Why does a child eat boogers from the nose. Picking and eating boogers: physiology. Direct your child's attention in the right direction
How to deal with nose picking?
Statistics confirm that about 91% of the adult population picks their nose. So what about children? Forcing them to stop sticking their fingers up their nose can cause nervousness or disobedience. It is much easier to distract the child with animals, drawing, walking on the street before starting to pull out the boogers, and quietly wipe the nose with a handkerchief yourself.Pay attention to the baby that if you often climb your fingers into the nose, snot will come out of it, and you will have to treat a runny nose. Practice shows that not a single child likes to visit the clinic and undergo procedures. Most likely, such tactics will bear fruit and eradicate the psychological problem.
Picking the baby's nose and eating boogers is associated with a psychological cause that can be treated through careful attention to the child. Only love and constant conversations can achieve positive results and forget about this trouble imperceptibly.
Video: “Why do people eat boogers? Rhinotillexomania, psychotherapy»
The kid picked his nose with his finger, and then he took and ate the goat he got from there. Mom and dad frown in disgust and scold the child, who does not really understand why. His personal nose, his booger... Parents are completely bewildered, although boogers themselves were also present in the children's "menu".
So why do so many children eat boogers? Parents, psychologists, doctors, and even the children themselves tried to answer this question. Only no one has a final answer, but the editors of the site will now acquaint you with the main assumptions of specialists.
Where is the habit?
Doctors and psychologists believe that goat-eating, popular among kids, is one of the most accessible ways to explore the world. Little children are tritely interested in what kind of "things" appear in their nose? And following the genetic memory and innate food reflex , everything that children are interested in, they pull into their mouths and taste.
The natural, again, innate instinct of all babies is to eat as much as possible in order to get stronger and grow faster. So even boogers come into play. If the baby was satisfied with the results of the "research", he repeats it again and again. The food instinct later ceases to be the leading one, but the bad habit of "goat-eating" remains.
Harmful or not?
It's strange, but doctors still haven't dubbed the eating of boogers (and quite adults sometimes sin with this) some term, but the excessive passion for picking one's nose in medical language is called Rinotillexomania
.
Many doctors believe that one mania breeds another. And this harms the child in terms of behavioral norms: it is ugly, and it is very unpleasant to be near such a young "taster".
As for the potential harmfulness of boogers. They are dried mucus in which they area variety of immune defense factors and a lot of microbes. And some doctors even believe that this "cocktail" supposedly even stimulates the immune system and even acts as a preventive measure for allergies in a child. Like it or not, it is impossible to say, because no one has conducted scientific evidence of the healing properties of boogers.
But the harm from such an activity is still obvious: during the "goat tasting" the child licks his fingers, which means that in his the body gets a lot of microbes
. They may lead to:
- to inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose and mouth;
- contact with dirt on the fingers in the body of helminths;
- the acquisition of a bad habit that a child can carry into adulthood.
What to do?
Help your child break the habit, and not just through explanations and handing out paper tissues to clean the nose. But also direct help to the baby's nose. If boogers periodically “start up” in it, then the air in the room is too dry: the room needs to be ventilated, and the air needs to be moistened - special humidifier or banal "spatter".
And as proof that the habit of picking your nose can really ruin your reputation:
In many families, sooner or later, parents notice that the child eats boogers from the nose. Of course, from the outside, this activity does not look at all aesthetically pleasing, but you should not panic. First of all, it's time to determine the reason why the baby pulls boogers into his mouth.
Why do children eat boogers from their noses?
To capture odors is not disturbed, it is necessary to constantly moisten the surface of the mucosa. Therefore, the process of mucus production occurs constantly and, normally, does not exceed a certain amount.
Villi, along with mucus, retain small particles of dust, as well as most of the harmful microbes from the inhaled air. This ensures the safety of the respiratory system and prevents many complications. In certain situations, when the mucous membrane is irritated (for example, a person inhales ground pepper), sneezing occurs and the nose is freed from debris.
The same reaction occurs if the mucus that has captured the particles has dried up and turned into crusts, called boogers. If sneezing does not help, the person tries to mechanically clear the sinuses, including with the help of a finger. In this case, this action is considered reasonable and does not have the character of a bad habit. Normally, after that, people do not eat boogers.
What is rhinotillexomania? Often adults ignore the fact that a child eats boogers from the nose, believing that since most children behave this way, there is nothing wrong with that. But it happens that a harmless habit becomes obsessive, acquiring the form of a mental disorder called rhinotillexomania.
