Children often bite their nails. This is the most common bad habit for everyone. age groups, so many parents are concerned about the question - what to do if a child bites his nails at 2, 3, 4 years old or even at 7, 10, 12 years old and later. The medical literature uses the term "onychophagy" for this phenomenon. At the age of 6 to 10 years, it occurs in every third or fourth child, and before adulthood, every second teenager bites his nails.
Is it possible to ignore this unsightly feature of behavior? Why do children bite their fingernails? What specialists should I contact to get rid of onychophagia? Given the prevalence of the problem, all parents need to know the answers to these questions.
This phenomenon is explained by a number of objective reasons. Let's look at them.
Stress
Onychophagia is a manifestation of a neurotic state. Often a habit is developed due to worries about moving, a change in the environment, or a change in the usual social circle.
At 3 years old, the baby first enters children's group. Starting kindergarten is a stressful situation for most children. Adaptation is painful. In an effort to compensate for unpleasant experiences and calm down, the child begins to bite his nails.
Starting school is also associated with stress. The child finds himself in a new children's group, the whole rhythm of his life changes. Schoolchildren are subject to significant physical, emotional and mental stress. Therefore, a child at 7-8 years old bites his nails more often than at an early age.
Often a child bites his nails due to a tense family atmosphere. Also the appearance bad habit can contribute to:
- difficulties in relationships with peers;
- overly strict upbringing with numerous prohibitions and restrictions;
- violations of the daily routine, insufficient sleep;
- inferiority complex, especially characteristic of children over 12 years of age;
- experiences, fears caused by watching age-inappropriate programs and films.
Aggression
Quarrels, conflicts, and domestic violence lead to retaliatory aggression in the child, which unconsciously manifests itself in the development of a bad habit. It can also be caused by being raised in single-parent family, long absence one of the parents.
When mom and dad scold or beat the baby, seeing that he puts his nails in his mouth, this contributes to the emergence of opposition on his part, aggressive behavior. As a result, the situation only gets worse.
Heredity
If one of your close relatives has the habit of biting their fingernails, it is likely that the child will inherit this tendency. The likelihood of a bad trait becoming established increases if the baby is in constant contact with this relative. He involuntarily begins to imitate, every now and then, taking the nail into his mouth. By the age of 9, this becomes a persistent habit that is difficult to break.
Physiology
Even gradual and competent weaning from the breast or bottle with a nipple is a rather painful process. A mother's breast or pacifier soothes and gives joy to the baby. Having been deprived of these pleasures, the child tries to find a replacement for them. Most often the choice falls on the fingers.
As children grow older, the habit of thumb sucking transforms into a desire to bite their nails. This also leads to some diseases of the heart and central nervous system, accompanied by increased nervousness.
The reasons why a 4-year-old child bites his nails may be the most banal. Sometimes parents treat their child carelessly, do not take care of his hygiene, and do not get his nails in order on time. At this age, overgrown nails interfere with play, cause inconvenience, and the baby begins to chew them. Gradually it becomes a habit.
Boredom
The baby often bites his nails if he receives little attention and is left to his own devices most of the time. A child may start biting his nails at age 9 or later if he doesn’t know what to do.
This happens if parents and teachers were unable to develop an interest in books, watching educational TV shows, and acquiring new knowledge in the classroom. Often such a child is restless, any activity quickly gets boring and he becomes bored.
What to do when a child bites his nails?
This habit irritates parents, caregivers or teachers who scold the child or make comments. This attitude of adults causes additional stress, perpetuates bad habits and a feeling of inferiority. So, a child bites his nails - what to do, how to help him?
Parents' work
Parents should behave with restraint. Shouting and swearing, slapping hands, especially in front of strangers, will only aggravate stress and perpetuate the manifestation of neurosis.
Remarks made in public have a particularly painful impact on children over 12 years of age, who consider themselves almost adults and independent. They need support and positive assessment from their elders.
