Hello. I was wondering if anyone out there has had a problem with their baby’s toes nails splitting horizontally. My son is now 9 months old and his nails on both big toes are splitting. No other nails are affected. It doesn't seem to bother him but I am waiting for him to catch them on the rug or something while he is crawling around! They are impossible to cut short enough below where the split begins without getting into the fleshy part.
Thanks for your help,
C.
Thank you so much for everyone's help.
I am keeping the toe nails trimmed really short and this has helped a lot. I also think that since he is now standing up better he is not putting so much pressure on his big toe nails. So far so good. :)
Thanks again,
C.
My kiddos started doing that about that age b/c he was pulling himself up to standing and he didn't really know what his feet were for... he'd roll his toes over and stuff. The nails were so soft still that they'd just bend and split. Once he learned how to walk CORRECTLY and pull himself up CORRECTLY it wasn't an issue and hasn't happened since. Does he pull himself up or stand up on his toes? That could very well be the reason. Just a thot.
I have four children, and three of them have all had "funky" toenails. My pediatrician said this is normal and they will (and my two older ones have) grow out of this. I don't know why some babies' toemails do this, but if your baby has a healthy diet and no other health issues, I wouldn't worry about it. As far as getting them caught on a rug, I don't think I would worry too much. Just keep them trimmed as well as you can, and wait for the stage to pass! :-) It sounds like you're doing a good job anyway, but good luck!
Try keeping some socks or crib shoes on him. I know it can be tough at his age, but wearing them will help keep the nails a little shorter.
I know if the nail gets ripped past the matrix (fleshy part) it can really hurt bad.
That happened to my son. In fact he totally pulled one nail off his toe. Amazingly it didn't seem to bother him much at all. Anyway, the pedi said it is pretty common and not to worry. Just keep them trimmed as much as you can, and if there is any open sore there, keep it washed and covered.
