Still, its not a habit you want them to continue into adulthood.Why do children bite their nails? As the Mayo Clinic tells us, nail biting can: Damage the skin around the nail, increasing the danger of infectionIncrease the risk of colds and other infections by spreading out germs from your fingers to your mouthHarm your teethSo while it doesnt pose any dire or immediate health threats, youll want to nip the routine in the bud faster rather than later on. Set up a “No Nail Biting Fund” and make a dollar deposit for each day they go without noshing on their nail beds. They could munch on celery sticks, apples, carrots, or non-sugary gum, for example.Try a bitter-tasting polish: Try coating their nails in one of many non-toxic but terrible-tasting “no-bite” clear nail polishes on the market. Book a manicure: Offer your child an expert salon manicure with any polish they want as a benefit for not biting (or faster, to see if newly painted nails work as a biting deterrent).
As the Mayo Clinic informs us, nail biting can: Damage the skin around the nail, increasing the danger of infectionIncrease the danger of colds and other infections by spreading out germs from your fingers to your mouthHarm your teethSo while it does not pose any dire or urgent health threats, youll want to nip the habit in the bud sooner rather than later. Set up a “No Nail Biting Fund” and make a dollar deposit for each day they go without noshing on their nail beds. They might munch on celery sticks, apples, carrots, or non-sugary gum, for example.Try a bitter-tasting polish: Try covering their nails in one of lots of non-toxic but terrible-tasting “no-bite” clear nail polishes on the market.
