Trimming baby nails – how to do it safely

Tiny nails, a wriggling child and the fear of cutting into the skin – the first nail care session honestly worries many parents. Understandably so: baby nails are soft, the fingertip sits right behind them, and a baby does not hold still.

With the right tool and a few rules, it soon becomes routine.

When can you start cutting the nails?

During the first weeks of life, baby nails are often still very soft and attached to the fingertip. Many midwives advise only filing the nails at this stage instead of cutting them.

As soon as the edge of the nail clearly lifts and can be felt, you can use scissors. There is no fixed age for this – every child is different.

The right tool

What matters are baby nail scissors with rounded tips. They are built so that they cannot pierce the skin, even if the child moves suddenly.

What you need:

• a pair of baby scissors with a rounded tip – the most important item
• a fine file for the first weeks and for smoothing afterwards
• good light

What you do not need: ordinary nail scissors for adults. Their pointed blades are simply too dangerous on a baby's fingers.

One more point: the child gets its own scissors. Instruments are not shared – that is a matter of hygiene.

The right moment

The best moment is the one in which your child is calm:

• while asleep – for many parents the easiest way
• after a bath – the nails are softer then and the child is usually relaxed
• while breastfeeding or feeding – if a second person helps

With two people it is almost always easier: one holds the child and provides distraction, the other cuts.

How to cut correctly

1. Wash your hands, make sure the scissors are clean and dry.
2. Hold the finger firmly but gently. Press the fingertip down slightly with your own thumb – that gives it distance from the blade.
3. Cut fingernails slightly rounded, following the natural shape of the nail.
4. Cut toenails straight across, not round. This prevents ingrown nails.
5. Work with several small cuts rather than one large one.
6. Do not cut too short – a narrow white edge should remain.
7. Smooth sharp edges with the file.

What you should not do

• Do not cut the cuticle. It protects the nail bed from germs – all the more so in babies.
• Do not bite the nails off. This widespread tip is questionable in hygiene terms: saliva carries germs into tiny injuries.
• Do not shorten the nails down to the nail bed. Nails that are too short hurt and grow in more easily.
• Do not work against the child's resistance. If it struggles, stop and continue later.

How often?

Fingernails grow quickly in babies and often need shortening once or twice a week – partly so that the child does not scratch itself. Toenails grow considerably more slowly; here a gap of a few weeks is usually enough.

If something does go wrong

A small cut in the fingertip does happen and is usually harmless. Press briefly on the spot with a clean cloth until the bleeding stops, then let it dry in the air. Plasters do not belong on a baby's fingers – they could end up in the mouth.

Show the child to your paediatrician if a spot becomes red, swells, weeps or if the child is clearly in pain – the same applies to an ingrown toenail.

Summary

Rounded scissors, a calm moment, small cuts, not too short – that is all it takes. The first nail care session is the hardest part; after that it becomes routine.

This article does not replace medical advice. If you are unsure, speak to your midwife or your paediatrician.

A good match at nagelzange.de:

• Baby nail scissors with rounded tips
• Nail files – fine files for the first weeks
• Nail scissors for the parents