The problem is dangerous because it can lead to permanent nosebleeds or other complications of the mucosal condition. In addition, rhinotillexomania can be a symptom of some more serious mental illness.
What are the functions of the human nose? Thanks to the nose, not only comfortable breathing is ensured, but also one of the six basic senses - smell. The inner space of the nose is covered with epithelium dotted with capillaries, nerve endings and small villi. It seems to be a bad habit in which a child eats boogers from the nose, but on the other hand, this is also a cleansing of the mucous membrane.
What does it mean if a child has boogers? So far, no exact explanation for this behavior has been given. Researchers tend to believe that the reason is the habit of babies to take any object that comes into their hands into their mouths. This is how they get to know the world. Children don't realize that mucus can be full of dust and germs, so if the taste of boogers isn't objectionable, there's a tendency to eat boogers when there's nothing else to do.
A theory was once put forward that a child eats boogers from the nose, subconsciously knowing that this strengthens the immune system. Since various inactive bacteria linger in the mucus, the body, by consuming them, provides itself with a home-made "vaccination", preparing the immune system for new infections. It also prevents allergies.
Whatever opinion the parents are inclined to, it is necessary to wean the child from eating snot.
What to do if the child eats boogers?
How to wean a child to eat snot? First of all, they explain to the child that picking one's nose in public is indecent, and it is very unpleasant for others to watch a person who cleans his nose. You may have to point out such a person when you see him during a walk or in kindergarten. If such arguments do not help, you can tell the baby that other children will mock him when they see him doing this activity.
Until now, a universal methodology has not yet been invented, therefore, in each family, parents should look for a unique approach to their own child.
Psychologist's advice will help to wean a child from eating boogers from his nose.
Method number 1. If a child eats nose bugs too often, they may form too quickly. This can be caused by drying of the mucous membrane due to inhalation of dry or too polluted air in the apartment. It is worth doing a daily wet cleaning, removing dust, and also think about buying a special humidifier.
Method number 2. A common cause is a persistent runny nose. If the baby does not have a cold, but his nose is constantly clogged, it's time to make a trip to the otolaryngologist. If he does not establish any pathologies, visit an allergist.
Method number 3. Elementary boredom can cause a desire to pick your nose. Parents need to figure out how to keep their child busy, and not with endless cartoons, but with educational games and puzzles to keep their hands busy.
Method number 4. Not the best solution is to constantly pull and scold the baby for eating boogers. It will not be able to help wean the child from eating boogers, but it will spoil the trusting relationship between the elders and the baby.
Method number 5. If the child's fingers stubbornly reach for the nostrils, it is worth making sure that he has not stuck a small object there that prevents him from breathing. If, nevertheless, a bead, button or other part is found in the respiratory hole, and it is not possible to remove it on your own, you should immediately consult a doctor.
Method number 6. Constant nose picking can be neurotic in nature and indicate some kind of psychological problems, along with uncontrolled hair pulling. Then it's time to make an appointment with a neurologist or a child psychologist.
What is missing in the body when a child eats boogers? The snot does not contain any special useful substances. If you link the lack of vitamins and this bad habit, then only on a nervous basis can the metabolism be disturbed. There is no direct relationship between eating boogers and depletion of the body.
Moderate nose picking is not considered a deviation from normal behavior if the person is aware of when to do it and when not. In any case, if the parents noticed that the child is eating boogers from the nose, you should not let everything take its course, and next time it is better to gently explain to him that such an action looks ugly.
Picking out dried snot (boats) from the nostrils with your fingers is a widespread habit among both children and adults. Moderate nose picking is not considered abnormal. But excessive passion for this (rhinotillexomania) may be a sign of psychological disorders or mental disorders. Excessive picking can result in nosebleeds or more serious injury.
From brushing your nose to a bad habitThe human nose performs two important physiological functions - breathing and smelling. The inner surface of the nose is covered with epithelium, and on its surface - mucus. In addition to the olfactory receptors in the nose, there are a lot of other sensitive endings. If foreign particles or the formation of dried mucus enter the nose area, a sneeze reflex occurs, as sensitive receptors are irritated. The body needs constant cleanliness of the nasal cavity. Accordingly, from the point of view of physiology, picking your nose is a completely justified procedure.
Why do some children not only just take out their boogers, clearing their noses, but also eat them? For them, it serves as a kind of way of knowing the world. Sooner or later, every kid thinks about where the boogers come from in the nose, why they clog the nose, making it difficult to breathe. The child does not yet know that the reason is the usual dust settling on the nasal mucosa. Therefore, he explores and even tastes what he takes out of his nose. If the baby likes the taste of the contents, then he will sometimes eat boogers as they appear, for example, when there is nothing to chew on or just out of boredom.
