I don't know if your child has the habit of biting his nails, eating his hands, and biting the tip of a pencil?
For a while, my daughter was addicted to biting her nails and couldn't extricate herself.
Every time I tried to cut her nails, I found that her nails were always gnawed clean and didn't need to be trimmed at all.
I asked my friends around me and found that many people said that their children either eat their hands or bite their nails, and they can't change what they say.
There is also a child of a friend who has been biting his nails since kindergarten, and his fingers are biting off the skin and still not changing.
Why do children like to bite their nails?
What will happen to children who "bite their nails" when they grow up? You can't escape the 4 endings, don't be careless.
One: Children who like to bite their nails
Children who like to bite their nails generally do so for several reasons.
●Before 3 years of age
Before the age of 3, it is normal for children to like to eat their hands because they use their hands and mouth to explore the world.
Freud called this phenomenon the "oral period", and we don't need to stop it.
●缺锌
Sometimes, children will gnaw their nails because of zinc deficiency, and if parents are not at ease, they can take them for a check-up.
I took my daughter to the doctor before, and the doctor suggested that the baby should be given zinc supplements.
● Psychological causes
There are many children who still bite their nails after the age of 3, which may be caused by psychological factors.
For example, in terms of socialization, learning, and family, children encounter frustration, pressure, insecurity and other emotions.
He didn't know how to alleviate these bad emotions, so he bit his nails to release his uneasiness.
A survey once showed that 45% of children would gnaw their nails because they were "nervous".
If the child reaches the age of 4 or 5 and still bites his nails at every turn, we can see if the child has been under psychological pressure recently.
Two: You can't escape 4 endings
If a child forms the habit of biting his nails and can't get rid of it, he will generally have the following outcomes when he grows up.
(1) Sickness
Children's hands will come into contact with many things, especially nails, which may leave a lot of bacteria.
If your child likes to bite his nails, these bacteria can enter his or her body through his mouth and affect his or her health.
Previously, a 9-year-old girl in Wuhan suffered from long-term nail gnawing and eventually led to osteomyelitis.
So, don't look at the small action of biting your nails, the harm is still quite big, let's not be careless.
(2) Affect appearance
Many people say that the hand is the "second face" of a person.
A pair of slender and fair-skinned hands can add a lot of points to the appearance. And if the child's face is good-looking, when he stretches out his hand, it is pitted, which will seriously affect the appearance.
Moreover, long-term nail biting will also affect the development of teeth and cause crooked teeth.
Not only that, nail biting may also affect the growth of the jaw, which in turn affects the development of the entire facial bones.
Originally, the child was very good-looking, but if the jaw protruded or retracted due to nail biting, the child's appearance would drop several levels, which is a pity!
(3) Low self-esteem
Children are usually unscrupulous, and when they see a child with a pit in his hands, they may laugh at him, give him a nickname, or even ostracize him.
Over time, children may become more and more inferior, less and less talkative, and gradually dislike to play with friends.
(4) Psychological problems
According to the Pediatric Neurology Symposium, a child's nail biting may be a way of sensory self-regulation.
That is to say, when a child bites his nails, the most important thing is that he is anxious and uneasy. And biting their nails can make them feel soothed and produce a good feeling.
If his heart has not been soothed and the pressure has not been released, then over time, psychological problems may occur.
When these children grow up, they will develop the following conditions.
● Foodie
We will find that some people are not hungry, but they just want to eat non-stop. This may be the habit that was formed as a child, using food to relieve stress.
●Smoking, drinking, nagging and complaining
There are also some people who don't eat snacks but use smoking and drinking to release stress. Or just nagging and using your mouth to relieve tension.
Three: Try these methods
Studies have shown that 50% of children will still gnaw their nails after the age of 3, and 23% of them will still be unable to bite their nails when they grow up.
We don't want our child to have this bad habit all the time in the future, so how can we help him?
✔Before the age of 3
Children before the age of 3, if we feel unhygienic, do not want to let him gnaw his nails. Then we can give him some hard fruits and biscuits.
For example, apples, teething biscuits, or teething sticks, which will also make his mouth chew non-stop.
✔After the age of 3
After the age of 3, we need to pay more attention to the psychological state of the child, and usually have nothing to talk to the child and listen to their thoughts.
He could be academic pressure, the pressure of making friends, or the anxiety of being separated from his mother.
We can give him more hugs, or tell the child that he can go to his parents if he has any difficulties, and we will always be there for him.
With the support of parents, the child's sense of insecurity will be much reduced.
✔ Alternative approaches
A mother once shared her son's solution to nail biting.
She told her son that biting her nails was a bad habit and needed to be stopped.
The son didn't ask on the ground, why?
His mother told him that biting his nails would make his hands look ugly, and that his favorite friends might not want to do crafts with him.
When my son heard this, what should he do? Mom, you're going to have to watch it for me.
After that, as long as his son gnawed his nails, he would subconsciously put his hand back, and he was not disgusted in the face of his family's reminders.
✔ Ask a professional
If the child's nail biting is very serious, then we should still take the child to ask the doctor, listen to the doctor's professional advice, and give the child appropriate guidance and help.
Does your child bite his nails? What do you usually do?
[The picture comes from the Internet, invaded and deleted]