Young children should constantly feel the care and love of their parents. It is advisable to spend more time together, play, go for walks fresh air. You can make comments only in a soft form, while at the same time trying to interest him in a toy or distract him with something else.
It is necessary for parents to devote a significant part of their free time to the child. school age. So, a 9-year-old schoolboy also needs the attention of elders, joint games and walks. Adult family members should encourage interest in educational games, reading, and involve them in doing homework.
If a child of 10-12 years old bites his nails, parents need to find out what computer games and their child prefers movies, which interests him on the Internet. Should be excluded negative impact on the fragile psyche of horror films, scenes of cruelty, limit the time spent in front of the TV.
Psychologist's work
A child psychologist will advise parents the right tactics behavior. In all cases, it must be taken into account that:
- rude remarks and slaps on the hands are unacceptable - this leads to a counter-protest;
You cannot focus on this problem; - It is not advisable to send your child to kindergarten for the whole day at once;
- there is no need to set too big tasks for schoolchildren, demand only excellent grades;
- You should limit TV viewing to two hours, control the time spent at the computer;
- it is important to explain to the baby that the habit can lead to the appearance of worms in the tummy;
- Time spent with children should be filled only with positive emotions.
Psychologists conduct special tests to identify the cause of a bad habit. To do this, they are asked to draw family members, peers, and familiar surroundings. Zones that cause negative emotions, the baby will paint with dark colors. It is important to understand what is happening to the child, and then look for ways to overcome the problem.
Consequences of habit
The habit of biting your nails has a detrimental effect on different sides life, influencing health and mental development.
External consequences (especially painful for adolescents aged 12-14):
- aesthetic defect of nails;
- significant slowdown in growth nail plates.
Mental changes most often occur in school-age children. Neurotic personality restructuring occurs around the age of 9 years and older.
During this period, the following medical and psychological problems become established:
- attention deficit disorder and;
- inferiority complex;
- lack of purposefulness and active interests in life;
- isolation and embitterment due to the ridicule of other children, the negative reaction of adults;
- memory impairment, decreased academic performance.
There are also consequences for physical health. Often onychophagia leads to the following pathological conditions: development helminthic infestations, as a consequence of neurosis, the development of periodontitis, inflammation of the periungual tissues. Frequent infections, including respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses, are possible.
How to wean it off?
First of all, you need to understand the reason for the formation of this behavioral feature and try to eliminate it. How to stop a child from biting his nails at 2, 3, 4 years old and at an older age? Each case requires individual approach, joint efforts of parents, child psychologist and a small patient.
If a child 2-2.5 years old bites his nails, the following actions must be taken:
- monitor the length and cleanliness of the baby’s nails, trim them on time;
- prohibit people from the immediate family environment from biting their nails in front of the baby;
- when trying to bite your nails, distract, speak affectionately, play;
- With early age instill interest in educational games, praise even for small achievements;
- develop fine motor skills, teaching modeling from plasticine, drawing;
- How aid parents can use pharmacy varnishes with a bitter taste.
The same tips are effective for weaning a 4-5 year old child from biting his nails. With a student, the approach will be slightly different.
If you want to stop your child from biting his nails at age 9, follow these simple principles. Try to actively participate in his life, take an interest in his social circle and school affairs. You should be praised for diligence in your studies and good grades.
You can teach your child to calm down without resorting to a bad habit. An alternative in a stressful situation can be breathing exercises(deep and slow inhalation and exhalation), clenching and unclenching fists or an anti-stress ball.
A teenager 12 years of age or older with this bad habit especially needs psychological help, support from relatives. An attentive and tactful attitude will help get rid of internal and external tension.
You need to praise for any success. Often such children become much calmer, get rid of many complexes, having mastered the techniques of autogenic training and starting to play sports. In addition, for children of any age, parents should serve as an example - their nails should be well-groomed and beautiful.
