Cutting infant nails can be a harrowing experience; those translucent nail tips can faze even the bravest parent, so delicate are they. My hubby – our intrepid cockroach capturer at home – baulks at this daunting undertaking, so fearful is he of hurting our precious little one.
Yet, mittens and booties can only stay on for so long and babies have to eventually discover (and stretch) their little fingers and toes, so someone has to accomplish this unenviable task…said person being me, in our case!
Thankfully, I already have a good tool for this. Initially purchased for beauty purposes (the handling/trimming of false eyelashes), these scissors with rounded tips are perfect for trimming baby nails. Not only do the curved tips prevent me from accidentally poking/cutting my child’s soft flesh, the blades are also blunter than regular nail scissors – I do not always get an even edge but they are sharp enough to remove an entire length of a nail tip with one careful continuous cut.
Patience is key when cutting baby nails. I often try to make sure that the little one is rested and cheerful before giving the mini manicure. :D In the event that she turns restless, I get her daddy to distract her so I can finish the task.
With my older kids, I used to wait till they were in deep sleep before any grooming attempt. I guess I’m more impatient these days, plus I’ve slightly more experience and control now; to cut my baby’s nails while she’s awake! I do admit that it is becoming harder to do so, thanks to her increased mobility. :P
Such scissors can be found at locations where beauty supplies are sold (Watsons and Sasa carry them). I bought mine for a mere S$2 from Daiso. If you prefer rubber or plastic handles with more grip and are more comfortable with using baby-specific scissors, you can find these at Mothercare or the baby section of departmental stores.
I don’t use them for this purpose but such safety scissors are apparently also good for trimming nose hairs. ;)
I find it a chore to cut nails for kids but it is one chore I wouldn’t delegate to others though.
Hello Sesame!
I don’t mind cutting my boy’s nails (and I’ll confess, it’s much easier doing it when their nails are long :P). Baby nails can make my brow gleam with perspiration, though, thanks to the deep concentration it entails! :P I agree re: not letting others do it. It’s such a personal task.
Reading this post brought back memories of how harrowing it was to cut my boy’s fingernails! I used to do it when he was in deep slumber…but as he grew older, i would just sit him in front of baby DVDs and snip away.
Btw, i tried the watsons wet wipes you recomm…they’re really not bad and definitely much more affordable than the Pigeon ones.
Hi Seishouai,
Haha, that’s another way. ;)
The Watsons wipes in the blue packaging were sold out at one point at the Toa Payoh Central Watsons store at HDB Hub. My hubs had to search for them at the smaller Watsons store near the library and could only find the pink ones and one blue one. To be honest, I can’t tell the difference between the blue and the pink~! ;)