I don’t like the thought of cutting my baby’s nails. The thought of it makes me feel quite tense. When they’re born, it will make me uncomfortable, but I know it has to be done. So, I’ve been researching how to cut a baby’s nails.
Why Do You Need To Cut A Baby’s Nails?
Babies’ nails are soft but sharp. If left untrimmed, a newborn can scratch their face. Because a baby’s nails can grow quickly, this could be a persistent problem. But you can protect the newest member of your family from their talons.
How Often Do You Need To Cut A Baby’s Nails?
Although it varies from child to child, you may need to trim the nails up to a few times a week. The first time might be just a day or two after birth.
How To Cut A Baby’s Nails
Hold the baby’s finger (or toe). Trim or file the nail short, but leave a small line at the tip. Do not completely remove the white tip or you risk damaging the finger. You can trim straight across, but you may find that following the curvature of the finger minimises the chance of sharp edges. Some doctors recommend only using a file in the first few weeks. But official guidance in this area doesn’t go into much detail and isn’t entirely consistent.
Doctors don’t recommend biting your baby’s nails anymore. You may introduce bacteria that could get into any cuts and cause an infection.
If you do catch a finger or toe, don’t worry. Just rinse the cut with cold water and cover the cut with sterile gauze or cloth. Apply a little pressure and hold it for a short while. The bleeding will usually stop quickly. Avoid bandages as they could cause your baby to choke if removed.
Some Baby Nail Trimming Tips
Try trimming your baby’s nails after a bath. They’ll be softer, making them easier to cut.
You could try trimming them when your baby is asleep.
Make this a two-person job. One of you hold the baby, the other focus on the nail.
Wait for a time when you and your baby are calm.
If your baby becomes too agitated, you can stop halfway through. Carry on when everyone is calmer.
Nail Trimming Options
There are four main options for trimming your baby’s nails.
You can use a nail file. There are specific baby files and some have a different roughness for varying ages.
Baby nail scissors are available. These scissors from Tenartis look like a good option.
You can also buy baby nail clippers. There are a few reasons you might prefer scissors or clippers, but it mostly seems to be a personal preference. These Tommee Tippee clippers have good reviews and are very cheap.
Baby electric nail files are a thing and they aren’t as scary as they sound. They spin a circular nail file to wear your baby’s nail down. This option from Megainvo looks to have a few good features. There are different coloured file attachments for use at certain ages and it claims to be quiet enough to use while the baby is sleeping.
What We’ve Decided
From researching the option, I would probably recommend the scissors, clippers and files to most people. You can even buy a nice set that includes all three. This looks like a nice one from HyAdierTech.
Although that looks great, we’re going to try the Megainvo baby electric nail file. My discomfort around using scissors or clippers feels irrational and I should probably just get over it. But I’m interested to see how good the electric option is. I’ll try to write an update on how it goes.
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