How to wean a child to bite his nails: note to parents

Almost every parent noticed a habit of biting his nails for his child. There is nothing wrong with that, except for the aesthetic side. But no, in fact it is a symptom of a psychological problem, a neurosis, which the scientific term onychophagy has. If you do not pay attention to the problem, it will lead to malocclusion, the formation of ugly nails, will develop into a predilection for smoking, etc.

Onychophagy: what is it and why does it arise

The habit of children to bite their nails or onychophagia is not a bad habit, but a symptom of a psychoemotional disorder in a child. The process occurs reflexively, the baby himself does not notice that his fingers are stretched in his mouth. Thus, he returns to infancy when soothing, pleasure, pleasant emotions were associated with the feeding process. The causes that cause onychophagia include the following:

1. The child was excommunicated early. The sucking reflex belongs to the category of unconditioned reflexes, it forms even in the mother’s womb, and wakes up immediately after birth. The slightest touch on the lips causes the baby's sucking reactions: he searches with his lips for his chest, makes sucking movements. This reflex is due to the survival instinct, because without it the child will die in the first year of life. As soon as the child switches to solid food, the sucking reflex gradually disappears, and after 1 year for 6 months it disappears. If the child is transferred to artificial feeding, weaned in the first months of life, his sucking reflex remains unrealized. Everything happens at the level of instincts: if a person is not allowed to breathe, he will begin to suffocate, if he hides solid food, he will not forget how to chew. So it is with the sucking reflex: by not realizing the oral stage (breastfeeding), a person realizes it on an unconscious level in other ways. He bites his nails, the skin around the nails, the head of the pen, sucks his fingers.
2. The child experiences a strong emotional stress. Perhaps the baby is still too small to understand that the parents are getting divorced, but he feels the tension between them and considers himself the culprit of what is happening. Or he is put in place numerous prohibitions in order to protect him from troubles. Endless warnings “don’t run, stumble, break your leg”, “don’t eat sweets, teeth will go bad”, “don’t jump on trampolines, you fall, you hit your head” give rise to numerous complexes. The discrepancy between the inner "I" imposed on top of the "Super-I" causes a deep, but unconscious tension, which is expressed in nibbling nails.
3. Stressful situations. Any stress requires an exit, which can be expressed in crying, beating with pillows or running along the corridors of the school. But unconscious stress has no way out. He may not even be aware, thereby causing psychomotor reactions (nail biting, pulling hair yarn, batting in the navel). Outcasts in the classroom, children oppressed by peers or teachers, and the sons of the daughters of powerful and rigid parents often go with bitten nails.
4. Dissatisfaction with oneself can be expressed in "self-punishment." A child subconsciously does harm to itself: it bites nails, spoiling a nail plate, bites off barbs, tears hair ends, licks lips.
5. Imitation of someone. If one of the parents, older brothers and sisters, grandparents, i.e. significant adult child bites his nails, the baby will imitate him, doing the same.

Is it dangerous to bite your nails or is it an innocent bad habit

In fact, nail biting is not such a harmless habit. It requires elimination, because it can lead to the following:

1. The nail plate deteriorates. It loses its shape, the nail exfoliates, has an uneven surface.
2. Deformation of the dentition and the formation of malocclusion. Adapting to the shape of the finger, the jaw is in an unnatural position. The jaw muscles are stretched, the jaw does not develop correctly. A distinctive sign of children biting their nails is a fan-shaped row of upper teeth or “sawn” front teeth. The lower jaw remains underdeveloped, and the wrong bite is guaranteed. You can fix it at an older age, but orthodontics is not a cheap pleasure, and children from poor families are doomed to have problems with bite and teeth.
3. Nibbling nails, children touch the skin around the nail plate. They swell, become inflamed, bleed, and an infection can accidentally get there.
4. Nibbling the nails, the child swallows them. Given the fact that the kid spends a lot of time in kindergarten and school with dirty hands, it is not known what infection he can pick up.