In advanced cases and if available concomitant diseases Drug therapy may be prescribed:
- Sedatives of plant origin.
- Nootropic substances, including Glycine.
- B vitamins.
Onygophagia refers to medical and pedagogical problems that cannot be neglected. First of all, it is necessary to understand why the child bites his nails, then take appropriate comprehensive measures. If not weaned in childhood, this habit can remain for life, which often causes a lot of difficulties, affects health, and interferes with communication and employment.
Useful video on how to stop a child from biting his nails
Parents have different attitudes towards their child’s habit of biting their nails: some ignore this fact (they say it will go away on its own), others slap their hands, others look for the reason for this child’s behavior, and at the same time, methods for combating this habit. Where does this habit come from, and how to fight it?
Why children bite their nails - the opinion of child psychologists
Constant and active biting of nails is called by the medical term " onychophagia“- a very rare phenomenon for 3-6 years and sharply increases after 7-10. Contrary to the opinion of parents who consider this habit not worthy of attention, nail biting is a problem, and its roots are in psychology. 
What do experts say about the causes of onychophagia?
- If your child starts biting his nails - look for the roots of this habit in the child’s family, school and other surroundings . Because the main reason is emotional stress. This could be the child’s excessive impressionability and vulnerability, etc. Every reason for worry will be accompanied by nail biting - that is, a process that relieves tension and calms. Pay attention - maybe your child feels insecure and it is at these moments that he returns to a bad habit? Or is he nervous around crowds? Or is he angry? The faster you find the reason, the faster you will overcome this habit.
- The child copies others . Perhaps one of the adults in the family is also guilty of this habit - take a closer look and begin simultaneous “treatment”.
- Thumb sucking habit turned into the habit of biting my nails.
- And the fourth reason - failure to timely trim the nails . That is, non-compliance with hygiene rules.
A child bites his nails - the consequences of this bad habit
- Penetration of infection into the body through wounds on the skin around bitten nails.
- Penetration of infection or helminth eggs from dirt under the nails into the child's mouth. And, as a result, there is a risk of catching intestinal infection or get helminthiasis.
There is no need to talk about the aesthetic side of the issue. Bitten nails in themselves are a depressing picture, but give your peers only a reason for ridicule. Therefore, if you catch your child doing such an unseemly activity, immediately (before the habit takes root) We analyze the situation and begin “treatment”.
How to properly use nail polish for children who bite their nails, and is there any benefit from it?
Many mothers use a special one to eliminate this bad habit. bitter varnish. It is sold in a regular pharmacy (for example, “nekusayka”) or in cosmetic stores. The taste of the varnish is quite bitter, and the composition does not contain components that could harm the health of the child (although it would not hurt to check the composition to avoid troubles).
Varnish does not help everyone - there are situations when varnish simply cannot solve the problem. Remember - first you need to find the reason
bad habit and only then, having eliminated this cause, eradicate the habit itself. 
Varnish is used regularly– with constant “renewal” after the next bite, on average – once every three days
. Some parents, fearing unknown components of the varnish, use mustard, pepper, etc. instead.
How to stop a child from biting his nails - instructions for parents
The first thing a mother needs to do if she catches her child biting his nails is: find a solution. That is, start with your family: pay attention to what the child is dissatisfied with, what worries him, what fears haunt him. 
- It is strictly not recommended to scold a child for this habit. , raise your voice and demonstrate your dissatisfaction and anger. This will only aggravate the situation - the child will get nervous, and his hands will go to his mouth again. Not to mention that children are inclined to go against the grain out of harm, protesting against prohibitions. Therefore, you should explain to your child that this is a bad habit using other methods - without negativity, without prohibitions and reprimands. Look for the most suitable one effective method and use it from the position of a loving and caring parent, and not a Cerberus who is annoyed by this “disgusting habit.” Read:
- Be patient . Understand that it is as difficult for a child to overcome this habit as it is for an adult to quit smoking. Remember: a categorical ban only causes rejection and protest! For your child to hear and understand you, find the right motivation. For example, if a child refuses porridge, then tell him: “It’s healthy!” - it's just pointless. But the phrase “If you eat porridge, you will become strong and muscular like dad” will work much faster.
