Not all biters are the same – some do it all the time, others do it only occasionally; some stop at once, others stop temporarily and after some time they resume it. The worst is that nail biting occurs spontaneously and subconsciously, so it is more difficult to control it. The good news is that there are many psychological and medical ways to remind yourself or your children that nail biting is not something nice

Probable Reasons For Biting

Nervousness

This is a common cause especially in teens. The stress if school and the statis of their social life can usually be blamed.

Boredom

This can affect any age group. You find yourself with nothing to do and before you know it, you start nibbling.

Comfort

This reason is the likely cause for young children. They have gone through the pacifier stage or thumb sucking stage and have progressed to the nails.

Quick Tips

There are lots of ways to discourage nail biting. Here are some of the most interesting tricks:-

A Tennis Ball:

Keeping the hands occupied was another trick that often worked. It seems that if the hands had something to do, the nails were left alone.

Chew Gum:

This actually makes sense. If you are busy chewing gum, you are less likely to nibble.

Keeping Them Polished:

It seems that nails that have been groomed will slow down the urge to bite. It might have something to do with the sudden improvement in the appearance of the nails.

Paint Them Nasty:

There are products still on the market that you paint onto the nails and the nasty taste is supposed to make you quit.

The Bribe:

Give them reward. If your teen is a girl then offer a special manicure if she quits nail biting by a specific date.

Don't make them feel guilty for nail biting. Only encourage otherwise they will never be able to give up this habit and you as parents have to get used to it