Fingernail

I mooshed my pinky in a car door when I was 8. The nail bruised and eventually fell off. It grew back. Today you can't even tell it ever happened.

Fast forward to two weeks ago. My 10 year old mooshed HIS finger in the car door, but only part of it. So the nail bed is still connected. But it looks gross.

His nail likely won't fall off, but once the nail bed heals, it will grow normally again. This can take a while.

So don't worry. Just keep it clean and eventually it will start to look normal again.

S.:

If it is "bruised" looking under neath the nail and the nail is loose - it might fall off. Call your pediatrician and talk to the advice nurse to find out how they want to handle it.

I don't think it will get infected if it's NOT an open wound. If the inside of the finger was damaged/bruised he should be fine. The nail will grow back eventually if it does fall off.

I would not be surprised if it fell off. I am squimish with nails also. My daughter was so rough on her feet that she would lose toenails until she was about 3 years old. YUCK! It took her toenails 2 - 3 months to fully grow back. We kept the area clean, put antibiotic ointment on it and let her little body do the rest. I am still amazed at how quickly children can heal and me as an adult can have a bruise for months. :)

My son completely tore his thumb nail off when he was around 18 months. It is scary and gross, I know. Just try to keep it clean. My son's grew back just fine.