Why Do Kids Bite Nails ?

Our user Saumya Pillai has very nicely shared her experience of how she dealt with her son’s nail biting habit.

Nail biting is an indication of nervousness. It is a habit which can be found in both adults and kids.

When my son started biting his nails it used to make me angry as well as irritated .He never had this habit before he went to school. One fine day I asked him why does he bite his nails all the time and he simply answered saying that his  friend who sits next to him at school does this.I got worried about this and started wondering how to make him get rid of this bad habit.

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Then I patiently made him sit and made him understand as to why  he should not bite his nails.

These are the pointers I used to help him get rid of his habit: 

• Biting Nails is bad manners and he would get sick since the nails are dirty.
• If he falls sick he cannot this summer vacations like other kids would do.

To stop biting nails we should find the real reasons behind the same.

 It can be due to surroundings or exam pressure of boredom which can make them uncomfortable resulting in anxiousness.

We can distract them from biting nails by: 

• Keeping their hands busy by letting the play outdoor or indoor games.
• Engaging them in art and craft activities
• By setting limits of by when they should stop biting nails
• By arranging play dates during holidays
• By showing relevant videos of how biting nail is not good for health and hygiene.

These are definitely some good tips!

Also read: Nail Biting In Toddlers: Why It Happens And How To Stop It