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Nail biting is a common habit, but usually not a serious one for most children. Here are some tips to help your child stop this habit: (1)

1. The best thing you can do to help your child is to try to figure out why they are biting their nails. If your child is under a lot of stress, try to talk about what is bothering them and ways to handle those situations.
2. Don’t punish, shame or nag your child, This is going to cause them more stress and it may make them bite their nails even more.
3. Be gentle and supportive, and help your child deal with peers teasing.
4. Create a reward system. For example, establish sticker chart and mark off every day that your child doesn’t bite his nails. Once he collects a specific amount of stickers give him a reward like a trip to the park, or a manicure for girls.
5. Cutting long nails help some children. If there is nothing to bite on, they can't chew their nails.
6. Find a substitute and direct your child's attention away from the nail-biting. It may help if your child keeps their hands busy:
   • Eating crunchy celery, dried fruit or carrot sticks
   • Chewing a gum
   • Squeezing a stress ball in their pocket
   • Training with a musical instrument
   • Drawing and coloring in activity books
7. If you have an older child who wants to stop nail biting, help your child make a plan to break the habit. Let your child decide what might help him or her break the habit.
8. Some children benefit from wearing gloves or putting a bitter-tasting polish on the nails to remind them.

Dr. Bilal Dhayni

Pediatrician

^{(1) University of UTAH : https://healthcare.utah.edu/index.php}

^{(2) (https://www.verywellfamily.com )}