For a solid month, most new parents regularly look on in a bemused way as their baby’s nails grow at an exponential rate. People tell us to take a good look at their kids’ nails as they grow; at the end of our first day with our new baby, I knew right away the only thing we could distract our beloved infant with was a mini trampoline. Even a mom of old-timey French manicures should have benefited from the occasional spot of laser correction. Well, rest assured that it’s in your hands now: unless you have superpowers, you cannot stop your babies from growing their talons. At least, you couldn’t when I was a baby, unless you count the teddy bear I was wearing on the trampoline.
According to Dr. Christiane Ferfres, pediatrician and co-director of the newborn services program at Ingalls Memorial Health Center, New Orleans, trimming them is the best way to prevent overgrowth and excessive upkeep. And just for good measure, don’t forget that thin cuticles cause sensitive skin and skin-deep cracks in the nails, a common condition known as cuticle tenderness.
Dr. Ferfres shared the five tips she often sees mothers follow to help slow down baby’s nail growth and achieve a nice, neat set of fingers:
1. Use Tiny Nail Clippers
“There are different types of clippers for different nail lengths, depending on the start of the nail’s growth. When I’m delivering babies, my first order of business is cutting the baby’s fingernails.” The larger the nail, the quicker the process of trimming.
“When I’m delivering babies, my first order of business is cutting the baby’s fingernails.”
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2. Avoid Toys
“After bringing your baby home, you should take a flashlight and point it in the baby’s diaper area. The light will allow you to see the size of the nails. A toy with too many holes, or it can give the baby an infection by rubbing bacteria on the nail bed. Use thin nail clippers if you want to make a manicure. If it’s too long for you to reach them, put a baby carrier on it, so your baby won’t walk into it. Just remove the nails at the table with your tools, not your child.”
3. Pay Attention to Elbows
“When your baby is little, see if he’s bent the right way. Remember that elbows are the place where the mom connects with the child, and baby is giving you a thumbs up. If your elbows are bent the wrong way, get your manicurist or nurse or sit down, and say, ‘I need these extra-long nails.’ Instead of applying sunscreen, or using water, take out the nail file and make five centimeter cuts across the nails.”
4. Don’t Let Them Continue Growing
“Since the baby has never used nail clippers, he will take his first few to a 2 1/2 to 3 cm length. After that, the nail grows to a 3.5 cm length. If you want an even better manicure, there’s no need to be overly manicured; it can look unnatural if the nails are too long. There are products out there to cut extra nails, like a nail enhancer, that work by cutting the nail length to 3 cm.
“If you want an even better manicure, there’s no need to be overly manicured; it can look unnatural if the nails are too long. There are products out there to cut extra nails, like a nail enhancer, that work by cutting the nail length to 3 cm.”
5. Prolong All Nails
“Don’t stop after 3 cm. If you cut longer than that and you don’t let it grow back, the beauty tips have a couple of rules: one, let the nail grow all the way back. And two, don’t remove the top layers of color first, but wait for the second layer of color. With the second layer, color’s black, and if you get rid of the color with one mark, you’ll do a third marking and get away with it. You want black or all black, or if you’re going with base color, give the nail a little bit of color, like if you use crayons. It’s best to allow the nail to grow up in layers, but not two layers. Once you have it growing, you want to let it grow back as well.”
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