How to stop nail biting?

My son is 8… And unfortunately he has anxiety and can’t help it. Only time it slows down is if he’s busy.

FIDGET TOYS ARE BEST! They are helping my 7year old son and he bite to where they are ugly short shit. . . . Anyways get the Keychain poppers and it helps alot. … :hugs::star_struck:

Nail biting is a type of several things such as anxiety, a horomines deficiency, a vitamin deficiency.

I’m 28 and still do it… never been able to stop and tried a ton of things!

He will need to do it himself. My sister and I did this and we both stopped in our late teens, early 20’s.

I’m 49 and still bite mine. I’ve tried everything!!

Tea tree oil in a roller bottle onto fingers and finger nails. Helps to stop nail-biting for the taste plus heals fingers etc. Helped my son who would end up with infections around nails

Try a chewy necklace or bracelet

Sally Hansen has a nail bite polish that’s clear and tastes sooooo bad

Im 24 and im a chronic nail biter…nothing has helped me

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I bit my nails until I was 16 and that was because my aunt told me all the nasty stuff that could possibly be under my nails. Full disclosure though, in extremely stressful situations I still have bitten my nails

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It’s usually a sign of anxiousness before your child even knows what it is.

I was an adult before I finally stopped and was put on anti anxiety meds.

That being said I would consult with a Dr or a therapist before medicating him if you want to avoid that route.

They have nail polish that tastes nasty when u bite your nails. Maybe that will work.

My son did the same, get him a chewy it helps. Also I told my son he can get worms from all the germs under his nails.:woman_shrugging:

Tbh I chewed on these or something similar until the habit stopped but I was also like 17.

It’s anxiety I’ve been doing it since I was about his age :roll_eyes::expressionless:
Not sure what to tell you - I’m 35 & try/tried everything & I bite straight through the yucky nail polish yeah it’s all freaking horrible.
I wish someone knew how to stop

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Dietary adjustments to heal the gut-brain connection and reduce stimulants, eliminate the screen time.

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I have been biting my nails all my life and so has my now grown son, I see nothing wrong with it, but if you keep his nails very short he will bite them until his fingers bleed and his nail beds get infected , it could be a.d.h.d., it’s not curable, if I don’t bite my nails I have to have something in my fingers to fidget with all the time

My great nephew does the samething and he is 12 and my 13 year old special need son does it also there nails are so short I dunno what there are biteing or picking I would ask your family doctor something might be wrong

It’s hard, honestly. I’m almost 24 and I’ve bitten my nails for as long as I can remember… it’s an anxiety thing for me.

My 10 year old still does it

Im 22 and still bite mine :woman_shrugging:

Im 36 and stillllll bite my nails :roll_eyes:

Help a mama out and respond anonymously on our forum. How to stop nail biting? - Mamas Uncut

So you have a nail biter. End of story.

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Chewing gum. That helped me. I chewed allot of gum and it helps sometimes.

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I’m in my 40s and still bite my nails. Usually when I am dealing with stress

A lot of times nail biting is from anxiety.

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I’m 35 and still a nail biter. Heck, I bite the inside of my mouth too. Bad anxiety. Boredom. :woman_shrugging:t4: I’ve tried it all. Nothing works for me.

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I have the same problem with my 7yo boy… except he mainly picks them. Just last night he was picking and got abit of nail stuck under his thumb nail and made it bleed. Have no clue what to do he’s done this for years I don’t think Iv needed to cut his nails since he was about 3-4

I’ve always bit my nails. The only time I don’t is with acrylic (back in the day), shellac or dip manicures.

My 8 yr old son was obsessed with chewing his clothes at the neck and sleeve. The school counselor recommended “chewlery” which helped.

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Hes anxious.
Nail biting is a symptom of anxiety, I struggled with it since I was at least 8 and just finally overcame it, mostly, at 25.

Its just something we hopefully outgrow or learn skills to help cope with the anxious feelings that trigger nail biting.

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He will stop when he stops keep home busy outside playing art activities fishing swimming etc

38 year old nail biter here :wave: I’ve tried everything over the years… it’s so ingrained in me that I do it without realising… i do it especially when I’m stressed or anxious… I have no advice EXCEPT please do not whack his hand away while he’s biting… it HURTS… also try not to point it out in front of ppl… the Shame & embarrassment it causes Will make him do it even more xx

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Sometimes you have to wait for them to grow out of it- I was a nail biter until my 20s (I’m now in my 40s) unless I’m dealing with some extreme anxiety (I have PTSD). My mom was a nail biter until her high school years. My 9yr old SPD kiddo with PTSD and anxiety has become a nail biter in the last year (major life changes happened) but before that, he used a chewy necklace to help with the biting/chewing

What about fidget / popper toys to keep his hands busy? I’ve bit my nails as long as I can remember but as I’ve got older it’s an anxiety thing x

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Dont try to stop him please as someone who used to nail bite. I was forced to stop biting my nails which transferred to me picking and scratching my skins so bad that it has left scars

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There’s this nasty nail polish type of stuff you can try and use, worth a shot.

