Picking scabs

[Hunni Bee]

I have one that is obsessed with picking holes in himself. He has a few weeks-old scrapes on his face that never heal because he keeps picking them back open. Ive tried to no avail to get him to stop but he does it unconsciously, and he always has blood running down his face and under his nails (yuck).

Ive been making him wear a bandaid across his nose, which he hates. But I explained to him about his getting germs into his sores and him getting getting germs all over the classroom with his blood. Mom has not been concerned about it, and I'm not that concerned but I'm not going to have him smearing blood all over. But I did feel bad about insisting on the bandage.

Any other ideas?

[Blackcat31]

I have one that is obsessed with picking holes in himself. He has a few weeks-old scrapes on his face that never heal because he keeps picking them back open. Ive tried to no avail to get him to stop but he does it unconsciously, and he always has blood running down his face and under his nails (yuck).

Ive been making him wear a bandaid across his nose, which he hates. But I explained to him about his getting germs into his sores and him getting getting germs all over the classroom with his blood. Mom has not been concerned about it, and I'm not that concerned but I'm not going to have him smearing blood all over. But I did feel bad about insisting on the bandage.

Any other ideas?

Short nails and maybe soft gloves for those times in which he has idle hands?

During busy activities I would think that he would be too busy to subconsciously pick so I would seriously consider the soft gloves.... NOT because he is bad but so he can break the habit. He is going to have some scars later in life if he continues. Poor little guy.

[sahm1225]

You could tell the parents to try the liquid band aids?

[Controlled Chaos]

I have had dd wear gloves in the car or when we watch a movie - we are trying to break a thumb ****ing habit - her nail is destroyed.

I also had a dcb 3yo who picked his nose till it bled. A bandaid on his favorite picking finger helped.

I would keep your words focused on "let's be kind to our body" (sounds like you are ) and use the bandaid on the nose and gloves. The blood is a health issue so don't feel bad making him a little uncomfortable to stop it.

[Mandy]

A few ideas

Hello ,

First, do not feel bad about making him wear a bandage. i know this may be a long shot, but I got a few ideas that nay help

1. You can teach him a small scentific lesson about how our skin needs to repair itself after a cut, and how the scab is his body's way of fixing that cut. You can show him a video of what his skin will look like if he does not pick on it

2. Is there a favorite activity he likes? Try re directing his hands to do something else. Buy silly putty, and every time he feels the need to pick, re direct him to the silly putty.

3. You can ask the mother if he is getting enough attention at home. I know this might not be an idea you want to use, but sometimes kids can do stuff like this if they feel they are being ignored. The fact his mom is not concerned about his new habit worries me. Perhaps you can suggest activities they can do together when he arrives home from your daycare .

4. Reward system. I know this idea sounds weird but it may work. You dont have to spend a lot of money for this. Just run to the Dollar store, buy a small box, and choose dinosaur figures or a toy you think he would like, and place it in the box. Make a star chart with him. Tell him that each day he is here without picking his scab, he will earn one star. If he picks a scab, he does not earn the star for the day. Soon you will find he will want the box more than his scabs . He mAy also earn that days star by re directing his hands to a different activity.

These are just a few ideas i wish you the best of luck .

[grateday]

Annoying medical background provider

The child most likely has an underlying issue. Observe and see if you can find the trigger. When are they doing it. Are they nervous in situations. Are they nonverbal. See if you can help them through the issue before they turn to picking.

Wounds that are scabbing produce a chemical that makes us itch naturally as they start to get smaller. I had an outgoing girl here that would just go all out and never let her mosquito bites heal. She was school age so it was easier for her to understand cause and effect.

She would pick as a way to handle emotions. It was many emotions. Once I helped her identify and label them before the picking started I got her habit eliminated. I explained and allowed her a place to open up to me about anything. I think her picking was a way of bottling her feelings and picking was the release.

Those mosquitoes sure did not make the picking any easier though and when she came back from camping trips it was band aides and calamine.::

[grateday]

age appropriate intervention

Oh and the mom not being concerned is not good. He could end up with an infection and scarring and the longer the habit goes on the harder it could be to break. Everyone else on here had some good strategies for 3 years old.. If it gets really bad it could indicate a need to see a pediatrician.