Trimming your newborn’s nails
It's important to keep your newborn baby's nails trimmed. Infants lack muscle control and can accidentally scratch their own tender skin while waving their hands and feet. Giving a fussy, fidgeting baby a manicure or pedicure may seem an impossible task, but these tips can help:
- Use a partner. One of you holds the baby in your lap while the other trims the nails. You may even want to wait until the baby is asleep.
- Use one hand to hold your baby's palm and finger and use the other to do the cutting with baby nail scissors or baby clippers. Resist the urge to bite or chew your baby's nails; it's unsanitary.
- Cut your baby's nails short enough to prevent scratching, but not so short that you expose the tender skin underneath the nail.
- Keep the nail edges rounded - not pointy or square. Use an gentle emery board to smooth jagged edges, if necessary.
- If you accidentally draw blood, simply apply pressure with a sterile gauze pad until the bleeding stops. Do not apply a bandage - the baby could choke on it!
- Maintain your baby's nails on a weekly basis (more frequently, if necessary) to keep them short and smooth.
