Nose picking is among one of those prominent bad habits that toddlers use to develop. Sometimes, it is seen as a nervous habit but most of the times it is observed that this bad habit is an outcome of anxiety or emotional upheaval that a toddler might be undergoing at a given time. But there are several other reasons as well that may cause nose picking. These may be formation of heavy mucus, that flows from nasal passage due to allergies like dust mites, pollen, molds or common cold and flu. This leads to the accumulation of ‘nuggets’ inside the nostrils as a result of solidified mucus. Hence, uncomfortable feelings inside the nostrils prompt children to pick their noses to get rid of this discomfort.
Weather conditions also play a crucial role in encouraging this bad habit. For instance, dryness in the atmosphere or over exposure to calibrated atmospheric conditions like air conditioning or heaters also causes the mucus layer inside the nasal passage to dry up. Consequently, the kids tend to suffer from the problem of nose picking. This habit leads to the growth of small skin eruptions inside nostrils due to contact with germs on the fingers. They can also aggravate cold and flu conditions of children further. You can easily deal with this habit of nose picking in your toddler by following some easy tips. Read on.
1. Identify your kid’s allergy
Since allergy is a common cause of nose picking, so try to know the typical allergen that is bothering your kid. It might be dust mite, pollen, animal danger or anything else. They have specific ways to be handled. So, collect information on how to decrease the intensity of such allergens and ways to minimize your kid’s irritability.
2. Minimize your kid’s dehydration
As kids in regular contacts with air conditioners or heaters or living in dry atmosphere tend to suffer from dehydration, so parents must ensure that their toddlers are hydrated. You can do this by using a humidifier in your room or giving the kid lots of fluids in the form of water or juices throughout the day or administering a nasal spray containing saline water in order to maintain your child’s required level of hydration.
3. Ensure that your kid’s hands are clean
Try to keep your kid’s hands clean by ensuring that you wash them with antiseptic lotions at regular intervals. Also, keep the toddler’s nails trimmed so that germs cannot accumulate on the fingers and get transferred inside the nostrils during picking.
4. Get the kid into the habit of using handkerchief
Get your kid into the habit of using a personal handkerchief. Teach the toddler to blow nose whenever necessary and clean his or her nostrils too in the process. That way, you child will also learn social etiquette and hygiene.
5. Break the kid’s habit
It is sometimes seen that many of the kids pick their noses as an aftermath of a habitual action. They need their hands to create something when they are free. Bifurcate this free time of your toddler to a creative hobby. This will break the kid’s habit and make the child engaged in a good pastime.
6. Do not punish
A pre-schooler is too innocent to understand the ill effects of nose picking. So, punishments hardly help him/her to abandon bad habits. Better way to follow is to remind the kid gently to stop doing so if you see him or her picking nose.
7. Analyze your kid minutely
There are kids who pick their noses so hard that it leads to bleeding. This might not be normal. Consult a pediatrician or a child therapist as your kid might be suffering from nervous behavior or other emotional crisis or there might be any inherent anxiety that is bugging your toddler.
8. Remain indifferent towards your kid’s habit
When you have tried all that you could have done and still see your kid going on picking nose, the only thing now you can do is to remain indifferent. Once the kid realizes that it is a bad habit, it will subside automatically. But, in the process never neglect your duty of ensuring hygiene of your toddler by cutting the finger nails short and keeping them clean.
