How to wean a child from bad habits?

Let's be honest: kids have a lot of bad habits, from picking their noses to biting their nails. There may be something primitive about each of these activities, but they are completely unhygienic and socially unwelcome. That's why the sooner you wean your kids off bad habits, the better it will be for them and everyone around them.

The most common bad habits

Nose picking

If your child picks their nose, they are definitely not alone. It is one of the most common bad habits that children have. Nose picking is one of the most unhealthy habits because the fingers can introduce all sorts of disease-causing germs into the child's nasal membranes.

Both small and older children need to be kept busy. Their hands should be occupied with toys or books to avoid doing harmful things. To clear the nasal passages of children, you can help them by rinsing their nasal passages with saline as recommended by the doctor.

Also, as soon as you see your little one poking his nose, immediately hand him a tissue or wet wipes. Teaching your little one how to handle his nose properly will help prevent traumatic situations, such as when a little one pokes tiny parts of toys into his nose. Another situation you can prevent is peer pressure, which will inevitably arise if your child does not get rid of his bad habits before school age.

Nail biting habit

Nail biting is another bad habit that occurs in children because their hands are often free. It is sometimes called free hands disease. If a child bites their nails, you need to do something to keep their hands busy. You need something to keep them occupied, whether it is pencils for drawing, hand games or toys that the child likes.

If you have a little girl, you can do a great job by giving her a manicure. However, you can also trim a boy's nails so that they cannot bite them.

The habit of drinking bath water

Adults would never drink bath water, for example, while bathing. This water is soapy, dirty and disgusting, but some children see it as an opportunity to play and lap it up like a cat or a dog. Although this water is not poisonous, bath water can give a baby a tummy ache.

You need to watch your baby carefully while bathing. First of all, you should distract your baby in the bath with toys, but not ones that can be filled with water. If your baby wants to drink while bathing, you should offer him clean water from a cup. Do not object to your baby if he spills water, and he can also pour out the rest of the water right in the bath when he is done drinking. This will make your baby happy. He will definitely prefer clean water to dirty water.

Thumb sucking habit

Small children who cannot even talk yet can suck their thumbs or even their own heels. This causes micro-wounds and small bruises to form on the delicate mucous membrane of the oral cavity. This is very harmful for the child, because the wounds can become infected and inflamed. If the child bites the upper or lower lip, it can crack, and this is very bad for winter - the wounds also become inflamed, chapped, and besides, it is not aesthetically pleasing.

Thumb sucking can cause malocclusion, teeth that are about to erupt can grow in deformed, and thumb sucking can also lead to speech problems.

To wean a child off thumb sucking, you can give him a bottle with a nipple or a pacifier. This will play a role, a disinfected nipple or pacifier is much less dangerous than a finger with a dirty nail.

Coughing or sneezing without covering your mouth

This may be the worst habit of them all, because tiny droplets, like a spray, can spread germs that will infect other children and everyone around them. Be aware of this habit by insisting that your child sneeze or cough into a tissue or into the crook of his elbow or sleeve, and lavishly praising your child once he has done so.

When you want to wean your child off bad habits, remember that you are the best role model for all of these behaviors. So be sure to keep your own bad habits in check when you are trying to raise your children.