How to wean a child off nail biting?

"How to stop a child from biting their nails?" - many parents ask themselves this question... and cannot find an answer. Children bite their nails at different ages, and most often this is a consequence of psychological problems, neurosis. What are the reasons for this bad, from many points of view, habit?

Why does a child bite his nails?

Nail biting is a bad habit, but it has its reasons. Psychologists say that eliminating this bad habit is not about hitting the child on the hands, shaming him or yelling at him. There is even a scientific medical term for this habit - onychophagia. This is behavior that has no specific goal, motives, such behavior is irrational. A person does something only because he cannot help but do it.

This action brings him relief, but only for a short time. Then the person (child) repeats the same senseless actions again. The habit of biting nails without any purpose is called a compulsive habit.

The behavior in which a person bites his skin without any purpose is called dermatophagy.

According to research by medical professionals:

Up to a third of all children aged 7-10 have the habit of biting their nails

Boys after 10 years of age begin to bite their nails more and more often than girls (due to psychological characteristics)

More than half of teenagers from 10 to 18 years old are addicted to the habit of biting their nails and cannot quit, much like smoking. Children who bite their nails calm down for a short time, and then start biting them again. If their actions are accompanied by rude behavior of adults, slaps, screams, the neurosis of children becomes deeper, sometimes goes into a latent form, but does not disappear.

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What is the condition of children who bite their nails?

Children who bite their feet are usually very tense, and they don’t even notice it. When a child bites his nails, he subconsciously calms down. However, not for long. This process, unpleasant from the point of view of adults, calms the child’s nervous system.

The reasons to calm the nervous system can be anxiety, worry about something that the child wants to do better than anyone else, or elementary boredom. Subconsciously, biting nails. A person straightens out, gnaws out his problems and shortcomings. The habit of biting nails often persists in adults.

Theories about the causes of nail biting

The habit of biting nails may have no motive, no subconscious reason, but this, psychologists write, happens extremely rarely. Mostly, this secret reason exists.

One theory, biological, claims that nail-biting occurs when people are stressed and have a need to take care of themselves. The same thing happens to animals: when they are anxious, the brain develops a need to bite or pull out their own fur.

Nail biting can also be an expression of anxiety, guilt, and shame. If parents shame their child for the habit, it may only get worse, not go away.

What happens if a child doesn't stop biting his nails?

• The nail plates and fingertips are damaged
• Nail growth stops
• The skin around the nail plate may become covered with ulcers, scratches, and bruises.
• The surface around the nail can become infected.
• Viral or bacterial infections can enter a child's body through wounds near the nails.

If a child puts dirty hands in his mouth, the oral cavity can become infected due to bacteria that enter the body through wounds near the nail.

How can you stop a child from biting his nails?

Firstly, the adult’s actions must be consistent – you shouldn’t expect a quick effect from shouting or spanking.

You can’t scold a child for this habit, yell at him, because the baby will be more anxious, he will have even more psychological problems - now because of fear of adults.

You need to talk to your child about what is bothering him, maybe he needs help with some problems. Once the child gets this help, the habit of biting nails may go away on its own.

It is necessary to pay more attention to the child, to give him more support than it was before. The general psychological climate in the family is very important for the child. And then the habit of biting nails as a manifestation of fear and anxiety can stop without any pressure from adults.

Shift the child's focus from his hands to something more interesting. Simply put, it will be good if the child's hands are constantly busy. Then he will not have time to bite his nails.

If your child needs to do something with his hands, buy him something that will keep him busy: a hand trainer, plasticine balls that are very easy to knead and squeeze in the palm of your hand, smooth stones, beads, in the end. Then the child will calm the nervous system not by biting his nails, but by other, more aesthetic and less harmful activities.

For a girl, you can order a hygienic manicure and buy her beautiful rings for her fingers. Then she will not want to spoil her beautiful nails and bite them.

For boys, you can also order a manicure, only a hygienic one. Beautiful and well-groomed nails have never hurt anyone. Plus, it increases self-esteem.

Nail biting is not a pleasant habit, but it can be overcome if you don’t leave your child alone with their problems.

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