Any suggestions on how to get my son to stop picking his nose and eating it? I know, gross. I feel like I've tried discussing it with him calmly and how it is germs and he can get sick from it, how others don't do it, etc. I have tried ignorning it. And, I have also tried punishing for it and nothing is working. It's been going on for months now. He is almost 4. Anyone been in same situation and have something that has worked? Or will it just eventually stop?
Great suggestions! I guess I never even really thought about clearing up the actual boogers since he really never seems stuffy. But the food allergy thing really got me thinking because he used to be allergic to milk and maybe he really hasn't fully outgrown it as I had thought. I am defnitely going to work on doing things to clear up the boogies. Thanks!
That's a hard habit to break. I would suggest maybe buying a saline spray for his nose and squirting him a couple of times a day to keep his nasal passages moist and comfortable. Hopefully he won't feel the need to pick his nose quite as often.
Good luck!
Cindy-
Your question prompted me to tell you this joke. This was told to me by my son's Principal after his teacher sent him to the office for picking and eating.
What's the difference between broccoli and boogers?
Kids won't eat broccoli.
Sorry, I have no answers. I just always say, "Do you need tissues?" I think my son gets tired of hearing it and carries his own.
S.
boogers are typically a response to a food allergy. A normal nose should be free and clear of them. if he tends to pick soon after eating a meal- then you know he has eaten something that has thickened his sectretions. Normal sectretions are very very thin and fluid.
Milk products make everyone's secretions more thick and tacky that they are suppose to be. That is what milk does.
It could also be a form of "pica" ...possibly a mineral deficiency or an iron issue.
Try supplying mangesium citrate daily, vit b complex drops under tounge. Both of these support the nervous system....in case it is a nervous habit.
Increasing WATER intake is also crucial to thinning out nasal secretions AND supporting the nerves- which run on hydro-electricity.
He may have allergies which, if treated, will help. You definitely don't want to make more of it than you have to. You can try a small reward system of some kind. Also something to keep his hands busy like action figures or a little hand-held game. I'd stay positive and gentle about this so you don't inadvertently make it worse. It is disgusting but not abnormal and he should grow out of it - the sooner, the better, for your sake!
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He may have allergies which, if treated, will help. You definitely don't want to make more of it than you have to. You can try a small reward system of some kind. Also something to keep his hands busy like action figures or a little hand-held game. I'd stay positive and gentle about this so you don't inadvertently make it worse. It is disgusting but not abnormal and he should grow out of it - the sooner, the better, for your sake!
Perhaps he picks because there is something there. Try making it a morning ritual to clean or blow his nose in the morning, just as he cleans his teeth and uses he restroom. Maybe once there is nothing there, he won't pick.
Reward and consequence is the ONLY way to train a child. Make the consequence something that is immediate and something they don't like. Each time they do it make the consequence worse and worse until they get the picture. If you can't train your child to stop picking their nose then there are lots of other things to worry about in the future. Children have to respect the authority of their parents. What if they were eating some dangerous chemicals or running into the road?
Tell him it will cause him to have worms in his tummy and then you will have to go to the doctor if that happens. I know it's bad to scare your kids, but I did this with my daughter and she stopped! Take the "story" as far as you can without traumatizing him!
Since what comes from his nose has already been in his body, it is actually not too likely to make him sick. He may have a sensitive nose, and just can't get it as clear by blowing it as he can by picking it. He may be a lifelong nose picker.....
Perhaps you might teach him to go in private to the bathroom, and pick the boogers onto a tissue instead of eating them in public. Explain to him the boogers are the bodies way of getting rid of something it doesnt need, and it would be good to dispose of them on a tissue....
Start teaching him to use a tissue and wash his hands after. My son is 4 and we are still working on nose blowing when he has a cold but he will use a baby wipe to wipe his hands when reminded.
