Kid toenails

[konapoppy]

Are your kid’s toenails a mess, or is it just mine? I don’t know if I am doing something wrong - bad shoes, wrong size, bad something.

[lilac05]

One of my boys has toenails that essentially curl back into their toes. It’s been that way since he was a newborn. I actually don’t know what they do anymore, as he’s too old to need me to cut his toenails, but they’ve never been a problem. I always tried to keep them short.

[momin2013]

I think my kid’s look fine, but tagging onto this - how old when they should be able to cut their own? DS is going on 10 and we’ve had him try to cut his fingernails before and it’s been a fail; he just can’t seem to hold them properly (still using his baby cutters, which I think have a decent handle on them?). Do we need to try a different type, or just wait longer?

[lilac05]

Dec 11, 2022 19:04:34 GMT -5 momin2013 said:

I think my kid’s look fine, but tagging onto this - how old when they should be able to cut their own? DS is going on 10 and we’ve had him try to cut his fingernails before and it’s been a fail; he just can’t seem to hold them properly (still using his baby cutters, which I think have a decent handle on them?). Do we need to try a different type, or just wait longer?

I think my youngest started when he was around 8.5? I still check every once in awhile to make sure he’s doing a decent job. I think he’s on the younger side of it, though. All kids and families vary so greatly on both fine motor skills and on goals/expectations for independence.

You might want to try an adult clippers the next time. They’re generally bigger and might be easier for him to hold correctly. The pair we have is actually from when I was a kid, and it has a little silicone cover over the handle, which keeps it from slipping. (Also keeps it from getting lost as it looks so different from others!)

[redheadk]

DDs are fine now but she is on pointe so has a strong incentive to keep them properly maintained. She started cutting them herself around the time she turned 10.

[urbancowgirl]

Yes! DS’s looked terrible until he was 5 or so. DD’s are messed up, too. We wear a variety of shoes, so I don’t think it’s that. I chalked it up to them running and falling all the time. 🤷‍♀️

[gerberdaisy]

Yes, both of my kids have had weird toenails since they were born. They curl back into their toes, its really weird and hard to cut them. Just keep hoping they'll somehow grow out of it?

[icedcoffee]

Yes--kids toenails are nasty and weird shaped.

[brooke77]

Yes! They peel and break. I also thought it was his shoes, but glad to know it’s normal.

[186momx]

DD breaks her toenails all the time usually at gymnastic practice. I still cut her nails most of the time because she tends to cut them too short or at funky angles. She also broke her big toenail really far down and has been dealing with an infection/ingrown nail as it grows out.

[waverly]

DS is mostly fine. DD stubbed her toes and has little breaks in her big toenail on both sides (stubbed both toes). It is growing out though, so I'm just leaving it alone and hoping it just grows out and doesn't actually come apart which it hasn't so far.  DD and DS both try to cut their nails, and I might occasionally fix it for them, ages 10 and 12. 

[shauni27]

Dec 11, 2022 18:18:48 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

One of my boys has toenails that essentially curl back into their toes. It’s been that way since he was a newborn. I actually don’t know what they do anymore, as he’s too old to need me to cut his toenails, but they’ve never been a problem. I always tried to keep them short.

Dec 12, 2022 8:49:04 GMT -5 gerberdaisy said:

Yes, both of my kids have had weird toenails since they were born. They curl back into their toes, its really weird and hard to cut them. Just keep hoping they'll somehow grow out of it?

My son's do this too, if they are not broken or peeling. Makes it tricky to cut them, so I try to stay on top of it.

gerberdaisy My husband's toenails are the same way, so for us, I know that it is not something he will grow out of.

[achi]

Yup, both my kids have odd toenails. Some peel, some curl back into their toes which makes trimming a pain. But both of them seem to think I'm trying to absolutely murder them when I trim their nails and it's often a two-parent job with a lot of bribery.

[browneyedgirl9]

Both of my son's have toenails that curl into their toes and they also peel. They are always a mess! DS1 is almost 9 and is no where near being able to do it himself. He is still making a big scene when I try and trim them! Ugh!

[CloudBee]

Signing in to say that my son's are also a strange shape, but are starting to look more like my own. Even when kept short they tend to grow in a curled direction down the front of his toe. It's been happening since he was a pre-walker. So strange!

[konapoppy]

Thank you all for making. Me feel better! My kids also pick at their toenails which makes it worse.