Biting issues?

Question

My 6 year old son bites and peels the skin on his fingers tips (sometimes they bleed). It is now to the point that they hurt him if he touches things. He tried to eat something today and cried because it burned his fingers. Is there any suggestions to help me with getting him to stop. I would hate for him to get an infection or scar his fingers. I have talked to the doctor and he just said that it is a nervous tick that he will outgrow.

Answer 1

put band aids over them

Answer 2

I'm 21 and still do it to some extent...I don't bite my nails...just the skin on the sides...it really is nerves. When I was younger, my mother set goals for me. She would check my fingers every night and if I hadn't chewed, I'd get a reward. Sometimes it was a Popsicle, a really cool sticker, or a few m&m's...I "grew out of it" until I started college...haha then it all fell apart! You're right to worry about infections on his fingers, but there are also risks for germs (more than usual) being introduced into his mouth... Good luck!

Answer 3

figure out why is he bitting....then maybe you can nip it in the bud. Some people bit there nails because they are stressed but a little kid shouldn't be stressed

Answer 4

I would get something to put on his fingers to stop the behavior before he gets too old and is unable to stop.

I'm 23 and I've bitten my fingernails, cuticles, and the skin around the nails for years. As of lately, I've been unable to stop. Some say it's a nervous habit, but I wish my parents would've stopped it when I was a child. :( Some say it's OCD as well, or an oral fixation. I might ask my dentist if there's a way I can stop. Sometimes my fingers bleed, or hurt for a couple of days. I've been forced to bandage fingers before as well because I bit the skin too much and it got too thin and began to bleed.

Good luck! I'd definitely talk to him about it and see if you can get some of that nasty tasting anti-fingernail biting stuff for him.

:)

Answer 5

Im 12 and i still pick at my finger tips sometimes. and bite it but not that dramiticly. Tell him to stop when you see him and say youll hurt yourself if you do it again

Answer 6

Tell him the reason he is hurting is because of what he did to his fingers, tell him the NEXT time you catch him  biting his fingers and peeling the skin, your going to make his butt match his fingers.