When can I cut my newborn's nails?

There is no consensus on when you can cut the nails of a newborn, no - experts call different times. We will try to determine the optimal timing of the first "nail salon". Let's figure out when you can cut your newborn's nails and how to do it right.

Once I heard grandmothers talking at the entrance that a child does not need to cut his nails until he is a year old. To say that I was taken aback is to say nothing. Being in position, I imagined with horror how my one-year-old daughter would stretch out her little hands with 15-centimeter nails to me from the crib. My imagination drew a picture from a horror movie and I decided to figure it out on my own from A to Z, with which I am happy to share with you and, as they say, let's start from the beginning.

Embryo nail development

A little man, developing in the womb, every day from an incomprehensible cell turns into a full-fledged baby, being born, respectively, with arms, legs, hair and nails. But the appearance of nails begins immediately after the end of the formation of arms and legs. It is when the fetus is only 7-8 cm long that the rudiments of both hair and nails appear. All this happens at the end of the first trimester of pregnancy.

Further, the fetus grows, and its fingers grow, on which nail plates begin to form already at the 11th week. The whole process takes relatively little time, and by the 13th week, tiny, but already fully developed marigolds appear.

Newborn and his manicure

After reviewing a huge amount of information, I still did not find a definite answer to the question of when to cut the nails of a newborn for the first time. Some say to do it in the hospital. Others advise to coincide with the first manicure for the first home bath, explaining that after the bath procedures the nails become softer and easier to cut. Still others say to refrain from cutting nails for at least three weeks, and ideally a month.

Why not earlier

Those of the experts who call for starting cutting nails after the newborn reaches the age of one month explain their recommendations very simply. A newborn baby is very fragile, and his nails are no exception to the general rules. Therefore, even if a young mother acquires the most super-duper newfangled children's manicure scissors, the risk that she can inadvertently damage the nail plate is quite high. And this is already fraught with unpleasant consequences. The nail fold may become inflamed or the nail plate itself may be bent.

Determine the need

In fact, every young mother should independently determine the time of the first manicure for her baby. Firstly, it directly depends on how long your baby's nails were at birth. Here, after all, as with hairs - someone has more, someone has less. Secondly, if the apartment is cool enough, you can not rush with a manicure, but in order for the baby not to scratch his face, use special “scratches”, fortunately, buying them now does not present any problems even to young fathers inexperienced in these matters.

But, if the child is hot in the “scratches”, and the nails are so long that he can harm himself, the procedure cannot be avoided. The main thing is to properly prepare everything you need and perform a manicure with high quality.

What do we need

It is quite clear that ordinary nail scissors, which mothers use, are absolutely impossible to cut a baby's nails. These scissors are too sharp and could injure a spinning child. It is best to purchase a specialized baby manicure kit at a children's store or pharmacy, which consists of:

• Children's scissors with rounded tips;
• Soft nail file;
• Children's tweezers.

In some cases, you may be offered scissors for children with a special thick blade. But, pay attention, not all mothers will be comfortable with such scissors; in order to use them, a certain manual dexterity is needed.

Technique for performing "infant manicure"

In order to cut the nails of the baby was easier, you need to perform the procedure immediately after the bath procedures. Then the nails are soft and easier to cut. Slightly rounded nails should be left on the hands, and straight on the legs. This will avoid ingrown nail plate. If the nail is cut off, as they say, “under the root”, then the risk of ingrowth and injury greatly increases.

In some cases, mothers may notice a tendency for the baby to have a nail ingrown into the skin. Then, under the corner of the nail, you can insert a thread and fix it with a plaster. If you can’t cope with the problem on your own, you can seek help from a specialist - podiatrist. At first, he will perform the procedure on his own, later he can teach you how to properly trim the nails of the baby.

If you still decide to do the procedure yourself, then remember that after the nails are cut they need to be processed with a nail file. Moreover, it is absolutely impossible to use a nail file for adults. It can cause very great harm to the nail plates of a newborn. You can only use a special children's nail file, and only along the edge of a child's nail. Children should not grind their nails, as this will break the still very soft nail plate. Some babies are very nervous with the vibrating movements of the nail file, in such cases, mothers will have to do with scissors only.

It is necessary to carry out such a procedure regularly. It all depends on how quickly the baby's nails grow. You can repeat the procedure every 5-7 days. But, in some babies, the nails grow already on the third day after circumcision, and the manicure will have to be done more often. As for the legs, everything is a little simpler here. Children's toenails are cut every 10 days.

And how often do you cut your child's nails, maybe you have secret recipes for performing the procedure?