4 Yr Old Picks Her Nose

My daughter too is 4 almost 5 and has finally shown improvement in this area. We bought some of the inexpensive nasal saline spray and if she starts picking her nose, we have her/make her use the spray. Like mentioned above, it helps keep the nose moist and keeps them from needing to pick. She's not really fond of it so it has really helped her not want to pick too. Another thing we did is the positive reinforcement. At first when we told her to stop, she would sometimes try to keep picking or like you said sneak it in. Now she earns 'points' for stopping herself from picking. Then she can redeem points for stickers, snacks, books or other trinkets/rewards. She got to be very proud of herself everytime she could earn 10 points in a day. It took a good 3 or 4 months though to really see a consistent change though.

This may be hard if she is at daycare, but I would hit this from both a positive and a negative angle, much like thumbsucking. Of course, first explain why you don't want her picking, but it sounds like you already did this. Then tell her you are going to help her kick this habit a few days before you actually impliment this strategy so she has time to mull it over.
I would first reward her every half hour she goes without sticking her finger up her nose. Maybe even do a sticker chart where she gets to put a sticker up every half hour and then every couple hours or so (or at the end of the day) she gets a reward. A reward once a day is little compensation for an impatient four year old. They need more instant gratification, especially when kicking a habit. [Maybe even if she doesn't get the reward at daycare, she could know she is going to get it?] You'll have to figure out the details on that.
Second, from the negative response angle [psychologically speaking, not as punishment or anything], maybe try taping her "picking finger" to another finger so it would be really difficult to pick. (This is what would be hardest at daycare.) Just do it for a few days and see if it helps. If it is working, do it for a week. Then at the end of the week or however long it seems to take, give her a reward that seems huge to her.
This is totally a habit and even as adults we struggle with breaking them. Hope this helps! Good luck!

M.,
I suspect that her allergies are NOT under control. I also have allergies, and the itching in the nose can be overwhelmingly intolerable! Medications that "dry up" allergies often make it worse.

What you do to address the allergy issues of course depends upon the specifics of what she reacts to, but some things (like a HEPA) air filter, are a must. Some doctors are great at giving instructions, others are NOT. Start researching to see what can be done.

In the meantime, I do get great relief from steaming. I am able to do this with a bowl of steaming hot water that I "tent" with a large towel. For a 4-year-old, I'd suggest trying one of those facial steamers, if you find one that seems to be safe. Otherwise, daily baths/showers, perhaps adding in vapor products with eucalyptus or Vicks, if she doesn't react to those.

Incidentally, I was able to almost eliminate my allergy symptoms by adjusting my diet to be much higher in Omega 3 and lower in Omega 6 than it was before. This is because Omega 3 tends to be anti-inflammatory (allergies are inflammatory), and Omega 6 tends to increase inflammatory reactions. This can be researched online. For a quick start, you can begin giving her only fresh foods- nothing preserved. Include some of these foods: tuna, salmon, halibut, herring (not many 4 year olds eat this one). There are some liquid supplements that can be put into milk shakes. There are prescriptions, but if her pediatrician is not into integrative medicine, good luck! lol You may need to research regarding the appropriate amount if you cannot find one made for children.

Take it from an allergy sufferer, when it was bad, I would have scratched my nose right off my face if only that would have made the itching stop. Deal with that first, obviously telling her about kleenex isn't doing it!

Best wishes,
J.

Just let her pick her nose. She will grow out of it. When you see her doing it, hand her a kleenex fresh from the box (you should have several around the home, along with hand sanitizer and a little trash bin), and say "Wouldn't you like this kleenex?" Any type of shaming ("tell her how gross it is"--of course it's gross, but how does saying that help a 4 year-old stop anything?) of her while she is going through this normal phase is going to just prolong it. The daycare should be redirecting her exactly the same way that you are at home, otherwise you'll just confuse her.

Hi M.! I think you are on the right track! If you keep at it then she will make a new habit of using a kleenex. No matter what people say, nose picking is a vile habit. It is also the way you contract diseases like the flu. You are doing well to help her start a new habit now.
As far as telling her that it's gross, wouldn't people agree that it's better to hear it from your family then be humiliated by peers? Go ahead and tell her that it's gross! It is, and I would rather my child hear the truth from me than some random kid who will be malicious about it.
Good job mom!

Hi M.:
Sorry if my response seems gross but here it is. I too have alergies and I have had this issue since I was a child. The inside of my nose gets a crusty substance all over it and blowing doesn't remove it. I used to pick my nose all the time. Then I hit on the plan to use a q-tip and use a bit of vaseline inside my nose. It keeps the membranes soft and allows me to blow my nose instead of picking it. I hope this helps.

I'm sure the majority of kids pick their nose. She will only stop on her own (and from peer pressure when she starts school). This is completely normal. Maybe when she does it you can tell her she has to go to her room to do it because no one else wants to see that. That or the bathroom could be the "designated" nose picking area. Eventually she'll be tired of it. I'm sure she's building up her immune system in the meantime...especially if she's eating them. Just wait till she starts sticking her finger in another hole- that's gross. If you try being kind about it, she will be more open to telling you things versus hiding them in fear. Good luck!

all kids go thru this stage!!! just simply take her hand away from her nose and tell her no and take a wipe and wipe her finger. and let it as that!!! she'll stop sooner or later!!! but it's just a stage!!

Nose picking can be gross, however, I am not sure taking such a harsh discipline is the right approach. She might be doing this for attention. What has worked in our home is to explain that "we need our nose bugers to keep us healthy... and why we need to keep them in a tissue" and ask her if she needs help blowing her nose, picking out a clogged nose. Maybe she is having allergy issues and feels the pressure in her nose. Just a few thoughts

Wow that is very harsh not allowing her on the furniture, it would have been more appropriate to have her clean it off instead of constantly humiliating her. I would question her daycare.

This was a regular issue at our ECFE group, the best solution was to make sure their nose was moist and not fun to pick crusty boogers. Use a q-tip loaded with antibiotic ointment, vaseline or eucerine cream and rub it on the inside of her nose daily. The reason most kids pick is because they have the crusty hard boogers or scabs on the inside of their nose that only come out with something being inserted in their noses, not with blowing.

Keep in mind that it is not uncommon, drive down the highway sometime in rush hour and see how many adults you catch picking and flicking.