Comments on: A 3-Year-Old’s Annoying Habit: Nail Picking. Can It Be Stopped? http://babyshrink.com/2008/05/a-3-year-olds-a.html Child and parent development by licensed psychologist, Dr. Heather. Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:24:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: grace http://babyshrink.com/2008/05/a-3-year-olds-a.html/comment-page-1#comment-4490 grace Sun, 13 Nov 2011 01:38:42 +0000 http://babyshrink.com/2008/05/a-3-year-olds-annoying-habit-nail-picking-can-it-be-stopped.html#comment-4490 I could have written this post myself! I was looking for an answer to why my daughter has been picking at her nails. She mostly does it at night when we are reading books together - when it's hardest to ignore it :-) Anyway - thanks for the comments - since it's no big deal I will try to ignore it. That grating pick pick pick.... :-) I could have written this post myself! I was looking for an answer to why my daughter has been picking at her nails. She mostly does it at night when we are reading books together – when it’s hardest to ignore it :-)
Anyway – thanks for the comments – since it’s no big deal I will try to ignore it. That grating pick pick pick…. :-)

]]> By: BabyShrink http://babyshrink.com/2008/05/a-3-year-olds-a.html/comment-page-1#comment-380 BabyShrink Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:15:44 +0000 http://babyshrink.com/2008/05/a-3-year-olds-annoying-habit-nail-picking-can-it-be-stopped.html#comment-380 HI DYLAN: No, you were right to intervene. It's different when the habit is hurtful in some way. For this habit in particular, I have often seen the application of vaseline to help. Very low-tech, but often just enough to ease the discomfort and cut back on the picking. But I would also ask the pediatician any time there is a habit that could be harmful. HI DYLAN:
No, you were right to intervene. It’s different when the habit is hurtful in some way. For this habit in particular, I have often seen the application of vaseline to help. Very low-tech, but often just enough to ease the discomfort and cut back on the picking. But I would also ask the pediatician any time there is a habit that could be harmful.

]]> By: amy http://babyshrink.com/2008/05/a-3-year-olds-a.html/comment-page-1#comment-379 amy Thu, 29 May 2008 01:06:35 +0000 http://babyshrink.com/2008/05/a-3-year-olds-annoying-habit-nail-picking-can-it-be-stopped.html#comment-379 Kim, If it's any help, I'll offer this: I am a hair puller, and when my daughter was about 1.5-3, I noticed she started stroking her own hair at bedtime story time. I think it turned out that she was looking for a self-soothing behavior, but I think hair wasn't it because she doesn't do it now (at age 4). Instead, she is a compulsive fabric straightener and smoother. (Still tactile, which is interesting to me since she has tactile issues.) She simply must fuss with her blankets and jammies while I read to her. I offer this because I used to do what Dr. Heather suggested: handing my daughter different things to fiddle with to keep her hands busy but out of her hair. Dr. Heather's right - no item lasted long. It did, however, alleviate my stress over it because I felt like I was doing something when in reality I was just sort of killing time until my daughter found the self-soothing behavior she needed. As long as she's not injuring of disfiguring herself, it should be reassuring to you that she feels so safe with you that she'll indulge in self-soothing in front of you. Kim,
If it’s any help, I’ll offer this:
I am a hair puller, and when my daughter was about 1.5-3, I noticed she started stroking her own hair at bedtime story time. I think it turned out that she was looking for a self-soothing behavior, but I think hair wasn’t it because she doesn’t do it now (at age 4). Instead, she is a compulsive fabric straightener and smoother. (Still tactile, which is interesting to me since she has tactile issues.) She simply must fuss with her blankets and jammies while I read to her.

I offer this because I used to do what Dr. Heather suggested: handing my daughter different things to fiddle with to keep her hands busy but out of her hair. Dr. Heather’s right – no item lasted long. It did, however, alleviate my stress over it because I felt like I was doing something when in reality I was just sort of killing time until my daughter found the self-soothing behavior she needed.

As long as she’s not injuring of disfiguring herself, it should be reassuring to you that she feels so safe with you that she’ll indulge in self-soothing in front of you.

]]> By: Dylan http://babyshrink.com/2008/05/a-3-year-olds-a.html/comment-page-1#comment-378 Dylan Tue, 27 May 2008 10:39:53 +0000 http://babyshrink.com/2008/05/a-3-year-olds-annoying-habit-nail-picking-can-it-be-stopped.html#comment-378 My daughter is 6 1/2 and she's been picking her lips for years. It's really annoying because she can make them bleed and look horrible. It has been better lately, but we didn't feel we could let it go because she was actually hurting herself (even if it didn't appear to bother her particularly). Should we have left it alone? My daughter is 6 1/2 and she’s been picking her lips for years. It’s really annoying because she can make them bleed and look horrible. It has been better lately, but we didn’t feel we could let it go because she was actually hurting herself (even if it didn’t appear to bother her particularly). Should we have left it alone?

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