Why do children eat noses? What could be the reasons for this behavior of the child? Is it worth it to wean? You will find answers to these and other exciting questions in our article. Some people's behavior defies explanation by leading scientists. For example, many children stick their fingers in their nose, try to put the seized into their mouths. This behavior is called goat eating. Some scientists analyze the behavior of children, they want to find a scientific explanation for their actions. Now we will try to figure it out.
Picking process
Note that picking your nose is an instinctive habit of extracting dried mucus with your fingers. No need to scold children for such behavior. When mucus accumulates in the nose and forms a crust that irritates the mucous membrane, sneezing occurs. As a result, the nasal cavity is cleaned. A person can free his nose from the interfering "object" and mechanically. Do not consider this a bad habit.
Knowledge of the world
Why do children eat boogers? Children in such a peculiar way learn the world. There comes a time when the child begins to think about the origin of the boogers, their purpose, because they complicate the process of breathing. The kid just does not yet understand that the main reason is the dust that has settled on the nasal cavity. If the child will like the taste of the boogers, he will eat them in his free time. It is very unpleasant to watch when an adult takes a goat out of his nose and eats it. Such behavior causes only disgust among others. At the same time, a large number of microbes enter the body of a person who eats boogers. It is harder for an adult to get rid of such a bad habit than a child.
Is it worth it to wean?
If a child eats noses, is it worth it to wean? According to statistics, almost 91% of people periodically have a finger in their nose. Therefore, you do not need to punish the child for such behavior. Children are more susceptible to various microbes, and the immune system is under development, so babies have more mucus. In addition, the physiology of children's sinuses complicates the situation. In children, the mucus remains in the nose, it has nowhere to go. This is the main reason for the large number of bugs in the nose in children.
Of course, for health, moderate picking in the nose is harmless. But others are not particularly pleased to see this cleaning. Pediatricians advise to teach children to clean their nose alone.
Causes of bad habits
Why is the baby eating from the nose of the booger? As a rule, children simply do not understand where they can be taken. Before eating them, they are for some time in a state of indecision, thinking about what to do with the contents. As a result, not finding a more suitable solution, the baby hides "evidence" in his mouth. In medical sources, you can read that if a child eats boogers, then it can be assumed that he lacks attention or suffers from an increased activity syndrome. Also, the natural process of cleaning the nose can be a symptom of a serious ailment - Smith-Magenis syndrome.
In India, a study was conducted in which more than 200 schoolchildren took part. During it, it became known that almost all of them pick their nose more than four times a day. 20% recognized this as a serious problem that complicates their lives. Along the way, other bad habits were revealed among schoolchildren, which also indicate neurological and psychological deviations.
Another reason children eat goats can be considered their taste. Some guys like him. This makes children periodically look for new “goodies” in their nose.
The exact reason why the child eats boogers cannot be called. All the hypotheses of specialists are just assumptions. They cannot be considered undeniable. The truth is that eating boogers is not the norm and is considered an uncultured gesture. Of course, you should not constantly blame the child for such behavior. He may begin to move away from his parents, hide actions in the future. That is, there will be a loss of trust in parents.
Conditions
Is there any harm from the fact that the child eats boogers? Now let's figure it out. I would like to note the fact that in the process of growing up the child usually forgets about this habit. But if parents cannot calmly wait for this moment, then it is worth the baby to provide such conditions in which a minimal amount of crusts in the nose will appear. So let's look at them:
- Pay more attention to the baby’s health.
- In the early stages, start treatment for the common cold.
- Pay attention to the humidity and temperature in the room where the child is. Dry air causes the mucous membrane to dry out. This is precisely the reason that boogers appear.
- It is advisable to get a humidifier.
- Wet cleaning should be carried out more often and the room should be aired.
- Useful walks in the fresh air.
- It is necessary to timely trim the child’s nails on the handles so that he does not violate the integrity of the surface of the mucosa.
- Distract your child from picking his nose with finger games.
Harm or benefit?
Some experts say that boogers are a “vaccine” against many ailments. Microbes that accumulate on the mucosa do not enter the body, and when a child eats boogers, it causes the immune system to fight irritants. Thus, the protective functions of the body are activated. Of course, that domestic doctors advise using more traditional methods to increase immunity.
What to do?
Later in the article, we will describe how to wean a child from eating boogers. It is necessary to explain to the baby that it is indecent to do so. Use a handkerchief for cleaning. Physiologists recommend that you teach your child to perform the procedure unnoticed by others.
If the child constantly has a finger in his nose, then you should seek help from a pediatric neurologist or psychologist. Sometimes there are objective reasons for this behavior. It happens that the problem lies in idleness, for example, the child simply has nowhere to put his hands. Sometimes a baby can start poking around in his nose if a foreign object, such as a button, is stuck there. Therefore, it is initially worth checking the nasal cavity for the presence of some small parts. If you find them there, then you should immediately go to the doctor. It is not worth doing anything on your own, so as not to harm the baby.
If after a nose a child puts a finger in his mouth, then there is no need to focus on it and scold him. Punishment will negatively affect the behavior of the child. He will continue to eat boogers, but only when his parents are not around.
Sometimes just a baby does not realize the nature of the boogers, he just automatically sends them into his mouth. Parents should at this moment control the child. He should say that you can’t put this muck in your mouth. You can clap your hands to further distract attention. It is advisable that each member of the family has the same manner of behavior in a similar situation, so that the baby quickly gets used to the fact that this is not worth behaving. It is very important to properly motivate the child. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult to wean him from this habit.
How to wean a baby from a bad habit? Methods
You can use various motivation, namely:
- Do not pay attention to his behavior, entertain the baby with something interesting. It is possible that the reason for picking lies in idleness.
- Switch the attention of the child. If the baby started eating boogers, then switch his attention to something else (drawing, modeling, etc.). Thus, you will not only solve the problem with a bad habit, but also contribute to the development of fine motor skills and creative thinking.
- Bitter varnish. There is a special children's varnish with a bitter taste. It will help to wean the baby not only from eating boogers, but also from biting his nails, sucking fingers and so on. The varnish lasts about three days.
- Tell about the rules of etiquette. This method is suitable for older children.