Much more unpleasant when an adult has such a habit. It looks disgusting, and a lot of all kinds of microbes enter the body. In adulthood, it is much more difficult to get rid of a bad habit.
How to wean a child to pick his nose? And does it need to be done?
Statistics show that 91% of adults pick their nose, thus clearing the nose of the dry boogers contained in it. So it's unfair and absolutely pointless to punish a child who picks his nose.
For health, such an occupation is harmless, but it is very unpleasant for others to look at it. Therefore, we recommend that you teach your child how to clean his nose alone so that no one else can see it. So you can avoid the development of neurosis and disobedience in children on this basis.
How to wean a child to eat boogers?
Much more worried are parents whose child eats boogers, and not just picks his nose. Note that with age, most children stop eating boogers on their own. If we wait 
you don’t feel like it for so long, we recommend creating conditions under which the very appearance of dry crusts in the nose will be minimized.
It is necessary to pay attention to health, to treat a constant runny nose.
Humidity and temperature at home are of great importance, since hot and dry air contributes to the drying of the nasal mucosa, the formation of dry boogers. It is advisable to have a humidifier at home, ventilate the room as often as possible, walk with the child on the street, and do wet cleaning.
To prevent the child from damaging the nasal mucosa, cut his nails short.
Distract the child from picking his nose, do crafts and finger games with him.
By the way, one foreign scientist, on the contrary, believes that the use of their own boogers is a “vaccine” against many diseases. And physiologists from the USA are sure that finger massage of the mucosa at times improves the performance of brain activity.
Hello everyone! Andrey is with you again and today I will answer your question, what to do if a child eats boogers?
Yesterday I was at a seminar Ekaterina Kes (Buslova) and on it one girl asked such a question: “What should I do if a child eats boogers?”
Now I will describe the essence of the answer in text format, and at the end of the article there will be a video lesson, for those who are too lazy to read, you can listen to it)))
The first thing you need to do is explain to your child that boogers are dried snot, that boogers are microbes!
Second, you need to make sure that the child has an aversion to boogers. You can say something like this:
“Do you understand that you eat snot? Boogers are dried snot, they are microbes!”
"Let's agree with you that you will blow your nose into a handkerchief!"
“Do you want us to add these snot to your food?”
“And let’s pick out the boogers and put them on a plate, and then I’ll sprinkle them on your soup or pasta?”
That is, what are you doing? You bring it to such an absurdity. The child must be disgusted.
In general, the moment when a child eats a booger occurs unconsciously. He does not remember at this moment that these are microbes, that these are snot, everything happens automatically:
"The child picks his nose, takes out a booger and puts it in his mouth, that's all!"
What to do you ask?
Every time you see a child picking his nose, before he can do anything, just tell him:
“Not in the mouth! Just not in the mouth!
If you and all the relatives of your child say this, then the child will remember it. And when he picks his nose, the thought will fly through his brain:
"Just not in the mouth!"
That is, this phrase should form in his head and he will stop putting them in his mouth!
But! It is very important that the child himself be interested and motivated in this, to get away from this habit, otherwise everything is useless!
How to motivate your child?
You can tell your child like this:
“Children who eat boogers at school are constantly offended, they are called names, and they become a laughing stock! You don't want to be like that, do you? That's why you need to get rid of this habit! It is very important that until you get rid of it, no one should see you eating boogers, otherwise they will start calling you names!
So let's sum it up!
1. We tell the child that boogers are snot, these are microbes!
2. As soon as we saw a finger in his nose, we say the phrase: “Not in the mouth!” You can even clap your hands at the same time, say a phrase and make a clap, it works better that way.
3. We motivate the child to get rid of this habit!
4. Try to make sure that the child blows out snot, let him always have a handkerchief with him. If the child is still small (1.5 - 2 years old), teach him to blow his snot into a handkerchief or napkin.
5. Remember scolding is useless, saying the standard phrases “Stop eating boogers” or “Why are you picking your nose” or “Don’t pick your nose” will not help!
That's all for me, thanks for staying in touch!
But that's not the point! The point is different! Children's kindergartens are located absolutely in different directions from our house. In order to take one child first, you need at least 15 minutes, and then another 15 minutes for another.
In general, in order for our children to go faster, my wife used the method that I talked about in the last article. And you know, for the daughter of Lisa, the heroes of "Sweet Pony" worked with a bang!!! As my wife says: “Liza and I didn’t reach the kindergarten, but we jumped, and so quickly!”
Everything is now exactly everything, bye, bye!