- Choose a moment when your child is ready to listen to you carefully and tell me why this habit is bad . Describe the evil microbes that get into children's body along with the dirt under the nails - show them in pictures. Teach your child that nail biting is a habit. weak people, and strong and brave people never bite their nails. Place the emphasis correctly, leading the child to the desired independent conclusion.
- Does your child love cartoon characters? Tell him that, for example, Spider-Man would never have become a hero if he bit his nails. And the prince would never have chosen Cinderella if her nails were as scary and bitten as those of her evil sisters.
- Write a fairy tale about a child who bit his nails and got into various unpleasant situations because of this habit. Of course, the fairy tale should end with getting rid of the habit, and the characters should be as close as possible to the child.
- Give your baby the opportunity to express emotions, aggression and negativity accumulated during the day. Regular emotional release is a mandatory component of the overall program for getting rid of a bad habit. Sports and active games- the best option.
- Every time your child puts his hands to his mouth, discreetly distract his attention . Put something in his hands, ask him to bring a napkin or help you with some task.
- Teach your child about hygiene – regularly care for his nails, focus on the beauty and cleanliness of his nails. If you have a girl, give her a beautiful (safe) manicure. The child will not chew the manicure “like a fashion model in a magazine” - very effective method for girls from 5 years old.
- If the child is too nervous and excited, consult a doctor - let him prescribe homeopathic, harmless drugs to calm him down nervous system. Sometimes it makes sense to consult a psychologist.
- Keep your child's hands occupied with something. . There are many options. Find something he likes - buy modeling clay, brushes/paints and real canvases, a construction set, etc.
AND main advice – be attentive to your child. Show him how much you love him more often. Find time in the hustle and bustle of everyday life to read a fairy tale to your child, go out of town, ask about successes at school or kindergarten. Create an atmosphere in the house in which the child will feel comfortable and calm. Eliminate irritants that make the child nervous. And gradually the bad habit will disappear.
You can often see children biting their nails around. For many people this becomes a habit. And even as adults, many people wonder how to avoid biting their nails.
Where does the habit of biting nails come from?
Most often, people bite their nails unconsciously; as a rule, this action acts as a defense against a stressful situation. Oddly enough, the action has a calming effect. Observations show, especially in children, that it may be unconscious: the child simply copies the actions of his friend. This problem may also arise among elementary school students who find it difficult to sit quietly for 45 minutes in class. Some children are distracted by some extraneous activities, while others simply bite their nails. Sometimes this habit becomes an addiction. Even as adults, people continue to do this, but at work. For some, it’s even easier to think this way. However, from the outside it looks ugly, and employees may begin to make comments to the person. Therefore, at a certain point, the question of how to avoid biting your nails becomes acute.
Trying to help your child break a bad habit
It is better to get rid of an ugly and bad habit in childhood. If a child bites his nails, parents should try to find the reasons. They can be different:
- elementary curiosity, when, observing something, a child, out of habit, puts his fingers in his mouth;
- ordinary boredom, when a child bites his nails, creating the appearance of activity;
- again, the situation is kindergarten or school when the baby hasn’t learned new material, and this led to stress, which entails an addiction;
- a stressful situation when for some reason the child’s caregivers or teachers don’t like him.
Parents should never scold their child. They should first try to tell him about what happens if they bite their nails. The easiest way is to explain to him that constant holding can lead to gastrointestinal diseases or infections in the mouth if there is even a small wound there. It is important that the child understands the seriousness of the problem, because he most often puts his hands in his mouth unwashed, and dirt usually accumulates under his nails. If such an explanation is enough for the child to carefully watch his hands, then the problem can be solved quite simply. But at first, adults should unobtrusively monitor the baby’s behavior and delicately point out his mistake, if one arises. But if the issue is not an automatic unconscious habit, but a stressful situation in kindergarten or school, then in this case parents, having first found out the cause of the child’s nervousness, need to contact a child psychologist. It will help solve the problem of how to avoid biting your nails.
