D.B.
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Charlotte
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My four month old (who wears a size 6-9m) continues to scratch herself to bits like a newborn, leaving large bleeding gashes from the neck up (but mostly on top of her head) with every EVERY nap! We have maintained mittens on her hands as long as possible, but with the advent of manual dexterity in recent weeks she easily and intentionally grabs them and pulls them off as soon as they are put on. We have also tried keeping a hat on her, but again, manual dexterity foils this attempt at dermatological preservation and the hat comes off within a minute of it being put on. I keep her nails cut as short as I dare and make sure daily there are no pointy parts tho it obviously hasn't mattered. Yes we know why she's doing it and no there's nothing to be done. Any ideas on how to prevent it?
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handcuffs? TOTALLY KIDDING!!
Poor little thing!! Any chance you could attach velcro to a pair of mittens so you can put them on tight enough that she can't remove them, but not too tight where they might hurt? You know, like sew some on a pair so you can basically sinch (sp?) them around her little wrists better?
Wish I had a better solution. Good luck!
I suggest you file her nails daily. Use a nail file made for babies and gently file her nails. There is no way to stop her from scratching since it's probably how she soothes herself. But she will grow out of the habit. My oldest used to do it too. Nail clippers made his nails sharp but the nail file kept them short and smooth. Be careful not to damage her finger so be very gentle with the nail file. Good luck
I agree, I always filed my babies nails because you can get them really short that way without worrying about cutting their fingers off. Good luck!
as long as I kept the nails short enough I didnt have a problem try filing the nails even shorter and smoother, it may take two of you
if all else fails -she will outgrow it soon!
Try filing them instead of cutting them. That might make them smooth instead of cut. Also maybe put a bit of vaseline on her nails so they are soft and won't necessarily 'cut' her when she swipes at her face. Does she have a rash that is making her swipe at herself, does it itch? can you put the gloves on and band them with a hair band at the wrists to keep them on? Like rubberbands on the edge of the gloves at her wrists so they can't be pulled off? Does she do this when she wakes up and you haven't gotten her out of the crib yet? Maybe estimate her average naps and peek in on her to see if she is awake yet and get her out of the crib sooner so she doesn't have time to start scratching.