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When you find out let me know
Sincerely a 29 y/o nail biter

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I would leave them long because once they’re short he could start biting the skin around his nails. I did that as a child. Mine is from anxiety but that may not be the case for him.

It took me years of getting my nails done to stop biting and every now and then if I am stressed I will have spells. It’s more of a self control thing. If you can give him something to do like the fidget spinners or fidget toys it could help. I have a problem with finding a substitute for it. Like plastic pen caps, or something to chew on if I had bad anxiety or was nervous or distracted for some reason

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If it’s only during tv time, maybe turn the tv off and find something else for him to do. Like drawing. It sounds like he needs something else to do with his hands. Or even have him doing stuff while watching tv.

Give him a plastic straw to chew on. It worked for my grandson. Recommended by a therapist

Well Im 59 and still bite mine…Its a habit/ addiction … Even though it caused me to break my front tooth .due to applying to much pressure .It didnt stop me…They say its a nervious. Condition …its like a person who smokes that oral habit… Good luck. On getting him to stop…

They make chew type toys for oral sensory issues. My son with autism used them for many years. His was a chewy tube and he even had a necklace one.

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Try a fidget spinner it might keep his hands busy

24 and I still can’t stop :sob::sob::sob: I’ve tried everything

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I’m 41 and I still bite my nails. My mother went through everything including putting bitter polish on my nails to deter me. It’s a compulsion that is difficult if not impossible to completely stop because you don’t even realize you’re doing it when you do it. It’s literally an unconscious action. The only person who has ever been able to stop me from biting my nails is me. And even then it’s for limited times because something like stress or anxiety triggers the pattern again.

He could have ADHD…this is something that goes along with it…

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My son has the same problem. He has anxiety also and that’s a big factor. I dont have any advice. I could use some myself cuz we’ve tried everything… his poor fingers look horrible but he says they dont hurt at all…

There is a nail polish you can buy from shoppers drug mart… I used on my son when he was 4 to stop biting his nails… I think since then I’ve only seen him biting his nails maybe once or twice( the nail polish tastes terrible!) works very well tho! He’s going to be 7 this year.

Ummm when i was like 15 my boyfriend bit his nails constantly and i told him if he kept biting his nails he would get worms and he actually believed me.

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Bitter nail polish … if u put some on his nails and he tastes it he’ll say yuck cause it’s pretty bitter n tastes nasty

The only solution I’ve found in my 27 years is to have my nails done… not just painted but having acrylics on. I have tired everything else :woman_facepalming:t2: some people are just nail biters.

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Look up teething jewelry Or teething toys, There made for people with autism.
Or maybe a fidget toy probably found in the same place.
You have to change his fixation from his fingers to something else.

The remedy for this when I was a kid was hot sauce or some kind of nasty tasting nail polish that was just awful and made for this purpose.

I bought my daughter a Lego shaped sensory necklace made for chewing on. It definitely helped with the chewing on her nails

I had the same issue as a kid and into adult years. One day I just stopped. I tried everything to stop and nothing worked for me. Then one day I got into nail polish art. Its been about 4-5 years since breaking the bad habit. My nails are strong now.

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The only way I keep myself from biting my nail is to paint them. But then instead of biting them I peel the paint off

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I’m 30 and still bite my nails! He won’t stop unless he wants to. It really is a nervous habit. I picked mine up from my momma at a young age. It took my mom YEARS(she was in her 40s) to stop biting hers. I stopped once before but picked it back up. It truly is a hard habit to break!!!

Dip his fingers in vinegar

Fidget toys work wonders for things like this!

They say try bottler nail polish but didn’t work for me. I’ll eat that off but you can try it. I’ll always bite my nails. Even if I do them, I’ll bite them and I’m not into having fake nails and stuff, those irritate me. It’s a hard habit to break and usually it’s a habit the person has to break themselves.

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I had to get my daughter clear nail polish. It’s called no more biting and has a nasty taste. Since it’s clear it could work for your son.

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He could have an anxiety disorder. That’s usually where these ticks come from. I used to just sit and twirl my hair.

It’s an ADHD symptom…

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I still bite my nails I’m 29 :confused:

Get him a fidget toy

We had to use a nail biting polish. It tastes s horrible. I even had to use it as an adult and I stopped biting my nails. It did stop our son from biting. He was around the same age too.
Of course he is now 12 and bites his nails again now because his dad also does and they both claim “we are men we don’t need nails getting dirt and stuff under them”

Sensory necklace! Amazon has many choices. My 7yr old was very similar & did it while watching tv or at school etc. He used to chew fingers or his shirts but the chewing necklaces really have helped him alot. Also fidget toys helped as well! We have many of those too. Something to keep hands busy!

