get rid of any bad habit, it is first important to find out its "trigger" - the reason that caused it. And then take measures to eliminate these factors and improve the psychological well-being of a person.

If all irritating factors are excluded, it will be relatively easy to wean a child from addiction, although not always quickly. If all the measures taken do not help even after a long time, you should seek help from doctors: a neurologist, psychiatrist, gastroenterologist. Perhaps the child needs medical correction.

Do not prescribe any vitamin or sedative preparations to your baby (or schoolchild) on your own. This may bring undesirable results.

Fighting any bad habit is a difficult task, requiring the consolidation of the forces of the child himself, his parents, and, if necessary, psychologists and doctors. But the process cannot be left to chance. The consequences are very serious. In the worst case, this can develop into a mental disorder. Only parental wisdom and timely help will bring the proper result. He must be targeted.

You're biting your nails again! - you say irritably to your child. He takes his finger out of his mouth, freezes and frightened, like a thief caught on a hot one, looks at you.

How to wean a child to bite his nails on his hands? - this thought does not give you rest. There is no end to your attempts to stop it.

You have already tried various folk methods: mustard, hot pepper, plaster, bitter varnish ... But the child's nails are chipped, and the fingers are full of burrs.

There is hope in my heart that perhaps this will pass with age.

But your colleague is still biting his fingers. And it looks so terrible!

So how do you get over this terrible habit?

Should I do it right now or is it better to wait?

Let's sort it out in order.

What is wrong with a bad habit?

In order to make a decision to fight these gnaws or not, you need to understand why it is dangerous.

Experts call nail biting a complex word - onychophagia. Almost every child goes through a short period of nail eating. And how else, because you need to taste everything! Most often, the baby grows, and this passes before it becomes a habit. But in some children, this form of behavior is fixed, and they get a taste.

The habit of biting the nails on the hands is annoying because:

• Most often, onychophagia is accompanied by the risk of infectious diseases. After all, even if the child "already washed his hands today" - it takes only a couple of minutes to collect new microbes. This is an additional risk of catching an acute intestinal infection, dysentery, cholera, typhoid fever, botulism, and even hepatitis A.
• On the hands of the baby, open lesions can form, where bacteria can enter, which leads to the formation of inflamed or purulent wounds.
• This habit negatively affects the health of teeth and gums.
• Onychophagia opens the way for all kinds of worms.
• Children who chew their fingers are more likely to experience peer rejection and have low self-esteem

Now you understand why you should pay attention to this problem. But before I act, I want to tell you about the reasons.

Why does a child bite his nails?

Indeed, scientists have found that eating nails causes the release of hormones of happiness and calmness - endorphins and serotonin. They help to calm down and be more resistant to troubles and stress.

There is an amazing mechanism in nature that helps produce these happy hormones. It's called grooming or grooming.

Do you think only people behave like this?

But no! Monkeys do this! They are all strict. The most status monkeys are scratched by other relatives the most and for the longest time, so they behave more calmly and confidently. Cavaliers do not know a better gift for a lady than a good scratch on her back before / after / during dinner.

Less status nervous monkeys can only scratch themselves and bite their nails. After all, when the hormone of happiness and tranquility is not enough, you need to extract it in emergency ways.

Sometimes, in order to somehow calm themselves, the monkeys scratch themselves so roughly that they injure themselves. We can observe the same behavior in humans. When a person has low levels of serotonin, they can also bite their nails until they bleed. This is pathological grooming.

Now you understand that the baby chews his fingers for several reasons.

The child bites his nails what to do?

Now that you know about the dangers of such a habit and the reasons that provoke it, it's time to tell you about learning methodology.

If you are determined to help your child overcome nail biting, be prepared for a long journey.

My advice to you is that before you start the “fight”, you need to do some preparatory work. Think about the situations in which your baby most often bites his fingers. It can be constant nervous tension, fears, difficult tasks at school, problems in relationships - in the family or with peers.

Do not create additional stress for the child. Yes, you need to fight this bad habit, but at the same time you should not be disappointed in the baby, scold him, shame him, show your irritation or disgust. This will only aggravate the situation and exacerbate the need to bite your nails.

If you were on a diet, you most likely noticed that in tense situations you want sweets not less, but even more. It is much easier to break loose in the face of difficulties - be it a kilogram of ice cream, a cigarette, alcohol or ... fingernails.

We tune in to the positive and begin to work with onychophagy on two fronts:

• we determine and eliminate the psychological reason, because of which the child needs to gnaw his fingers;
• wean the baby from the habit and offer him a healthy and acceptable replacement.

So, 10 steps on the way to beautiful and even nails

1. I recommend first identifying the cause. Observe what emotions precede the eating of nails, what worries the child. If the baby still goes to the garden, play out possible difficult situations with toys. Try to identify the problem yourself.
2. Create a safe and supportive environment for your child. Try to minimize stress, but don't set impossible goals for yourself in an attempt to eliminate it altogether. After all, no one canceled difficult tasks in the garden and at school, and our goal is to teach the child to effectively cope with psychological stress, and not to keep him like a hothouse plant away from real life.
3. Tell your son / daughter that biting your fingers is harmful and what it threatens. Show pictures of microbes. Watch films about worms. Let your child know that he can handle it. You and your child must unite in the fight against the main enemy - the habit of biting your nails.
4. Be prepared for the fact that one conversation or a clever trick will not help you forget a habit that has taken root for a long time. Remember, when a baby eats nails, he receives a dose of the hormone of happiness and pleasure. Therefore, our main allies will be patience and regularity of measures.
5. Agree with the baby that you will smear his nails with bitter varnishes or peck with a band-aid. This will help the child to better control himself, but not every baby will agree to this. It is important to get the "yes" of the child, and not to use violence.
6. Instead of requiring your son or daughter to stop biting their nails once and for all, agree on small intervals when he / she does not. For example: “You are such a good fellow! You want your nails to be even and beautiful. Come on, today you will take 5 minutes (according to the timer) to take care of yourself and not gnaw them. I know you will definitely succeed. You are a princess/superhero! And I'll help you." And gradually increase the interval: first by 10, then 15 minutes. After a few weeks, bring it up to 30 minutes, and after a few months, up to several hours.
7. Form transitional ways to relieve stress. It's great to teach a child to fiddle with a stress ball as soon as he brings his hands to his mouth. Also play more with pleasant textures - kinetic sand, modeling pastes, sand.
8. Celebrate each new record, encourage and encourage the child with prizes for each successful period of the "diet". It doesn't have to be expensive gifts. Praise with words, make a calendar with stickers for victories, go somewhere together or play some of your baby's favorite game.
9. If a child breaks loose, don't make it a disaster. Patiently encourage your child to continue the path to smooth and beautiful nails. Remind him that he is great and you love him regardless of this habit.
10. Help your child replace bad habits with good ones. This can be combing, skin care, clothing and personal items. Yes, this will require more patience and accuracy from the child. But nice and healthy self-care will pay off and make the child more prosperous.
11. Hug your baby more often, because hugs also give hormones of calm and happiness.