Finger Picking

It might be a good idea to find out WHY she is doing this... is she a nervous child, is she upset about something, have there been a lot of changes recently that may be disrupting, etc... usually habits like that are related to something other than the actual "act" itself. She's at the age where you could probably talk to her about it. Because it seems like parents just telling children to "stop" doesnt' always work, but finding out WHY they are doing it may help aleviate the problem or at least give you a starting point to begin to fix teh problem. Have you talked to her physician about this? Maybe he/she might have some insight.

I have a two year old daughter that does the same thing, and the only thing i do cut them off really short. Or put bandaides. If you get a better response please share...

Oh my gosh I thought I was the only one (: Hello I am a 26 Year old Mom, who has had the same habit your Daughter has since I was a very little girl. I have figured out that I do this to the sides of my thumbs when I am boerd but can not move (Meetings, Class)or when I am anxious I use it as a way to chill out. I have had to tape my fingers before so they could heal. Over the years I have found at home I have a banket with the soft thin material sewn over the edges, I wrap that stuff in between my fingers and rub them back and forth, I know this sounds wierd but it works I dont pick at my fingers but their still busy. I have also found Rubbing stones That are exactly for this purpose, They are thin glossy stones with a smooth dent for your thumb on one side, you keep the stone with you and when this habbit kicks in you rub the stone, it works for me, untill I lose the stones (: I hope this helps even if it is just the knowledge that your not the only ones. P.S. Saddly I occasionaly catch my son doing the same Habbit, Darn it

Hello K.,
Just a question...is the picking possible due to a nervous habbit? Are you able to go to the source as opposed to stop the picking. Is it possible she is nervous over your relationship with her father? That is the first thing that comes to mind as I read this.

Hi mine used to bite her nails. how do you feel about getting nail polish (in light colors of course) for4 her to wear ON LY if she stops bitting it. Set the day at two, then gradually work up. It worked with mine bitingher nails. Italsomight be a stress thing. Watch when she does it. Sometimes it is just a habit that needs replaced. IF you dont want nail polish use stickers. Get a book for her and tell her that she can go pick a sheet of sickers out once a week if mshe sotps soon it will be a thing of the past and sticker collecting is a great way to spend time together.....

let me know how this works

Hello K.,
I would start off by finding out whats bothering her.It could be the divorce but i would say that its a nervous habit.So like i said try to think of what was happening when she began doing it and go from there.Both of my kids started biting there nails right around the same time and stopped around the same time.Im pretty sure it had to do with us moving and just them seeing me a little more on edge than usual.When everything got settle and i relaxed so did they.I am nail biter and have ever since i can remember.I dont know if its still out there and im not sure of the name but its like clear finger nail polish and it tastes horrible!!Good Luck!

K.,

You should read this advise article on babycenter.com

http://parentcenter.babycenter.com/refcap/preschooler/pbe...

Good luck

I'm so sorry. I do the same thing. I didn't start until I was about 12, and then it was only the thumbs. In high school I started all fingers and never stopped. If your grandma's remedy worked for you, I would try it for her too. The thing I do now is use Emu oil to condition the skin around the nail. It helps prevent 'pickable' skin. I recently heard about a disorder that involves pulling hair. I looked into it further to see if my picking the skin around the fingers is related. I found that it is. But it can be controlled with behavior modification. Women who pull out their hair sometimes put a bandage or tape on their thumb and finger to prevent them from pulling hair. Sometimes I get so bad with my fingers, I have bandages on three or four fingers. I apply Neopsorin first. But it's been awhile that I've picked that much since I started using the emu oil.

It sounds like a reaction to stress to me. Kids do lots of odd things when they have feelings that they don't understand or know how to deal with. I agree with you- I don't think hot sauce is a good idea! Try giving her colorful band-aids, and maybe use neosporin on the open wounds. Try not to make her feel bad about doing it, and open a dialogue with her about her feelings. The problem may not go away for a while, especially if things are up in the air with you and her dad, but if she feels loved and supported, she will come out of it in a much better place. My friend's little boy chewed his fingernails to the quick, sometimes making them bleed, when his parents split up. They did a wonderful job of keeping their arguements to themselves, and they handled the divorce in a very mature way. Despite that, their son turned his feelings on himself. That's just part of his personality, I guess. Your daughter may be the same. Give her lots of love and support, and let her know her feelings are ok. She'll outgrow this. Best of luck.

Hi K.,
My name is C.. Is the skin on your daughters finger dry? Does she pick it when she is nervous? How did you get over it, do you remember? On one of my fingers I have dry skin that I pick. I got this great cuticle oil pen and cuticle creme that seem to help. But if it is not dry then I might not help, but if you gave her something that she could do instead of picking at it. She might think that this cuticle pen would be cool and apply that instead. If you want to try it please let me know. my email is ____@____.com
Take care and good luck,
C. B

I might try clove oil. It is an anesthetic that is sometimes used in dentistry, so if her fingers are bothering her, they should stop, and if she puts them in her mouth, it will make her tongue numb, and she will stop. I ended up using the stuff to train my lab not to chew on things, and I am chemically sensitive, so I had to use something more natural than the sprays for that purpose. It smells strong, but not bad.

Hello K.,

Is your daughter picking at the skin and nails with her fingers or by way of mouth. If its by way of mouth there is a nail polish out there for "nail Bitters". It's non-toxic but it tastes really bad to deffer them from picking at her fingers. Also have you tried distracting her when she's picking at them?
Good Luck

Dear K.,

Well, if she is 6 years old, then she has a certain amount of wisdom and knowledge about the world. You and your daughter must be very close since you've been divorced for a while (glad that you are getting back together, and the first thing Dad is going to do is to try to force her to leave her fingers alone). So you and your daughter need to talk over what can be done to help her stop hurting her finger. She might have a good idea, and she will need your support, not nagging, but support to get through this. Be friends, be girl friends, work on it together....and do it before Dad feels like he needs to do something !

Maybe you two could make a ritual at bed time to clean her finger with something that doesn't hurt, then put on Neosporin and a small cute bandaid. Let her pick out the ones she wants to 'wear' at the drug store.
Good Luck, C. N.

K.,

It's very likely that your daughter is picking because of emotional distress.

My son began doing the same thing when he was younger during a time when I was in a difficult relationship. I've noticed he still does it occasionally when he's upset about something (and he's 18 now).

I think the best cure is not hot sauce and scotch tape, it's trying to find a way to communicate to her that everything will be okay.

Good luck.

well... I'm a 23 year old finger picker...lol... so naturally I worry my son will do the same thing. I found a hemeopathis remedy at Walgreens that works better than anything I have ever tried. It's in the baby section with the teething tablets and other hemopathic remedies. I would totally recommend it over tobasco sauce and garlic, which I've also tried. Please let me know if you can find it, if not I will go back and find the name and all the info I can get.

My three-year-old son began nail biting recently. I tried the bitter nail polish called Thum, but he returned to biting once it dried. I guess he likes the bitter taste! I have been trying to explain how this is yucky and may make his tummuy hurt. Also, I bought him a hand lotion to use, it also served to distract him b/c now he has something special to use for his hands. Your daughter might enjoy a special hand lotion and maybe even lip gloss or chapstick. It might be a good distraction. Good luck.
PS: My son still bites his nails, but nearly as much. When I see him do it, I remind him to use his hand lotion instead.