I’m 29 n still bite my nails, my dad is 50 n still bites his nails lol so bad he almost has no nails lol ive tried breaking the habit myself but nothing I do works lol ive even tried putting fake nails on n I just bite those until they eventually fall off haha

get him a chewy it’s a great stim option. I bought two necklace versions off an autism stimulant option site and my kids love them. it’s that or they put their mouths on everything or everything in their mouths lol

He needs to keep his fingers busy. Not his mouth.

It’s a sign of anexity

My daughter used to do this soo bad. She was around 2/3 and ended up having surgery on her finger as it almost turned black due to an infected nail. They managed to save the nail etc and it’s fine now but after that I bought ‘nail the habit’. I dipped her fingers in it twice & she never bit them again. She was sick the first time she tried to bite them as they tasted so disgusting

Im 29 and still bite mine and my dad in his 60s still does his are chewed short

You could try chew or fidget toys or the nail stuff that tastes bad however hes likely to need to grow out of it himself

You can get chewable toys online, they’ve helped a few people I know stop biting their nails :slight_smile:

Recommended sensory toys to keep the hands busy like poppits etc

We used an extra strength nail polish that taste like crap. It worked!! My daughter stopped. I got it off Amazon for 10$ I believe

Definitely a sign of nervousness and/or anxiety. Id give him some kind of sensory toy. The figetpops are a biig hit right now!!

So there’s a few things I did. Clear coat nail polish to make them stronger, paint nail polish to chip off instead of picking my nails, soaking my fingers in hot sauce so I wouldn’t bite them and a fidget cube because whenever my hands were idle I’d pick at my nails

One of old bosses had that habit also, she found these nail polish that tasted like vinegar or something disgusting (it was a couple years back so don’t remember) throughout work we can hear her gagging :joy: & her nails started to grow. Maybe look into that.

For any females that has a nail biting problem (if you get your nails done) try dip! I’ve been having them for 2yrs now and it works. I’ve tried and I cannot bite them off.

I bought my kids adhd chewing toys on Amazon. Helped a little bit. Definitely helped in school.

I’m 28 and if I don’t have my nails done I bite them. I can’t help myself no matter how hard I try. I didn’t know it was a huge deal. I know it’s anxiety based but not something that was ever brought up to my doctors.

They have sensory toys made for biting you can try. They have all sorts of textures and shapes. That way he’s not eating food but he can give his mouth the sensory effects of biting.

Maybe give him a few items he can fidget with? He can keep something small in his pocket and use that instead of biting. Even an emery board cut in half stowed in his pocket is useful. Show him how he can smooth jagged nails that might trigger nail biting.

I have picked/bit my cuticles for as long as I can remember. I don’t think there was a way to stop me from doing it. I have gotten a lot better with it as I have gotten older. But I still do it. My husband and father are both nail biters too.

They make a nail biting polish. It’s really nasty. If he tries biting his nails he will taste it and won’t want to bite his nails anymore

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There’s a product called THUM, you can paint it on his nails and it makes them taste horrible so they no longer want to bite them.
I had to do this to my son when he was about 5.

I used to be a nail biter until I was fed up with my hands. I used nail polish so it tasted terrible if I bit them. You could probably use a clear coat and see if that works

There’s a “nail polish” that is clear and tastes bitter when it is put in your mouth. My mom had me use that when I was young. I still bite the skin around my nails when I’m anxious or stressed, but I no longer bite the nails. I usually bite my skin/nails when there’s something sticking up, because I can’t stand the feeling of something not feeling smooth or uniform on my skin. I think it’s a form of OCD.

The only reason I was able to stop was because I got braces I’ve always had so much anxiety when I was young after my mom was killed and I had issues with bullying and a lot of other things at school it’s just something I got into and couldn’t quit doing til I was middle school age when I had to get braces then I couldn’t anymore

For my daughter she has ADHD and anxiety so we do 2 things, she chews gum a lot and then I also after trying every other way I could think of to disrupt the habit, I got her the nail polish that tastes nasty it’s the only thing that consistently works to keep her fingers out of her mouth

Maybe try fidget toys or something to keep his hands busy:) I was a nail biter I use acrylic nails too keep me from doing it. I know thats not an option but i hope you find what works for you

Anxiety. I still do this as an adult. Try fidget spinners or some sort of sensory toy. Amazon has a ton! My kid picks his scabs, so we got him a bunch and now he doesn’t pick them as much.

I’m 31 and still find myself doing it when I’m bored. This is the first year I have successfully grown my nails out and now keep them painted. Sketching is what helps me. Sometimes my hands just need to be busy, and my mind needs to be focused. Sketching seems to ground me so I do think fidgets would be a good option to try.

I’m biting my nails as I’m reading this! The nail biting polish helped a little bit once, but any significant stressful event will cause me to bite again!

There’s this nail polish that you can use on him. It’s suppose to stop kids from sucking their thumb but it also helps with nail biting. It tastes awful

I’m 35. Tried everything nothing works. If I get my nails done, I can go up to several months. However that becomes expensive and I still pick at my fake nails.

Nail polish, I chip off.
Hot sauce, sorry i love spicy things. :grin:

Getting enough sleep helps a little :sleeping:

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