I really want to cut my preschool students nails....

mummiedearest

Tue, Mar 11 2014, 4:30 pm

basic hygiene is keeping the nails clean. long nails do not always mean dirty. letting a kid have long nails does not mean they are not taken care of, nor does it mean tiptoeing around children. it means that the kid has longer nails than some other moms approve of. too bad. as a child, I avoided having my nails cut as much as possible. when I got them cut, the skin right above the nail tingled when it came into contact with something. I still keep my nails long. I don't cut them all the way down to the nail bed. I keep them nicely shaped, and I clean them. I've been cleaning them myself since I was a small child. a kid who doesn't like having that skin come into contact with anything will be equally uncomfortable with dirt lodged in a nail. btw, I've had friends ask me how my nails look so bright white. they think I get french manicures. I tell them I keep the nails clean. dirty nails look gross.

I would also like to point out that any nails allowed to grow beyond the nail bed has the potential to harbor dirt. shorter may be easier to clean, but there is just as much chance of a short-nailed preschooler scratching his rear and touching someone as there is a long-nailed preschooler. same germ contact. and since most morahs are not going to have the kids wash their hands every five minutes, these germs are going to be spread anyway.

as for the scratching issue, short nails can be just as sharp as long. filing may help somewhat, but a scratch is a scratch is a scratch. a kid who routinely has short nails can figure out how to scratch dangerously if s/he wants to.

imaima

Tue, Mar 11 2014, 4:36 pm

mummiedearest wrote:

Somehow, I don't have the impression that OP means she has a child whose nails are always trimmed short. They are just plain long and noone cares.

mummiedearest

Tue, Mar 11 2014, 5:32 pm

imaima wrote:

Somehow, I don't have the impression that OP means she has a child whose nails are always trimmed short. They are just plain long and noone cares.

I got that. I was explaining to those who feel that long nails are unhygienic that they are not necessarily so. and yes, my kids nails are long most of the time. I cut them when they become too long by my definition, which is definitely different than the op's definition. I'm one of those parents who just doesn't care that her kids' nails are long. that doesn't mean they are dirty, and it doesn't mean I don't care about hygiene.

amother

Tue, Mar 11 2014, 5:44 pm

op here- Thanks for all your responses!! For now I am just ignoring it . I asked some fellow Morahs and all told me to just ignore it. They are 4 year old girls so they don't scratch each other.

And btw I wrote that her nails are long and very dirty!! That is what is more disgusting then the length, each time I see it I just imagine the germs that are laying there!

Barbara

Tue, Mar 11 2014, 7:13 pm

MaBelleVie wrote:

CDC recommends keeping nails short http://www.cdc.gov/healthywate......html

They also recommend that all equipment be sterilized before use if used on multiple people. I didn't notice anyone reminding OP to do that.

If it really bothers OP, I recommend finger painting. Then after finger painting, make sure all the kids wash their hands really well, including removing dirt from under their nails.

amother

Tue, Mar 11 2014, 7:18 pm

Barbara wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions, though I live in Lakewood- they would probably throw me out if I tried that!

MaBelleVie

Tue, Mar 11 2014, 7:43 pm

Barbara wrote:

I very specifically advised OP not to undertake cutting herself.