Why do children bite their nails: causes and methods of dealing with the habit

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Your child may bite their nails for many reasons, be it boredom, stress, or curiosity. This is the most common among the so-called bad habits, which include sucking your thumb, picking your nose, twisting your hair around your fingers, etc. In addition, it is this habit that most often passes into adulthood.

Why do children bite their nails? The process of growing up can bring a lot of worries for a child, many of which parents are not even aware of. If your child bites his nails moderately (without harming himself), unconsciously (for example, while watching TV), or only does it in certain situations (for example, before a public speaking or on a test) - this is just a way to cope with a little stress, and you have nothing to worry about.

Most likely, soon your child will stop doing this on his own. However, if you think he's been biting his nails for too long, or if you just can't help the habit, there's a way to help your child stop biting his nails.

First of all, tryunderstand what is causing this behavior. Your child may be experiencing stressful conditions that you need to work through together. If you can guess what the cause of the anxiety might be (a recent move, a parent's divorce, a new school, or an upcoming performance in front of peers), try to talk with your child about what is bothering him. This is usually more difficult than it sounds, but if you use certain tricks, such as offering an outright ridiculous option as a reason (“I know! So you are trying to sharpen your teeth!”), It can work and encourage the child to tell you about their worries. This is one way to understand why children bite their nails.

Don't grumble or punish your child. Except for the occasion when he sincerely wants to stop biting his nails, there is little you can do about it. Like other nervous habits, it usually occurs unconsciously, regardless of why children bite their nails. If the child does not even notice that he is doing this, scolding and punishing him is completely useless. After all, even adults sometimes it is very difficult to get rid of such habits (sometimes I bite my nails before I make a financial statement or go to the boss's office). If this really annoys you, try setting some limits, such as not allowing nail biting at the dinner table.

If your child doesn't hurt themselves or appear overly excited, the best thing you can do isto do is to cut his nails short enough, remind him to wash his hands more often and not pay too much attention to his habit. If you resort to pressure without understanding why children bite their nails, you run the risk of adding to the stress and making the situation worse. Moreover, direct intervention on your part, such as using unpalatable ointments, may feel like punishment to the child. The less attention you pay to this habit, the more likely it is that it will soon disappear from your family's life.