When our son was born we were told to cut his nails while he was sleeping in his crib. Being the sleep-deprived, paranoid mom that I was, following are the reasons why this did not work for me:

1. This boy barely sleeps and you are asking me to risk waking him and losing my sanity to cut his nails?!? No freaking way!
2. What if he’s lying on one side and I can’t get to the hand or foot I want to get to? Then refer back to item #1.
3. What if some of the little nail cuttings find their way into his mouth, ears, nose, or belly button, and he can’t breathe and he and I both go into shock? What if one of them simply pokes him…then refer back to item #1.
4. What if I accidentally cut too much of his nail and cut his skin…then of course refer back to item #1.
5. How do I lean over his crib or bassinet with a huge post-partum belly and conduct what to me seemed like minor surgery on my precious baby without breaking my back or having a milk let-down?

So being the resourceful parent/entrepreneur that I am, here’s what I did:

1. Put him in a reclining bouncer (with neck support if needed) or infant car seat and either a) wait until he fell asleep or b) put on a baby video.
2. If he fell asleep and I didn’t think he would wake up (usually from age 0 to about 2 months), I would get some Kleenex tissue and place is strategically under his hands or feet. I would then gently press the nail down so just the part that needed cutting would stick out over the end and commence trimming with the Safety 1st nail trimmer, which we still use today, that you can buy at Amazon.com. I would collect the trimmings in the tissue and throw everything in the trash when I was finished.
3. If he didn’t fall asleep (2 months and older), I would do what I did in item #2 with a video (e.g., Baby Einstein) I knew he could not take his eyes off of. I would trim the nails on his right hand, take a break then move to his right foot. I would repeat on his left side.

To this day, I cut both our kid’s nails in front of the TV. It is a much less nerve wracking experience for all of us to do it while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Dora the Explorer than while they are asleep. :-)

Happy Nail Trimming!

These tips are based on my experiences. Please always consult with your doctor before implementing any tip that might impact the health of your baby.

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The author of this article, Aruni Gunasegaram, is the President/Founder of Babble Soft, which offers web and mobile software applications that facilitate communication between caregivers by helping them with breastfeeding support bottle feedings, mom’s pumping, baby sleep patterns, diapers, immunizations and medicine doses as well as baby's first year photo album.