Visit to a child psychologist
Before visiting a child psychologist, parents should rethink everything stressful situations, which could lead the child to a bad habit in order to facilitate communication between the doctor and the patient. Parents are also required to inform the doctor about attempts already made to get rid of the bad habit. A child psychologist will also definitely tell you what happens if you bite your nails. Only here the work will be more painstaking, because the specialist knows more nuances in solving such problems. For example, he must clearly explain to the child how harmful the habit can affect his relationships with others as he grows up:
- the child may be teased by his peers by inventing some unpleasant nickname for him;
- Against the backdrop of such an attitude, the child can withdraw into himself, left without friends.
During sessions with a child, the psychologist should also observe his hands and make timely comments. The doctor will try to find out the interests of the little person, find out what kind of books and objects he likes, and talk to him about his friends. At the same time, he will remind the child that he will feel more confident when he gets rid of the bad habit of biting his nails, because of which, perhaps, many unpleasant situations have already arisen. The psychologist must try to understand the child’s inner world and draw up a program for working with him. If the child will go meet the psychologist and accept his methodology, then gradually the question of how not to bite your nails will disappear by itself. But for this, the baby must trust the doctor and carefully follow his instructions.
How to stop biting your nails: working on yourself at home
Even if a child psychologist’s work with a child is successful, this does not mean that for parents the problem should fade into the background or cease to exist altogether. The habit will not go away so quickly, and therefore it is advisable to observe the child at home at what exact moments he begins to bite his nails. If he puts his hand to his mouth when solving a difficult problem, you need to tactfully, without offending the child, lower his hand and try to solve the difficult subject together with him. Need to find one for him interesting activity, in which both hands will be occupied. For example, a girl can be taught to knit, a boy can exercise with dumbbells. It is advisable to involve the child in joint homework, such as cleaning or going to the store. Periodically remind your child that he has begun to bite his nails much less often, and on the day when this does not happen even once, you can arrange for him small holiday. Such attention will be remembered, and on a subconscious level he will stop his hand when it reaches for his mouth.
Working on yourself in kindergarten or school
In society, when there are neither parents nor a psychologist nearby, a child may become confused. After all, it is important for him not only to show others that he is the same as everyone else, but also to strive to become better than others. To do this, together with a psychologist or parents, the child needs to come up with some kind of signal for himself, thanks to which he will stop the once habitual movement in time. For example, you can work out situations at home when your hand involuntarily reaches for your mouth. In this case, you need to change the trajectory of its movement in time: for example, straighten your hair or pull down the sleeve of your shirt. With the gradual disappearance of the habit and the acquisition of self-confidence, the child will monitor himself more closely, realizing that this brings him positive emotions.
Why does an adult bite his nails?
Unfortunately, many people continue to have the habit of biting their nails throughout life. adult life. Most often this happens when a person is nervous, and sometimes while solving some production problems. But in an adult, bitten nails look especially sloppy. People around him notice this, which makes the person feel awkward - and the question arises about how to stop biting his nails. First you need to learn how to transfer your nail habit to something else. For example, you can bite the tip of a pencil or the tip of a pen. In the process of thinking about something, you can mechanically leaf through some reference book. And, what is also important, do not forget about personal hygiene, because adults do not fewer children touch various objects.
Harmful nail biting habithas tormented more than one generation of children and parents. Children usually begin to get involved in such “self-criticism” when primary school. And by the time they graduate from school, about half of teenagers have this bad habit. What prompts children and teenagers to put their own nails, fingers, pencils or pens in their mouths? And how to stop a child from biting his nails? We will try to answer these and other questions.
