How do I teach my son to stop picking his nose?

He's 5. I tell him practically every day and he still does it and it drives me crazy.

Answers:
I stumbled across the 'cure' by accident. I used the stuff to prevent kids from biting their nails (no bite polish I think is was called, forgive me it was 14 years ago) just to stop him from chewing on his nails. He stuck his finger in his nose and hollared.. apparently the taste somehow travels though the nasal passage to the back of the throat and he could taste it. broke him quick.
Broke my other son when I got a family friend who'd lost his index finger in a saw accident to tell my son he stuck it up his nose and it popped his finger off. that child to this day will not stick his finger in his nose. Good luck, boys will find any nasty habit to torment you and do it repeatedly.

Other Answers:
teach him to blow his nose instead.

Get him a tissue like he's picking his nose. Or, handcuff him. at least he isnt eating it.
my bro does that and hes 12!

Put hot pepper in his/her fingers.
Source(s):
my mom lead by example instead of just words.

Pick it for him...

slap him when he does it

put pepper on his finger tell him that there are big bugs in his nose that will start chewing his fingers if he does not stop picking his nose. tell him the only way to get them out is to blow them out. say that they will only leave if he stops picking on them!!

My grandmother always said, "you will pull your eye out through your nostril". Always worked for me. I use to think I could feel tugging on my eye when I picked my nose!!!!!

Agreed. Slap him.

tell him girls find it grotesque, and he will never get married Slap the snot out of him... I crack myself up.
No, seriously, he's only five. Most kids do that. Good grief, most men do that!

if you react then he thinks its funny. thats why he keeps doing it. if you stop reacting in any way to the act he wil eventually stop.

sometimes kids just have to grow out of it and sometimes its too much fun for them to get the reaction.
Source(s):
mom of a toddler who has since stopped picking his nose.
babysat for years before i had kids.

Well, okay. This is what my mom did for my because i bit my fingernails. It also helps for picking your nose and putting fingers in your mouth. My mom bought this special nail polish stuff and if you tasted it, it tasted really bad. If you put it in your nose or eyes it also hurts. It helped me a lot because I sucked just about all of my fingers when I was little. It is extremely efficient. Break his nose, or chop off a finger of his.

Or you could try what my parents did, which was teach him manners. Of course your son won't listen to you, thus you introduce him to the basics of punishment. It worked for me.

good luck! instead of trying to stop him from doing it all together, try to teach him that he can not do it in public or in front of others. if he learns some social shame of the activity, he may assimilate himself every time he does it say ewww gross only babies pick their noses that kind of ridicule hits hard at 5 years old just make a bigger deal of it than it is he should stop.. have you taken him to a doctor maybe he has a sinus toubles if he does it in excess..

constant reminders, and just takes a lot of consistancy. tell him to blow his nose and wash his hands. tell him there will be consquences for picking sucha as taking a toy away or no games. dont forget to praise him a little when he remembers on his own, it will help him remeber cause they love when your proud of them

tell his brain is gonna come out through his nose if he doesnt stop pickin it............well he might think it will be kool if hes little

I told my 4 1/2 year old that the buggers would eat the end of his finger off and guess what......he still picks his nose. I let him pick for now and always make sure he uses a tissue.

I think it's a hopeless battle, one I am fighting right now too.

Sometimes your acknowledgement of the problem perpetuates it. Try ignoring him when he's digging for diamonds. If nothing else, you know that in the next couple of years, peer pressure will make him stop. No one likes being made fun of and the older he gets the more he will come to realize this. Tell him his head will cave in!

More Questions & Answers...

The information provided by website users, we do not guarantee its completeness and accuracy, so it can not be applied in during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition.

How do I teach my son to stop picking his nose?

Pregnancy & Parenting