How to Clip Your Baby's Nails

Clipping your baby̵7;s tiny fingernails need not involve blood and tears when you employ smart strategies to simplify the process. Although your little one̵7;s fingers are miniature and she isn̵7;t likely to hold still to cooperate, fingernail clipping is a necessary task to prevent painful scratches. Once you get the knack, clipping your baby̵7;s fingernails will become a regular task you don't dread.

Things You'll Need

  • Infant-size fingernail clipper
  • Emery board

Instructions

    • 1

      Wait until your baby enters a deep sleep, advises the Ask Dr. Sears website. You can discern a deep sleep in an infant by checking her limbs -- if they dangle in limp fashion and she keeps her hands wide open, she is sleeping deeply.

    • 2

      Hold your baby in your lap, facing out so his hands face away from you. Sit in a location with bright overhead light to give you sufficient illumination. Grasp your little one̵7;s hand in one hand to hold it securely.

    • 3

      Choose a finger and press gently on the tip to move the finger pad immediately under the fingernail away from the nail. This will minimize the chance of your snipping skin accidentally as you clip.

    • 4

      Clip the fingernail with the infant-size fingernail clipper, taking tiny clips to ensure you trim away only the white edge of the nail. Examine the nail carefully after you finish the trim and clip away any sharp or uneven areas.

    • 5

      Continue to clip every fingernail of the first hand and then switch hands to trim the last five fingernails.

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