Children always like to bite their nails. It is not only a bad habit, but also a psychological problem.

We will find that many children around us like to bite their nails. Their nails are so bumpy and they never get tired of it. Even some adults have this bad habit. Excessive nail biting is common among children and young people. It is not only a bad habit, but also a psychological problem. Some parents tend not to pay much attention to their children's "bad habit" of biting their nails. However, if this "habit" is not corrected, it will last for a long time and cause great harm in the later stage.

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First of all, what are the possible reasons why children like to bite their nails?

1. Insecurity

Children's emotions are not fully developed yet, so they can easily feel insecure and chew their nails to relieve anxiety.

2. Personal habits

Many children don't like long nails, so they use their mouths as scissors and trim their nails by biting them.

3. Children are stressed and anxious

When children feel stressed or anxious in life or study, they may temporarily relieve themselves by biting their nails.

4. Boredom

Some children bite their nails unconsciously when they are bored or concentrating, such as thinking or watching TV.

5. Imitation

Children mostly like to imitate. If there happens to be someone in the family who loves to bite their nails and the child happens to see it, the child may imitate biting his nails and over time may develop a bad habit.

6. Symptoms of zinc deficiency

If children lack zinc, iron and other elements in their bodies, they will subconsciously bite their nails.

Nail biting may seem like a small matter, but it can be very harmful:

1. Damage to nails

Frequent nail biting will definitely harm the nails. When biting nails, the surface of the nails and the nail bed will become uneven. For some people whose nails are easily injured, the nails will be embedded in the surrounding tissues, causing redness, swelling, pain and even infection. At the same time, it will also form hangnails and even paronychia.

2. Oral problems

Children's hands come into contact with all kinds of dirt every day. Therefore, when children chew their nails, some bacteria and other microorganisms on the nails will enter the mouth and cause various oral problems, such as swollen and painful gums, bleeding gums, oral ulcers, etc.

3. Intestinal problems

When biting nails, the bacteria between the fingers enter the mouth, go down the esophagus into the intestines and stomach, and multiply in large numbers in the child's intestines, causing physical discomfort in the child. In severe cases, symptoms such as diarrhea and loss of appetite may occur.

4. Psychological problems

Children biting their nails may indicate that they are anxious, uneasy and lonely, and biting their nails is a way to release emotions. At the same time, children may also develop low self-esteem and sensitivity due to biting their nails, which may lead to a series of emotional and behavioral problems.

How to help children get rid of the bad habit of biting nails?

Many parents will apply bitter melon water, hot pepper water, etc. on their baby's fingers. This aversion therapy may be effective in the short term, but it is easy to relapse. It is recommended that parents try the following milder methods:

1. Distract Your Attention

The habit of biting nails in children should be overcome with patient persuasion and encouragement. You can divert their attention to things that make them stop biting their nails. For example, you can do handicrafts, play games, read books, play with your children, and guide them to make more friends and become more cheerful.

2. Trim your nails

Cut your child's nails in time and keep them short so that they have nothing to chew on. Some children may start chewing their nails because they want to trim their nails, so to help children break the habit of biting their nails, you must solve the problem from the root. Make sure to trim your child's nails every 2 to 3 days so that they have nothing to chew on.

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3. Don’t stop rudely

When you find your child biting his nails, distract them by starting a topic to attract their attention while gently moving their hand away from their mouth. Never hit or scold them, as this may cause greater psychological harm to the child or increase their desire to bite their nails.

4. Provide encouragement and appropriate rewards

Before the child goes to bed at night, you can encourage and reward the child for not biting his nails. Of course, it is recommended to use more mental rewards.

Nail biting can not only lead to bacterial infection of fingers and weaken the resistance, but may even affect the personality of children. Therefore, regardless of age and any reason, the habit of biting nails should be corrected in time to avoid forming a long-term habit.