Brian Scissorhands
I’m not sure if it is the calcium in his milk or the size of his little fingers, but Brian’s fingernails grow at an astonishing rate. It doesn’t help that his little hands are always up by his face. I live in fear of him scratching himself on his eye. (I shudder just thinking about it.)
I prefer to cut his fingernails with clippers, but there are other ways. Cutting baby nails is tricky since the little one is unlikely to hold still just because you asked him to. I actually have the same problem with toddler nails, but that is easily solved with basic bribery.
To cut a baby’s nails, I…
1. Wait until he is sleeping and then cut at my leisure. This worked with Jake who was extremely fussy and slept on me all the time. This doesn’t work as well with Brian who doesn’t ever get a chance to fall asleep on Mom. Plus, he doesn’t seem to want to – it’s odd to have an independent sleeper after my first, I’ll tell you that.
2. Bite them. I haven’t tried this, but others swear by it. Baby nails tear easily, so nibble on a corner and tear off the rest. I’d be afraid of tearing or biting too much, but that’s just me.
3. Use clippers and distraction. I used to try “clippers and force,†but I could never make it work without fear of clipping off a toe. Now, I use my little baby clippers and a few rousing verses of my favorite Christmas carol or toddler tune to get the job done. I think Brian is so taken aback by my singing enthusiasm, he doesn’t even realize what is happening. This works well for toddlers, too – only now we count together between songs.
4. Use a file. Some parents prefer to file down their baby’s nails. Maybe I’m not a good filer, but this would take too long – plus I’d probably file at the wrong angle and draw blood.
5. Use scissors. If they work for you, congrats. If I used them, I’d cut off a pinky. I can’t help it, I’m a klutz.