What methods can wean a child to bite his nails

Take measures to wean the child from the habit of biting her nails as soon as possible. Do not wait for the baby to outgrow, unlearn, but also do not punish him for it. It is possible that the cause of the problem is the lack of attention on the part of the parents, excessive demands on the son or daughter, frequent comments, or public humiliation of the shortcomings of your child. Sometimes in children aged 1-3 years, nail biting is combined with masturbation. At the same time, the child does not see eroticism in his actions, he is just looking for a way to bodily relax and relieve tension. If the parents notice something similar for the child, it is better to immediately contact a specialist. It will help you find the true cause of the problem, which adults may not be aware of. If nail biting is not accompanied by masturbation, parents can independently try to wean the baby from a bad habit. We list the most common methods:

1. Switch the attention of the child as soon as you notice the first signs of nail biting. Ask the baby to take the newspaper to another room, put him on his knees, press him to him. Perhaps this is exactly what he needs, he will calm down and stop unconsciously pulling his fingers to his mouth.
2. If a girl bites her nails, play with her in a nail salon. Buy a children's water-based varnish or take an old bottle with dried varnish, fill it with water. Then, painting your nails, apply a couple of strokes with baby varnish on the baby's nails. At the same time, tell her how beautiful it is to have smooth and even nails, and how bitten fingers look ugly. Say that the varnish will hold if you do not put your fingers in your mouth, otherwise the varnish will crack and crumble, it will be very ugly. For a girl, these words have a tangible effect.
3. The famous American psychiatrist Milton Erickson came up with his method of weaning the "rodent" from a bad habit. He advised allotting a child a specific time to nibble nails. For example, tell him that you are allowed to bite your nails, but only from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., but bite as much as you want. On the one hand, such approval will relieve internal tension, because the child was approved of his actions, but on the other, an artificial reference to time. Subconsciously, children in every possible way resist the obligations, to bite nails at a certain time he will be bored. If successful, a bad habit will come down altogether.
4. In no case do not wean the child by force. The most striking example is the little Adolf Hitler, who was taught to write with his left hand, tying a brush to a ruler and ridiculing his habit with the whole class.Unresolved children's problems and deep-seated complexes resulted in huge psychological distortions in the future. Refuse from the grandmother’s methods such as spreading fingers with mustard, cuffs, dipping a finger in the paint, etc. Do not humiliate the child, he already experiences internal stress.
5. Teach your child to express aggression. This skill will be more important for him than the ability to make origami and know all types of forest birds. Sport is the best way to get rid of internal stress. After training, during which there is not only physical, but also emotional discharge, the child will not have time for nails. Do not scold the child for the slightest offense or prank. Do not make him constantly and forever guilty. This is not the best baggage that he will carry in life. Teach him to get rid of internal trash, so as not to overload the psyche and not accumulate various problems. After all, as already mentioned above, nail biting is a consequence of nervous strain and internal discomfort.

Special nail polish

In addition to psychological methods of getting rid of the problem, there are special bitter varnishes that, when a finger gets into your mouth, will give an unpleasant bitter aftertaste. They do not eliminate the problem, but once again they will tear down the owner of a bad habit. It will be unpleasant for a child to bite his nails, and he will gradually unlearn it. But, most importantly, eliminate the cause of neurosis and internal discomfort.

1. Lacquer that gives bitterness to nails, the Latvian company Belweder. It has a very bitter unpleasant taste. Varnish is effective for both kids and adults. The kid will pull his hand at any hit of a finger in his mouth. The varnish does not contain phenols and formaldehydes; it does not harm the child by falling into the esophagus. A small brush ensures accurate application. Transparent color allows you to apply nail polish while your baby is sleeping. He will not even notice that you have carried out any manipulations. Just feel a strong bitterness, when once again he pulls his fingers into his mouth.
2. Children's Nekusayka varnish for weaning children to bite nails. It has no color, absolutely very bitter in taste. The varnish dries quickly, while strengthening the surface of the nail plate. the child will experience unpleasant taste sensations during the process of nail biting, and will soon abandon this habit.
3. Bitter taste varnish against nail biting No bite pro growth of Italian brand Limoni. It does not leave a glossy shine, so the baby can be varnished on the nails during sleep. The child will not guess about anything, but the process of nail biting will become unpleasant for him.

Nail biting is not a disease, but a signal that something is happening to the child. This problem needs to be solved in a comprehensive way: first find the cause of the baby’s internal stress, then eliminate it, and you can speed up the process of getting rid of a bad habit with the help of special varnishes.

Video: how to wean a child from biting his nails