3 Year Old Bites Her Nails down to the Quick. Help!

This is kind of sad but when I was little I also bit my nails...my mom had a jar of what I though was "duck poop" (we went to a lake with ducks often) and kept telling me that if she saw me bite my nails she will put the poop on my hands at night. Come to find out it was melted dark chocolate but it worked, I have never bit my nails again. It also worked with the pacifier and my sister =)

When my oldest was little she was a thumb sucker. I was told to try the lemon/lime juice on her fingers or hot sauce, but those never worked. She liked it. After that she always wanted to have some more. So that backfired. I used the nail polish remover. I had used it one day to take off my polish and then later I put my finger in my mouth and it was disgusting! So I did that with her too. I rinsed her finger off after I did it but not with soap. That did the trick for us and she quit sucking her thumb. I also replaced her thumb sucking with a stuffed animal that I had when I was little. She still sleeps with her "Kirby" to this day.

I know there is nailpolish that tastes pretty bad, but I think that "bitter apple" might work even better. Do what you feel is right, but you find it over in the pet department, used to stop dogs from chewing on stuff. It is made from apples. Check different brands to see what ingredients you're comfortable with, but let me tell you... i got some of that in my mouth once, and ohhhh!!!! YUCK! Just spray it on her fingers after she washes her hands, and she should stop biting!

Sound like she needs some healthy distractions for her busy fingers. Play dough is a favorite of my three year old, as are puzzles. How about a Koosh ball to fiddle with in the car, or squishy stress ball of some sort? I saw some stuff called Thinking Putty the other day that looked nifty. How about a reminder to wash her hands every time you see her fingers in her mouth--fruity soap could make it fun so it's not a punishment, but running the errand to the bathroom will get old for her. How about lots of helping out chores--feeding pets, setting the table, sweeping up, spraying and wiping windows. You might like some of the tools at www.forsmallhands.com. Maybe you could take your five year old on a date to get her nails done (so fun and not terribly expensive) and tell your three-year-old you'll take her on a similar date when you can see white on each of her nails. Remember to nag positively--kids this age are very concrete. If you say "don't bit your nails" all she will hear is "bite your nails." Better to say "Keep your hands down/clean/in your pockets" or just "I need you to hold/scrub/carry/wipe this" to distract her.
I bit my nails horribly until I was in my early teens and was finally motivated by good self-care, so she will probably outgrow it.
Best wishes!

E.,
I have used "no bite" finger nail polish. Not sure where to get it though. Good luck, that sounds painful. I was able to stop my habit of biting mine by chewing gum. I think I just needed to keep my mouth busy, not really my hands. If she does well with gum, you could use it as a reward if she doesn't bite them and to keep her mouth busy. Also once they do grow back I would check them every time she takes a bath. If they are long enough that she can get her teeth under and bite, then I would trim them. I have also used finger nail polish as a reward with my girls. If its time to trim them and they have not bitten them then they get to have them painted. Hope this gives you some good ideas to build on.
best wishes,
E.

Nail biting is a nervous habit, and so yelling, threats, and other punishments will most often make the problem worse. I am concerned about the fact that this is a new behavior, maybe you should focus on figuring out what triggered it. New daycare, new house, divorce, soemthing big that has disrupted her life may be the reason that she has developed this habit.

Once you think that you know the cause of the problem then you can work out a good solution. Positive incentives like one penny for each unbitten nail a day (an idae from a Bearinstein Bears book) are good, a sticker chart that she can fill up to earn a prize is another good example.

Good luck!

I'm surprised that you don't have more responses. I know there is stuff out there that is not dangerous that you can put on their fingers that is so nasty tasing that it makes them not want to put them in her mouth. Also, don't do anything else for a week or two but focus on telling her NO when anything gets to her mouth. It's probably a habit, and it takes 21 days to break a habit. Good Luck!

My son has been biting his nailsfor about 2 years and I can't get him to quit! I tried using "Thum", a product that you paint on their nails, and it didn't really seem to deter him from biting. I've asked on Mamasource before without much help. I'll follow your responses and maybe we'll both get lucky!

It is a habit you have to learn to ignore, paying attention to it will proglog it stopping!! I went through it with both of mine. My daughter did the same thing and would cry because it hurt, I just had to get to the point of explaining she is doing it to herself...when I seemed to try and do something it only esculated it. When I finally ignored it and said nothing it stopped, not overnight but it did.
I tried the bad tasting nail polish, covering her finger nails with bandaids and all of that, I did remove her fingers very calmly without saying a word when I saw her doing it. I know it sounds cruel but do no coddle her when she is crying about her finger hurting, just be very matter of fact and say "well you need to stop biting them, I am sorry"...and let it go.
My son used to chew on his cuticles and it drove me batty as it bled alot and was painful. I just ignored it too, as I went through it already with his sister. I have to say his stopped very quickly with me not saying a word other then explaining that can lead to infection, that it will hurt and be tender and putting his hands in his mouth is gross! :)

Semms a bit unusual. I'd mention it to the doctor (today, in a phone call), in case there's some kind of behavioral or psychological symptom that he recognizes.

He might quiz you about recent stresses in the family, or check her for OCD, or something else that I'm not thinking of. If he didn't ask me anything like that, I'd be alarmed that he was pooh-poohing me.

hello,
I am someone that likes to bite my nails, chew on straws etc. One thing that helps me is gum, of course your daughter is 3 don't know how well she is with gum. I like trident gum because it has cavitit fighting ingrediance(sp)
another thing besides gum is tell her she has to wear gloves if she is going to bite her nails