Sooner or later the time will come: the baby's fingernails will be cut for the first time. What has to be done, has to be done, and this is usually between the fifth and seventh week of the child's life, when the nails already protrude beyond the fingertip. Experience shows that many parents get nervous just thinking about it. The little fingers are so tiny, the nails so delicate - and the little person may not want to hold still at all. I recommend to all parents: relax! With a few little tips and tricks, cutting baby's nails is child's play.
At birth, the fingernails also indicate how mature a baby is born (so-called maturity sign). They start to grow from the eighth week of pregnancy and regularly protrude just beyond the fingertip in babies born on schedule. The nails are even longer in babies born after the 42nd week of pregnancy. However, if the baby is born before the 37th week, its fingernails only reach up to the fingertip at most. On average, a baby's fingernail grows about 3 millimetres per month.
In the first four to six weeks of life, you don't usually have to worry about little fingernails. During this time, babies' nails are still soft and break on their own. To prevent the risk of damaging baby's sensitive cuticles when cutting them, you should not cut baby's nails yet.
If a baby's fingernail is torn on the side in the first few weeks of life, it can also be carefully pulled off.
However, there are also newborns with surprisingly long fingernails. If the baby runs them through its face or touches mum's breast while breastfeeding, painful scratches can quickly appear and sometimes even bleed a little. In the past, mothers were advised to put small socks or mittens over their baby's hands to prevent injuries. When your baby is sleeping, you can wrap their hands in mittens for the first few weeks of their life. This has the positive side effect of keeping their hands warm. However, it's better not to do this when your baby is awake. This is because babies perceive their environment by touch. This sensory impression is extremely important for the baby. It should be as direct as possible and without irritating materials. The baby explores its mum with its little fingers when breastfeeding. Skin contact - also via the hands and fingers - is fundamentally important for the baby's orientation in its new world outside the womb. With a little practice, you will find a breastfeeding position in which the newborn's soft fingernails do not bother you.
It is very rare that babies' nails need to be cut during the postnatal period. This is because only a few children's nails are so strong in the first few weeks that they no longer break on their own.
What should I use to cut my baby's nails?
Please do not use nail files, nail clippers or nail scissors that you use for your own fingernails to trim a baby's delicate fingernails. These instruments are intended for adults, but are unsuitable for small baby fingers - because they are far too large, too sharp and too coarse. They therefore harbour too high a risk of injury for your child.
Better suited for babies is the designed nail scissors. It is characterised by the fact that it has particularly fine blades and the tips are rounded. This protects your baby from injuries when cutting nails. It is also important that it is made of stainless steel.
My midwife's tip: When buying baby nail scissors, make sure that the blades are fine, i.e. thin. If the scissors are too thick, children's fine nails cannot be cut well. If the packaging says baby nail scissors but these baby nail scissors remind you of craft scissors, it is better to choose a different model. These scissors are usually too coarse for babies' fine nails. Look for scissors that look like scissors for adults, but with a rounded tip.
Perhaps you have heard of parents chewing off their babies' soft fingernails? I advise against this method. There have been reports of parents biting their baby's fingers. In any case, there is always a risk that the baby will get an inflammation of the nail bed. Babies' nails require clean instruments for care. The mouth is not a germ-free cutting tool.
How do you cut babies' nails?
It is important that you do not damage the cuticle or the skin on the fingertip when cutting your baby's nails. This also minimises the risk of painful and dangerous nail bed inflammation.
For the procedure, you can sit your baby or toddler on your lap so that their back is leaning against your stomach. Then take their little hand in one hand while your other hand holds the scissors. Take advantage of your baby's grasping reflex and give him your middle finger to hold on to. You can then lift the finger whose nail you want to cut with your thumb and index finger and cut the nail with ease. Many parents also like to do the mini manicure on their baby together as a team.
Don't cut your baby's nails too short in the first few weeks. This reduces the risk of injury.
If a small injury does occur when cutting the baby's nails, stop the bleeding with a clean compress that you gently press onto the wound. Then disinfect the wound with a suitable (non-stinging!) Wound spray. It's better not to use a plaster. Your baby could swallow it if it sucks or sucks on its fingers. Larger injuries or wounds that become infected should definitely be treated by a paediatrician or paediatric clinic.
With older babies, you can cut the fingernails according to their natural curves with the Baby nail file file to obtain the slightly rounded shape. Any sharp corners can also be gently rounded. Always move the file from the outer edge to the centre of the nail and only in this direction (i.e. do not file back and forth to prevent the nail from splitting!)
What if the baby doesn't have its nails cut?
Parents keep asking me what they can do if their little one won't keep still during the mini manicure. Then it helps to pay attention to the time when the nail care should take place. Plan enough time for this so that you can "work" in peace. You know that parental restlessness or haste is quickly transferred to the child. This can also help you to relax: You don't have to do all 10 fingers in one go. If there are only three today, then you can continue tomorrow - or the day after tomorrow.
In any case, a satisfied, full infant is more "co-operative" than a hungry or fussy child. Many parents therefore think that after a bath is a good time because the little one is often already a little sleepy. What's more, their nails are softer due to the contact with water and are therefore even easier to clip. Some parents also take the opportunity to trim nails when their baby is asleep. That's up to you, of course. However, I personally think it is better if the child is awake (and curious) and can experience what is happening to them. After all, they should learn to trust you when you're cutting their nails - and that what you're doing with their little fingers doesn't hurt at all!
How do you cut baby's toenails?
A person's toenails generally grow much more slowly than their fingernails. This is partly due to the fact that our fingers are supplied with more blood than our toes. So you don't need to worry about your baby's toenails at first.
When the little toes are next on the list, because the nails there now also protrude over the tips of the toes, the same applies as for the fingernails. However, the nail shape is different. Whilst the fingernails are given a slightly rounded shape, the toenails are always cut straight and the small corners are cut off. not rounded. This prevents the toenail from growing into the nail bed at the sides. This can also lead to painful inflammation. Toenails that are too short should also be avoided.
