My 3 yr old bites her nails all the time. How do I get her to stop?

Do you bite your nails? If you do o if someone close to er does this will cause her to pick-up the habit. My mother always bit her to the cuticles (disgusting, I know) and now I bite mine. I get them done at the salon and it stops me. = )

Anyhow, if she is seeing someone do it she will catch the habit as well as others. She is a mirror of her environment.

My daughter also picks her nose to the point that it bleeds. Do not punish her, that isn't going to help, it will only hurt her self esteem and emotions. Simply ask her not to and if you have to move her hand (gently of course) from her nose when you catch her doing it. Also, speak to the pediatrician because my daughter has to take antihistamines to keep her nose from bleeding, there may be something irritating it and she doesn't know what to do other than pick her nose.

I hope this information helps.

Good luck!

As far as what the other people are saying here DO NOT take things from your child as this is going to cause emotional problems and distrust of you to her. And puting spicy or other things on her nails... you never know what she may be alergic to and what may cause her to have acid reflux or tummy aches. Be careful!

You may never stop her. My Mom was 60 when she finally stopped biting her nails. I never got the habit tho. It might be genetic. The official answer is "distraction." So I'd say hug her and make a lovey huggy game out of it. Get something super interesting like a book out. Crafts perhaps? I think perfection plays a role. A snag here and there? Color in the lines instead. Follow simple mazes perhaps. Buy sewing cards. paste things and make picture frames. Lookup craft ideas online. Kids this age like to sprinkle glitter too. Make beautiful things.

To the first person to answer, putting hot sauce on the fingers is abuse-period! Just a guess, but you are probably one of the people who thinks spanking is abusive.

Tell your daughter not to bite her nails, if she continues tell her that you will spank her if she doesn't stop, and if she doesn't stop follow through with a spanking.

if you haven't tried this you should because I've heard it helps alot of mothers

when you see her biting her nails take away something she loves and tell her unless she stops she won't get it back, wait a week or something and if she hasn't been biting give it back and simply see when or if she starts to bite again then repeat until she's become fully weined off, hope this helps..some!

paint her nails and tell her that the paint is toxic, and that it could make her extremely sick if she puts the nail in her mouth. That should help with the nose picking thing too, i hope.

I say put a bad taste on her fingers and toes and

get some sour apple and put it on her finger nails. This should help break that habit.

put something clear and bitter like vinegar on her nails so it tastes bad for her... then she wont do it anymore ive tried it with my sister

put hot sauce on her fingers...it works!

tell her that its nasty and her feet been where other ppl feet where so she is licking there feet

when she wants food tell her to eat her boogers