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When Toddlers Bite ... Their Nails
Tips on Breaking the Nail-biting Habit
By Amy Henry
Experts tend to view nail biting as a passing phase, but if the habit is one in a constellation of troubling behaviors – night terrors, separation anxieties – it's a good idea to review any recent changes to routine in the child's life. Has the family moved? Has the child changed preschools or caretakers? Is Mom and/or Dad working longer hours? Though parents can often pinpoint the source of their child's anxiety and take steps to smooth any rough transitions, if the nail biting becomes obsessive, a call to your pediatrician may relieve your stress.
Parents definitely need to seek professional help – a dermatologist, in this case – if they notice any of the following:
1. Bleeding from the nails, especially around the cuticles.
2. Torn or chewed cuticles.
3. Red, swollen fingers.
4. Abnormalities in the nail (bumps, ridges).
Again, it's rare, but children can contract infections of the nail bed if the cuticle is damaged or missing. The cuticle forms a barrier to germs, allowing the new nail beneath it protected growth. Without the cuticle, yeast, bacteria and liquids can get under the finger skin and cause a low-grade infection. Dr. Wyatt points out that the damage to the nail is temporary, not permanent, and the infection is treatable with antibiotics, but the healing can take weeks.
That said, Dr. Wyatt stresses that he has never had to treat a nail-bed infection in his many years of practice. Biting his nails may not be your child's most attractive habit, but it's more annoying than harmful. With patience and understanding, most children will grow out of it.
* Last name withheld to protect privacy.