Why does a child bite his nails: what to do and how to wean?

With the birth of a child, newly made parents have their own responsibilities, which lie in the proper care, care and upbringing of the child. When a mother or father first catches his baby with fingers in his mouth, they do not pay due attention to this aspect. But in vain, because all this leads to the fact that the child will get used to biting his nails, talking about his psycho-emotional discomfort. For what reasons the child bites his nails, let's understand together.

Reasons why kids bite their nails

Before taking action, identify the true causes that motivate the child to bite his nails. This list includes:

1. Hereditary factor. If the baby constantly monitors the actions of his parents, who do not mind chewing on the cuticle or nails, he begins to repeat the manipulations at an unconscious level. In this situation, there is only one way out - take care of yourself and talk with the child.
2. Stressful situations. Constant exposure to stress, anxiety, nervousness, causeless anxiety - these and many other reasons spoil the psyche of the child. He is worried, therefore, he unconsciously searches for ways of tranquility, which are manifested in the fact that you need to bite your nails.
3. Self-esteem problems. One of the causes of disorders of the psychoemotional background is internal aggression in relation to oneself. If the baby has low self-esteem, he is constantly tormented by guilt or lives in a dysfunctional family, he will bite his nails, again, as a way to calm down.
4. Boredom. Trite, but this reason is seen in 40% of children who were caught on biting the nail plates. When a child has nothing to do, he pays a lot of attention to what is on the body ... for example, nails. Biting them at a subconscious level, the baby finds such an activity fascinating. Therefore, he resorts to it again and again in the hope of occupying himself. In this case, parents need to devote more time to raising the baby.
5. Physiological aspects. If a family has a weakness, brittleness, or stratification of nails in a female or male line, this factor can be transmitted to the child. If his nails crumble and bulge around the edges, causing discomfort, the child will try to get rid of the causes of torment. He will always bite his nails, unless his parents cut them on time.

Important!
Experienced psychologists who specialize in children's health consider the disorder of the psycho-emotional environment to be the cause of nail biting. If you did not find the true reason in the above aspects, consult a specialist. The problem does not always lie on the surface; it can be buried deep inside. To save a child from mental problems, they need to be eradicated at the initial stage of origin.

Ways to wean a child from nail biting

1. Onychophagy is a disease that manifests itself in a constant habit of biting nails. How can I help my child in this situation?
2. No need to scream at the baby, if you once again caught him by biting off the nail plates. Do not explicitly emphasize this “bad” habit. Gently hint that the child does not need to do this. If you strictly forbid such manipulations, he may go against.
3. If your child does not have an allergic reaction to essential oils and herbs, do aromatherapy several times a week. Place lavender, lemon balm, lemongrass, mint in a special lamp. Make aromatic baths and herbal tea.All this will help the child’s nerves to calm down.
4. To normalize the psycho-emotional environment, treat the child with warm tea or milk with the addition of honey. Such a cocktail will help to fall asleep, leading to the fact that the baby will calm down faster.
5. Teach your child to get rid of negative emotions on his own. Explain that you cannot always be near. Emotional stress must be eliminated not by biting off the nails, but by clenching and unclenching of the fists, deep breathing, your favorite music.
6. Children from an early age need to be taught to look well-groomed. Visit the master regularly or do your own manicure. Make nice, fragrant bubble baths for your hands. In this case, the habit of biting your nails will disappear by itself.
7. If you are always near the baby, carefully monitor his hands. As soon as he begins to bring them to his mouth, distract the child. Ask him to help you around the house or play with a cat (dog, hamster).
8. Do not refuse the baby to show emotions. If he wants to hug and kiss, so be it. Take care of the child, all children from prosperous families more easily abandon bad habits in favor of other addictions or affairs.
9. No need to solve problems with the help of a school psychologist, look for a way out or try to wean a child from bad habits yourself. The school doctor has full workload.

Creativity as a way to deal with a habit

1. Creativity helps to take hands, relaxes the psyche of the child and wean him from bad habits. Good effect on children is drawing, playing the piano or guitar, boxing classes to display negative emotions.
2. Record your child in the drawing section or music. Start attending sports classes or do workouts at home.
3. Watch funny cartoons, do not turn on the child bloodthirsty films and do not allow playing aggressive games on the computer. All this traumatizes the psyche.
4. Ask the child to draw a picture, for example, a flower or landscape. If you notice in the picture too many dark shades and pointed corners, you should contact a psychologist. Perhaps the problem lies inside.
5. You can write an interesting story for children yourself or find relevant literature on the Internet. For example, a fairy tale about how a cat or a bunny has forgotten how to bite its nails, because it is a very bad habit.

Warm Communication and Positive

1. To cope with the problem, it is recommended that as much attention as possible be given to the child. Communicate and surround him with affection, care. Take time for a long hug. Such therapy is considered a cure for all ills.
2. Exercise regularly with your child. This procedure perfectly eliminates the effects of stress and anxiety. You can give the kid to the sports section or conduct training yourself, the latter is much more effective.
3. Try to remember at what point the child began to bite his nails. The spread of time can vary from a few days to a couple of months. Try to fix the start date of the problem. If possible, analyze why such a situation could happen.
4. Communicate with the child about positive things and information. Interest the child in the conversation. Visit museums and exhibitions with the whole family. You are more in the nature and play joint games.
5. If you are already raising a teenager, it will not be amiss to go together to a music concert or theater. Engage in drawing, modeling and similar painstaking things. Make sure to adjust the daily regimen. Play at least 2 hours a day, sleep should last about 8 hours.

Mandatory rules for the whole family

An unpleasant situation concerns not only the baby, but the whole family. Therefore, everything falls under certain restrictions. On the one hand, it’s easy to refuse some things, on the other hand, you’ll have to make an effort.Therefore, you should adhere to practical recommendations.

1. It is forbidden to punish and scold the child for biting his nails. In a sense, he does this unconsciously. This situation can be compared with if you had a headache or an ulcer. Imagine that you would be accountable for such problems.
2. Analyze your own behavior, there are situations that you yourself occasionally bite your nails and burrs. If this happens, stop immediately; this behavior is unacceptable. A child can take an example from you.
3. If you follow all the rules, reconsider the behavior and pay due attention, you can get rid of the problem in 1-2 months. It will not be superfluous to go to a specialist. The doctor will be able to determine the source of the problem and recommend ways to resolve it.

Folk ways to deal with the habit

Nail care

1. Make sure that the child always has their nails trimmed. If necessary, cut them under the root. Cut off excess skin and burrs. In this case, the child will simply have nothing to chew on.
2. Such physiological difficulties will bear fruit. Perhaps the child will stop biting his nails. It is worth considering that there is always a "but." The offspring can switch to pens and pencils.

Beautiful manicure

1. This method is exclusively suitable for girls. Make your child a beautiful manicure with a pattern or stickers.
2. The procedure is recommended on Friday evening. This time is considered the best for strengthening the nail plate.

Spicy spices

1. There are situations when gentle measures do not help, in this case, you can resort to the help of red pepper.
2. At a young age, such a procedure can leave its mark. The kid simply does not want to bite sharp and bitter nails.

To the baby stopped biting his nails, you need to approach the situation with all seriousness. Find out the original problems. Get started and follow helpful tips. Take advantage of some tricks. Visit your doctor if necessary.

Video: how to wean a child from biting his nails