Sudden nail biting

amother

Sun, Jun 27 2021, 8:23 pm

My child suddenly started biting his nails. out of the blue. He doesn't look upset or disturbed more like he discovered a bad habit. he came to me smiling to tell me look I bit my nail. it's becoming more often and I'm don't want it to develop into a full blown nail biting situation.
Any tips?

banana split

Sun, Jun 27 2021, 9:24 pm

You can buy a bitter tasting clear polish on Amazon if you want to nip it in the bud. Or you can ignore and hope it goes away. But talking about it will probably make it worse Sad

good luck
Edited to make butter say bitter

amother

Bellflower

Sun, Jun 27 2021, 10:15 pm

NAC has been shown in small studies to help with body focused repetitive behaviors. Pharmanac is the best form, the others oxidize really quickly and lose their potency. Gaba is also a good supplement for this. You may also want to treat for pinworms and other intestinal parasites, many parents report compulsive nail biting with parasites and that it resolves when they treat that. Personally, we see reduction in nail biting when we treat for strep.