How to Stop Bad Habits

• Let them grow out of it naturally: Many child bad habits are part of growing up. As children grow and interact with more people, they may not like being laughed at for those habits, or they may want to be like the others, leading them to stop bad habits on their own. Ignoring a habit often denies them of the attention they are seeking by doing it, and they will stop.

• Understand the reasons for the child bad habit: Children often repeat bad habits when upset, scared, sleepy, or insecure. Identifying the feelings that lead to this bad behavior can help you treat the emotions, so they don’t resort to the habit.

• Start in small steps: If your child has a number of habits that you want them to stop, pick the most annoying or harmful habits first and work on those. Trying to break bad habits at one time is bound to make the child feel inadequate and harassed.

• Allow some control: Some child bad habits are developed when children feel that they have no control on anything in their lives. They use these habits to prove that they can do what they want, even if their parents don’t like it. Forcing them to stop bad habits only worsens this problem. Instead, offer them choices and responsibilities that make them feel in control. Letting them decide on what to wear, what to eat or drink, and what they would like to do in their play time can allow them to feel in charge of their lives. This does not mean not providing any guidance; offering them a choice between two alternatives, ‘milk or juice’, ‘red socks or blue’, ‘paint or draw’, is good enough for young children.

• Do not overreact: Some child bad habits are used only for the shock value. Acting shocked or surprised when a child does something like picking their noses or touching themselves in public will be amusing and make them repeat it. Try telling them in a normal or bored voice instead that people don’t like to see it, and they may do it in the bathroom if they wish but not in public. These tactics are much less fun for children and will lead to breaking bad habits.

• Talk to your child about the habit: Explaining to a child that they are putting germs into their mouth or nose can be deterrent enough to children sometimes. If the child bad habit springs from a physical or medical condition, such as an itchy nose, dry cuticles that snag on clothes, or itchy genitals, treating the symptoms can help reduce and eventually break the bad habit.

• Positive reinforcement: When a child stops a bad habit, praising them or rewarding them always works. Try making a chart with pictures that mark each day that passes without the child biting nails or picking their nose. Set a target for the child to achieve, with a reward at the end of it. And make sure you follow through on the reward. Avoid offering candies or other unhealthy treats as rewards: the most positive rewards are activities that the children enjoy, such as trips to the zoo, or being allowed to look at childhood albums.

It is important not to try to break a bad habit during a time of stress or sorrow for children. Most child bad habits provide an element of comfort or self-soothing for the child, and should be allowed to pass unnoticed during this time.

Common Child Bad Habits

• Nose picking: Parents find this child bad habit one of the most annoying mostly because of the risk of transmitting germs, and also because it is socially frowned upon. It could begin because of encrusting inside the nose due to a cold, and then become a habit. When children pick their nose and put their fingers in their mouth or eyes, or touch other children, infections can be passed on. Dirty or sharp fingernails can irritate the sensitive lining of the nose and create bleeding or oozing cuts inside the nose.

• Sucking thumbs and fingers: Children indulge in sucking their thumbs and fingers when they need comfort. While most outgrow this form of child bad behavior, it can last for some others till past five years of age. This habit should be discouraged because it can cause teeth to grow unevenly or create speech defects. The child bad habit can extend from thumbs or fingers to objects like pacifiers, blankets, or favorite toys.

• Teeth grinding: Bruxism, or grinding teeth is a common child bad habit. Usually infants grind or clench their teeth when milk or permanent teeth are pushing through the gums or in their sleep. Children who grind their teeth at other times are likely to let this develop into a bad habit. This form of child bad behavior can cause defects in the teeth or in the jaw joints and should be stopped.

• Nail biting: Biting nails could be caused by many factors, but the concern is that dirt and bacteria lodged under nails is transferred directly into the mouth through this child bad behavior. It could also lead to infected or bleeding cuticles that are very painful. Some of the same methods used to stop the bad habit of thumb sucking can be used to stop nail biting – using bitter liquid on fingernails, distracting the child when he or she is biting nails, and providing an activity to keep hands busy.

• Holding breath: Children hold their breath because sometimes they feel it is the only thing they can control. It could carry on for enough time that they lose consciousness. This child bad behavior can be the most frightening for parents. It is best to consult a doctor when this happens, to rule out medical complications that have caused this.

• Touching genitals or masturbation: Children explore all parts of their bodies and are fascinated by their own discoveries. It is a natural urge to explore their own genitalia as much as exploring their own hands and face. When children explore their genitals it gives them pleasure, causing them to repeat the child bad habit again. They do not realize the sexual connotations of this behavior but can cause a great deal of embarrassment to the parents.

Children enjoy any kind of attention and if a bad habit brings them parental attention even in the form of reprimand, they will repeat this child bad habit. It takes patience, understanding and creativity to help a child give up a bad habit.

References:

1. Bad Habits/ Annoying Behavior – University of Michigan Health System
2. Hair Pulling, Head Banging and Other Bad Habits – Keep Kids Healthy