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There are few things more daunting than having to cut your baby's nails.
The sheer idea of having to trim those sharp, little talonesque daggers (seriously, how do they get so sharp?) is more unnerving than the unexpected sound of nails on a chalkboard, which your toddlers could surely do if they had the dexterity, the know-how, and the supplies needed because their nails grow so darn fast.
Nailing down why it's scary
With newborns, trimming nails is terrifying because, as a parent or caregiver, you don't want to accidentally hurt your little ones by cutting the nail too far back or inadvertently clipping the side of the skin surrounding the nail.
They're just so small, and you need to be SO precise. It's a scary, but necessary, thing to have to do.
With toddlers, trimming nails is still terrifying for the same reason of not wanting to nick the skin, but the unease is also compounded by the fact that your independent and surprisingly strong, suddenly-not-so-little one has the energy and tenacity to constantly wriggle their hands and feet away from your grip juuuuuust as you get the clippers lined up and into place.
Kids grow like weeds, their nails grow like weeds on top of weeds
It probably seems as though your child's nails need to be cut every other day, when you KNOW you just took care of them only yesterday. I've stopped trying to figure out how this is even possible. Somehow, they just grow in double-time.
Your little one's fingernails start growing around 12 weeks in utero, beginning at the base of the nail bed and reaching the fingertips around 32 weeks' gestation. Their toenails start growing around 16 weeks and reach the end of the nail bed around 36 weeks.
Nails grow more quickly during childhood than they do during adulthood, and once your kids hit puberty, that growth rate slows down by about half. Interestingly, nails also seem to grow faster during the summer months, which could be due to increased blood flow and circulation.
Fingernails grow at a rate of approximately 0.7 mm per week, while toenails grow about half as quickly, around 0.4 mm per week. While you may have to trim your kids' nails every few days, you probably will only have to trim their toenails every other time.
...with twins, instead of 10 little fingers and 10 little toes, you have to take care of 20 little fingers and 20 little toes, so the task takes twice as long.
So, you get down to it. You announce it's time to cut their nails or quietly bring the kit out and hope they don't notice and make a break for it. They voice their disagreement and let you know they are not on board with your plan, and the toenail trimming game is afoot.
If you're lucky, you get into the zone and manage to get their fingernails taken care of before they run away or you decide you need to regroup and revisit this in a few hours.
And just as you're wiping your brow and sighing with relief that the necessary grooming chore is done, you remember you're only halfway there (yes, take a Bon Jovi singing break), because with twins, instead of 10 little fingers and 10 little toes, you have to take care of 20 little fingers and 20 little toes, so the task takes twice as long.
Double the nails, double the time, double the squirming.
Best tool for the job
For the first handful of weeks, your newborns' nails will be quite soft and, as a result of this, more difficult to trim.
But don't be fleeced into a false sense of security—just because those nails are soft doesn't mean they won't find a way to be sharp AF.
And because your newborns have little control over their startle reflex (also known as the Moro Reflex), they can inadvertently scratch their face (or their sibling's!) or you, which is less than ideal.
Around one month of age, your babies' nails begin to harden and they become easier to trim…but not any less scary.
From newborn through 12 to 18 months
One thing that can ease your level of unease is using a nail buffer designed for babies instead of opting for the classic style of nail clippers.
I found this tool to be much easier to navigate around those teeny-tiny digits and the buffer got the job done much more quickly, too.
We had this nail buffing tool and it worked smoothly with our twins, from the day they came home from the neonatal intensive care unit until they were between 12 and 18 months old.
We only needed one of these nail files (check out our list of what you actually need two of if you're having twins), but we also invested in a second nail care groom kit for when our twins were older.
This buffer comes with six different tips designed for varying ages, from newborn to three months, four to 11 months, 12 months and up, and then three attachments for adults (a metal grinding tool for shaping and shortening, a soft end for cleaning and polishing, and a cylindrical attachment for tending to nail tips and cuticles).
It has a built-in light at the end of the tool, so that you can always see clearly what you're doing and how low you're filing the nail.
The filing head can spin left or right, depending on which hand you're working on, to ensure a neat, tidy, and flawless manicure or pedicure job.
FANSIDI Baby Safe Nail File Kit
This is the FANSIDI Baby Safe Nail File Kit. It comes with different attachments suitable for providing nail care to newborns through toddlers, up to adults.
From 12 to 18 months and onward
Then, from 12 to 18 months and onward, the twins were big enough that I felt confident I wasn't going to accidentally nick their fingertips, so we moved on to a classic clipper set in a convenient baby size. We bought this baby care set new (check out this article for a list of what you can buy used and what you should buy new for your twins).
While they don't have a built-in light, they are the perfect size for cutting pint-sized nails, and they come in a handy carrying case that's stocked with other tools essential for providing baby care, including a mini silicone toothbrush for your babies' gums, a hairbrush and a comb, a thermometer, a nose bulb, and more.
PandaEar Baby Healthcare & Grooming Kit
This is the PandaEar Baby Healthcare & Grooming Kit. It also comes with other baby care tools, like a silicone toothbrush for cleaning gums, a hairbrush and a comb, a thermometer, and a nose bulb.
Best way to actually cut your baby's nails
Either way, you'll want to distract your twins when it's go-time. Turn on a song they love, put on a video they enjoy watching, give them something (anything) to hold or chew on, or ask them to tell you where their hair, nose, eyes, or toes, are.
Between these distractions, you should hopefully be able to buy enough time to take care of their nail needs.
But whatever you do, don't rush it because that's when you'll be more likely to cut a nail too short or accidentally clip the side of a finger.
If you plan things right, you may be able to check this task off of your list while your twins are sleeping (at least, when they're newborns), which will eliminate the wiggling baby factor.
Once your kids are older, you may find it easier to incorporate nail trimming into the bathtime routine, since their nails will be softer and easier to work with immediately after their time in the warm water.
If you really have a wiggle worm who's resistant to having their nails cut, you can always try trimming only a couple of nails at a time and then taking a short break, so both you and your baby can reset and try again in a bit.
When you go to trim or file the nail, press gently on your little one's finger pad, so that it's pulled slightly away from the nail. This will help prevent an accidental nick of the surrounding skin and help you keep a steady grip on your baby as you shorten their nails.
For fingernails, it's best to trim the nails along the curve of the nail bed, but when you're working on the toenails, it's better to cut the nails straight across, rather than following the curve of the toe. This will help prevent ingrown nails and infections.
The long and the short of it
Cutting your baby's nails can be challenging, and when there are twice as many nails to cut, it can be twice as difficult and is definitely doubly time-consuming.
Make this task easier on yourself by making sure you have the right tools at your disposal. A nail buffer will help you breeze through nail care in the newborn Make this task easier on yourself—and on your babies!—by making sure you have the right tools at your disposal.
A nail buffer will help you breeze through nail care in the newborn days, and an appropriately-sized nail clipper set will set you up for success once your twins reach toddlerhood.
Now, instead of fighting with your little ones about how long or sharp their nails have gotten, you can grab your tool of choice and tame those toenails in record time.
As you check this chore off your list, you'll be singing two words to yourself: "Nailed it!"
Did you prefer to use a nail buffer tool or a small clipper set to tame your babies' nails? Why? How did you distract your twins during this job? Let us know in the Comments section below.
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