How to wean children to nail their nails once and for all?

Have you noticed that your child always draws his hands to his mouth and gnaws at his fingernails? Most parents, unfortunately, do not pay proper attention to this problem. All control measures are limited to shouts and clapping hands, and only a few are wondering why the child does it. To understand how to wean children to gnaw their nails, first of all it is necessary to understand the true reasons for this.

The pernicious habit of gnawing nails or peels around them in children is usually one way of adapting to stressful situations, a reaction to strong experiences. And the child can not realize for himself what is happening to him. A new complex task in the kindergarten, a feeling of restraint in the environment of unfamiliar children in the playground or on a visit - if you find that the baby gnaws nails in such unusual situations, then the reason lies precisely in stress.

Is it worth it to wean?

Some parents believe that with age, this habit will disappear by itself. But in the subconscious, it takes root very firmly - most adults, gnawing nails, have done this since childhood. If you do not pay attention to the problem in time and do not find a way how to wean children to nail, you can face many unpleasant consequences:

• Defects in the shape of nails and fingers;
• Damage to the cuticle and skin near the nails, bleeding and bruising;
• Slowing the growth of nails;
• Problems with teeth and gums;
• Risk of infection of the okolonogel surface;
• The body will constantly attack viral and microbial infections, as the mud and microorganisms accumulated under the fingernails will penetrate into the saliva.

How to help the child?

So, we must wean the child to gnaw the nails. But how to do it right? First of all, give up the idea of scolding it whenever you notice a bad habit. This will not only not help, but will even aggravate the situation: the fear of punishment, irritation and anxiety will only "strengthen the soil".

It is important to understand the psychological causes of this behavior. Find out what is bothering the child, because of what he is experiencing or is too excited. With the help of an unobtrusive conversation you can not only find out what is happening to him, but also help him find the right decision in this or that situation.

It is believed that in the way to wean children to nail the nails, an important point is learning to take techniques to relieve stress (which, incidentally, will be useful for your child and in adulthood). For example, some people calm down when several times tightly squeeze and unclench their fists, while others are helped by measured deep breaths and exhalations. While you are still struggling with the habit, try to distract the baby's attention and hold his hands with something else each time they reach for your mouth.

The habit of gnawing nails in children is quite common (about 30% of children from 7 to 10 years old face this), so stay calm yourself, even if you immediately disaccustom the child from this will not work. To speed up this process it is possible, having bought in a drugstore a special cream or a colorless varnish with a bitter taste - several times having felt it, the child will not so willingly pull fingers in a mouth. For older girls, you can solve this problem even more effectively: for example, to make your daughter a beautiful manicure. It's unlikely she wants to spoil such beauty!

In the search for ways how to wean children to nail, do not forget that you have to let the kid know that you love him in any way, no matter how his hands look.

Try to make it so that the decision to end the bad habit he took himself. It is necessary to tell why it is harmful to gnaw the nails. In any case, if this important decision is made by the child himself, it will be much easier to deal with the problem.