There are a few ways to work with your child to discourage the behavior:1
Cut nails daily. Cutting your child’s nails lessens the surface area under the nails—and means less dirt, grime, and bacteria can collect under the nail and get into their mouth.
Find a substitute. Look for something healthy your child may be able to put into their mouth. For an older child, it might be regular snacking on crunchy celery and carrot sticks. Just make sure you don’t substitute nail-biting for sugary snacks or you'll be trading one bad habit for another.
Pick a subtle signal between the two of you. When you see your child nibbling, lightly touch them on the arm or use a code word that will alert them without announcing it to everyone else.
Allow for natural consequences. Keep in mind that natural consequences can be good teachers. So, if your child occasionally causes their fingers to become sore from biting their nails too short, the pain may motivate them to stop biting their nails in the future.
#childbehaviour
Cut nails daily. Cutting your child’s nails lessens the surface area under the nails—and means less dirt, grime, and bacteria can collect under the nail and get into their mouth.
Find a substitute. Look for something healthy your child may be able to put into their mouth. For an older child, it might be regular snacking on crunchy celery and carrot sticks. Just make sure you don’t substitute nail-biting for sugary snacks or you'll be trading one bad habit for another.
Pick a subtle signal between the two of you. When you see your child nibbling, lightly touch them on the arm or use a code word that will alert them without announcing it to everyone else.
Allow for natural consequences. Keep in mind that natural consequences can be good teachers. So, if your child occasionally causes their fingers to become sore from biting their nails too short, the pain may motivate them to stop biting their nails in the future.
#childbehaviour
