Five Nail Conditions You Need to Know for Baby Nail Care

Did you know that nail problem affects individuals of all ages? Babies are also affected, with most problems arising due to injury, infections or skin diseases. Let’s have a look at a few conditions that are more common in babies.

1. Ingrown Nail - This is a painful condition that mostly occurs in the big toe. Usually, the baby’s nail grows in a downward curvature digging into the skin hence the cause of pain in your little one’s nails. In some cases, it might cause an infection. An ingrown nail may occur in babies when the nail trimming technique is wrong. If there is a trauma that occurred or the baby stubbed his or her toes or probably the baby’s nails are naturally having sharp curves on the sides making them dig into the baby’s skin. To prevent your baby from having an ingrown nail, we suggest that a caregiver trims the nails straight across instead of rounding the baby’s nails off the edges.

2. Hang Nail – These are the pieces of skin that protrude stiffly from the side of the baby’s fingernails. They are not part of the nails; however, they cause a lot of irritation and discomfort. Often, they occur from the skin that is brittle and cracked.

3. Nail Deformity – Brittle nails or deformed nails are caused by trauma that causes injury to the nail bed making the baby’s nail grow deformed. Babies with nail picking or biting problems tend to have this problem more. Hence, a caregiver may notice that the baby’s nails are thickened or ridged. However, there is no cause for alarm, regular nail care through trimming of nails and shaping to improve the health of the baby’s nails can resolve brittle nails.

4. Nail injury – Compulsive nail-biting habits or a blow to the baby’s nail can cause multiple problems such as a bruise on the nail bed, nail plate loss, ridges on the baby’s nail and deformed nail plate growth. A caregiver may notice that the baby has a bruise under his or her nail. In other cases, the baby’s nail might fall off and a new one grows in its place.

5. Paronychia – A baby’s skin that lies alongside the nail can suffer from bacterial infection. The nail area may have swelling around the cuticle that produces a discharge that may be green or yellow in color.