The dangers of fingernail biting

Friday October 27, 2006

An news item in HealthDay today warned about letting your child bite her nails -- not because it's unsightly, or because your mother-in-law will cluck about it, but because the wounds she opens up with her nibbling could get infected, especially if they wind up in her mouth. And, well, thank you so much, HealthDay, for adding another item to my List of Worst Fears there. My son picks at his cuticles until they bleed, and sucks on his fingers when he's not tearing them open, so I figure he's pretty much a blood infection waiting to happen. Do your children have any troubling finger-related bad habits for you to obsess about? Select as many as apply from the list at right, then whine and worry about them with me in the comments.

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October 30, 2007 at 2:53 pm (1) heather says:: Ummm..we just got back from the doctor with my son, who bites his nails and cuticles. He has potential MRSA Staph in one of his nail beds. Nasty infection—all of this from biting his nails! I’m looking for something to put on his fingernails to stop him from biting them. Any suggestions?
November 2, 2007 at 10:32 am (2) Liz Steele says:: Hi! So sorry for you and your son! My son picks at his cuticles, but he has done it less since I showed him how to use the nail clippers. Now he knows he needs to get some “white” to cut. Also, I liked the Berenstein Bears idea of money. Give 10 coins (or other credit) to the child in the morning. He loses a coin for every nail that is bit during the day. Hope something works for you! Liz
June 19, 2008 at 5:57 am (3) dondee says:: Putting something on my nails didn’t work for me, but preventing the bite did. Get your son a thin, clear, soft mouthpiece to fit over his upper or lower set of teeth, and when he feels the urge to bite, insert the “nailbitestopper.”
January 15, 2009 at 3:33 pm (4) abee babee says:: you can find the nailbitestopper at bitingnails.biz

The dangers of fingernail biting

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