Why does a child bite his nails?
The reason for the appearance of many bad habits in children is self-doubt and childhood experiences. If the situation in the family is tense, the parents constantly swear and reproach the child, and other brothers or sisters offend him, the baby tries to calm himself down and finds a way out by biting his own nails or skin. This helps relieve tension in the nervous system.
Mental stress also has a similar effect long stay in front of the TV or playing on the computer. Therefore, parents should ensure compliance with the rules for safe computer use - no more than an hour a day and no violent games or adult films.
When child bites nails, he may not be aware of the reason for his behavior. Meanwhile, the anxiety that makes him need to bite his nails and calm down does not go away, but only intensifies due to the ridicule of others and shame for his uncontrollable act. More careful children stop communicating with such a nail-biting child, his self-esteem suffers and the opportunity for self-realization in society disappears.
In addition, due to the constant mechanical impact on the nails, they begin to break, the shape of the nail plates deteriorates, and painful sensations in the cuticle and periungual surface of the skin, and the nails themselves stop growing normally. While in the mouth, nails can scratch the gums, causing dental problems, as well as infection from dirty hands into the baby’s body.
The child bites his nails. What to do?
To get rid of such psychological dependence of a child, you need to try to eliminate all the reasons that lead to it. The child’s life should become as calm as possible, free from stress and tense situations. Analyze the environment in which your child is. Perhaps he is forced to constantly listen to your screams and swearing, maybe he is worried about problems with his studies or a quarrel with a friend, or maybe the child spends too much time at the computer.
If you notice that your son or daughter has a bad habit of biting their nails, and at the same time the child has become nervous, agitated, and aggressive, you should visit a neurologist. The doctor will be able to select special medications for the child that will eliminate feelings of anxiety, tension and fear, and also strengthen his nervous system.
If you cannot find the reason that makes your child bite his nails, go to an appointment with a psychologist and talk, since it is quite possible that the reason for the child’s nervousness lies in your relationship with him. Very often there is too much pressure from parents, their constant control and incessant reproaches cause the child to experience very strong stress. But the child does not dare to give vent to his emotions or is simply afraid.
But if your child starts biting his nails, you don’t need to immediately blame yourself for it. Some children may bite their nails without any reason, in the absence of stress or any difficulties in life. Everything is individual.
How to stop a child from biting his nails
The most important thing that parents should remember is that they should never scold their child for his bad habit. Otherwise, his irritation will only intensify, and he will give vent to his emotions in your absence. It is better to carefully analyze or discuss with your child what worries him, what he is afraid of and why he is nervous.
When you have found the reason for the bad habit, decide with your child how to solve his problem; maybe you need to go talk to the teacher at school, or temporarily give up playing on the computer, or the child simply needs more of your attention.
It is also quite difficult to wean yourself from the mechanical habit of biting your nails. You need to constantly remind your child not to put his hands to his mouth. Put it on him desk sheet of paper with a pen. If biting his nails helps him concentrate and think better, let him try drawing something. The main thing is that the child does not start biting the pen instead of nails.
Get creative with your child more often. Make crafts with your own hands. This will also calm him down and help relieve stress. It is useful to buy a soft ball, a transforming cube, or just something pleasant to the touch for your child, so that he can touch and finger it to his heart’s content.
Be sure to praise your child for neat and well-groomed hands. The girl can help beautiful manicure, which will evoke positive emotions and the desire to keep your nails safe and sound. You can buy a boy every month small gifts for your efforts and success in the fight against a bad habit.
If a child understands how ugly and bad it is to bite his nails, he may agree to cover them with a special bitter varnish or cream, which will constantly remind him of the need to remove his hands from his mouth.
If the reason for your child’s habit of biting his nails is more complex and profound, contact a specialist. Don't think that it will go away on its own. For many people, it continues into adulthood, causing ridicule from others, disrespect at work and problems in their personal lives. Therefore, start fighting it as early as possible.