Clipping Your Baby or Toddler's Fingernails

Clipping your baby or toddler's nails can be both nerve-wracking and frustrating. Clipping a small baby's nails causes parents anxiety over accidentally nipping a tiny finger, while wrangling a wiggly toddler to clip his nails can be nearly impossible. Keeping your baby or toddler's nails trimmed, however, is important to keep them from accidentally scratching themselves. Here are some tips for clipping the delicate nails of your little one.

Use special nail clippers. There are nail clippers available that are designed specifically for cutting the small nails of babies and toddlers. These nail clippers are smaller and often have an ergonomic handle that makes clipping the nails of someone else (as opposed to your own) much easier. Sometimes these nail clippers even come in fun designs which may help to entertain your toddler while you clip her nails.

Try the old biting method. Particularly for newborns and young babies, simply biting their nails can be easier and just as effective as using conventional nail clippers. Newborn nails are very soft and are often easy to nibble off. Just make sure that you wash your baby's hands before you try biting the nails. Not only will this help to soften the nail, it will also remove any bacteria that could be under your baby's nails: something you definitely don't want to ingest.

Employ distraction. Some toddlers are too fidgety to get their nails clipped or are frightened that it will hurt. Using some good old distraction may be the key to clipping your toddler's nails. Put a favorite DVD or TV show in to watch, have daddy make some silly faces, or blow some bubbles. Choose something that will be sure to hold your toddler's attention for the few minutes needed to clip each nail.

Make a promise. Another tactic that may work well for your toddler is to promise something special if he sits still for his nail clipping. A special snack, a TV show, or a trip to the park is worthwhile if it gets your little guy to sit still long enough to clip his nails.

Try pulling. A final method that may work for younger babies and newborns is to simply pull their nails off. This sounds awful at first, but many young babies have very soft nails that will gently pull away once they grow beyond the very end of the finger. Try gently pulling your newborn's long nails off while she is nursing, a time when she is likely to be too occupied to care.