What to Bring When You Go Nail Polish Shopping

1. You Will Need To Nail Down Your Baby’s Nail Colour Before It’s Too Late

If you’re not sure which nail polish color or polish sets you want to use, start with a round of comparison and testing with some of your friends. If you’re settled on a color, then consider helping your baby when she’s young. If you bring out nail polish from the baby’s handbag and don’t like what you see, ask her to put her hand on it. If you have that one great color from her handbag with or without a matching set for you to match, you’ll be set with a nail polish for your first nail. As a busy new mom, I’m sure you’ll want your baby’s nail color from her handbag at least, if not for a little taste of your own personal nail polish, you’re going to need a cuticle pen, and she’s going to need to wear your cuticle pen when you get to them.

2. A Nail Brusher That Can Also Dab on Her Teeth Can Be Helpful

Before getting started, check to see if your baby has had any chronic infections that would make her skin puffy or rough and gray in spots. If that’s the case, stop right there because if she does have any chronic infections, you may need to rub some massage oil over her, unless she’s already wearing a mask. (I’m working on the perfect way to do that, but you’ll have to wait for the introduction.) Once you find a simple foot massager that also works as a nail cream remover or nail polish remover, you can just put a small amount into a little bit of polish remover to help her to smooth it out around her toenails. (Or, if you’re serious about nail polish, waxing and massaging can also help, like on your fingernails.) Once you try it, she won’t want to go anywhere without it — and if you have a particularly rough cuticle, a drop of nail polish remover will help it to become soft.

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3. When You Meet Your Little Magician At Home

A friend of mine who was previously working with a chain of nail salons shared that when she was pregnant, a stylist mistook one of her heels for a regular manicure. He would go back to give her the manicure again one day, and when she saw his feet, she knew exactly what he was wearing. Another friend’s daughter, age three, had a habit of always putting nail polish on her fingers and creating sloppy results. In both of these instances, I would suggest contacting the salon where you had your experience and checking whether other moms have any issues with this practice. I’m trying not to go too overboard on it, but I’ll definitely add a little menthol candle to my baby’s room with the goal of improving her nap pattern. In the future, please use personal examples and make sure that whatever you use for your nails is a good quality product (please, don’t use nail polish remover with nail polish on).

4. Ask Your Baby About Her Eyes

Depending on what kind of eye makeup you’ve decided she’ll be wearing for her newborn photos, it’s a good idea to ask her what she’s using or thinking about using for them. If you find out that she’s wearing a bold lip or eye color from the nursery, be sure to use that for yourself. Or, if your daughter is going to be wearing blue eyeliner or pink eyeliner, let her choose what she’s going to wear. But, the point is, is to ask. This may be awkward, but before you put a pair of nails on her — or around her — you should ask her for color cues about what she’s going to be wearing to your photo shoot.

5. She’s Going to Want You to Make Her Nails Look Perfect When She’s Older

Once the kid is older, even if your baby doesn’t care that you color her nails, you may not want to hurt the nail bed and shorten her nails. (She’ll stop reading our advice, by the way, I promise.) In the meantime, take the time to make sure that her nails are tender and healthy and don’t have any tough splotches of hairspray or anything that might end up leaving nails longer or with a longer cold crust around them.

These tips are the most recent of The New Working Mom’s 5 Tips on How to Cut Your Baby’s Nails: Buy a Nail Brush Every Little Girl Needs for Her Mom; Make Nail Polish Stick in Colors and Effects Your Baby Likes, Not Clumpy Shampoo; Paint Your Baby’s Little Nails on Her Birthday; and cut your baby’s nails. If you’re ready to ask an expert, give us a call.