How do you get your 5 year old to stop chewing their nails...?

My 5 year old son has recently (w/in the last 6 months) started chewing his nails constantly and on his sleeves. I have explained to him why it's not healty to put your hands in your mouth as well as not good for your teeth, etc...but nothing is working. Any advice or tips to get him to stop this bad habit is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!How do you get your 5 year old to stop chewing their nails...?
try putting tobasco sause on their nails...worked for several of my friends!!How do you get your 5 year old to stop chewing their nails...?
apparently no one saw my quick snipet of how to solve it, hmm, looks alot like this answer....could it be...yes...ITS THE SAME!

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put something non-toxic that smells/tastes unpleasant on the tips of his fingers.
I used to bite my nails all the way to HS. I didnt stop until one day, my grandma decided I need to start going to get manicures. Im thinking maybe groom his nails every week. It will show him how important they are.


My 4 year old used to do it, and I did that with him and my 3 year old daughter.


As for the biting sleeves, I think thats more of a nervous thing.


I cant stop my son from stretching out the collars.
You could dip the sleeves in vinegar (let them dry, of course, before he wears it) and you could put the ';No Bite'; polish on until he breaks the habit. Good luck.
One, you can't logically talk to a 5 year old. You can try. They just don't comprehend. Your child is displaying an anxiety problem and you need to get to the root of it. Are they having trouble in school with another kid, is there fighting going on at home, is there a life event that happened recently, is there a friend he has that does the same thing? Children mimic as well. I would not punish him for it. That could make things worse. He may be using it as an outlet. What may seem to be a small life event to you, a five year old may see as devastating. He could get passed it on his own. The more you take attention to it the more he will do it because he is at the age with the mentality of ';ok if I do this, I get attention'; I will keep doing it';.
my dad always threten to put chlie powder stuff....and he didnt...but i like chile powder...like lucus...otherwise dipp the fingers in lemon juce
i agree that its a form of stress relief, a nervous habit. Try to figure out why??
well i know my mom use to put like viger under my sis nails it made her stop biting on them.
You could put something that tastes bad on his nails and when he bites it, he will tastes the bad taste. For the sleeve, maybe it will work, but I don't know.
they make stuff they sell at walmart or sallys that tastes god awful when they put thier fingers in their mouths!
first off...quit lying to the kid...chewing his nails is NOT bad..won't do anything to his teeth and won't rot his stomach. ( I've heard it all...) nail chewing is a symptom of something else..So you have to determine whats going on thats stressing him out or making him antsy. ( trust me, it's either stress, abuse or something he can't handle right now.)


So take care of the underlying problem and you'll take care of the chewing...
i'm 24 and i STILL haven't stopped biting my nails. honestly, you should probably stop worrying about germs so much ... you're being overbearing.
Maybe just cut his nails as short as possible fairly often. If there's no nail to chew maybe he'll drop the habit?
In my experience with my own kids and kids at the preschool I work at, my first thought would be that he's teething new molars. Crunchy carrots, apples, etc. are good for helping with the teething, and maybe some Hyland's teething tablets. I had my wisdom teeth come in when I was 19, and I remember my gums itching deep inside and it drove me crazy, and chewing really did help calm the feeling down. If he wants to chew, give him a damp wash cloth whenever you see him starting to chew his shirt. Hope this helps!
umm, put sour lemons on his fingers? **** his nails everytime they look like there growing?
i wont suggest anything in this case because there is nothing wrong with that.
Bitter and spicy substances should work if you don't want him to look like he is wearing clear nail polish. Maybe just wipe his finger tips with a cotton ball soaked in nail polish remover a few times a day (the flavor sticks to your skin/nails and tastes horrible).





For his clothes, maybe soak the cuffs in something like vinegar and hang dry (not sure if that will damage the fabric, but try it on a play shirt). Hopefully it will be so gross that he stops.
there is some stuff that you can put on the nails like nail polish (but not nail polish) that tastes real bad for this very thing
Maybe try cutting his nails every couple of days.if theres no nail to bite then he will soon break the habit.Good luck.
So you know how little kids like to get like, you know, new stuff right? Get him some cool gloves, the knitted kind, and he'll want to wear them. He can't chew his fingernails if he has gloves on.
You could always treat him like Michael Jackson %26amp; tape them...but if public humiliation isn't your thing you might consider that bitter tasting polish you can purchase at the beauty supply store. Also, you could reward him when he doesn't- maybe a sticker or a special treat- and punish him when you see it happening.
tell him that santa is watching and no present for him
PAINT THEIR NAILS WITH TABASSCO SAUCE!