Babies are quite fragile. As such, most parents will pay close attention to their health needs. However, some body parts may be neglected. One of the more common body parts that are often not paid keen attention are the toes. Although ingrown toenails are common in adults, it does not mean that babies cannot develop them too. Knowing the causes and the symptoms would make you better at discerning whether your baby has this problem and if you should consult with an ingrown toenail podiatrist. Since babies do not walk, it is unlikely for them to develop an ingrown toenail due to over exertion of their feet. However, this does not make them immune to this foot ailment. Some of the different causes of ingrown toenails in babies include:
Cutting their toenails incorrectly
Trimming your baby's nails might be a stressful task but it is crucial to ensuring that they do not injure themselves with long nails. As such, it should be done on a regular basis to keep their nails short and trim. Nevertheless, some parents make the mistake of cutting these nails to short. When this is the case, the nails begin to grown inward, and this could cause the development of an ingrown toenail. Ensure that you are not cutting the nails too short and steer clear from cutting them too deep at the corners.
Wearing tight socks
Just as adults could develop ingrown toenails due to ill-fitting shoes, babies can develop them due to tight fitting socks. When your baby's socks are too constrictive, their toes begin to press against each other. This lack of movement in their toes on a constant basis will begin to affect the growth of their nails, increasing the chances of an ingrown toenail.
Getting trauma to the foot
There are different ways that your baby may acquire trauma to their foot ranging from high impact to stubbing themselves against furniture. If the trauma was severe, they could end up losing their toenail altogether. The good news is that the nail will eventually grow again. However, it should be noted that as the new nail grows, it could end up becoming ingrown. It would be prudent to monitor the growth of the new nail and see a podiatrist of you are concerned that it is ingrown. It should also be noted that if your child develops an infection due to the trauma, they would be at risk of developing an ingrown toenail.
Share13 December 2016
Hi, my name is Steve and I’m a keen runner. I’ve been running for fun for years. I love the buzz I get from a long run and the fact that my hobby helps keeps me fit. Last year, I started to experience problems with my feet and ankles. It started with just a few twinges and soreness but ended up getting so bad that I couldn’t run to my usual schedule any longer. I couldn’t work out what was going wrong, so a friend recommended I see a podiatrist. I was a bit sceptical at first; however, my podiatrist immediately identified some issues with my running gait and shoes that were causing my problems. I started this blog to pass on some of the advice I got for any other runners who are suddenly suffering from unexplained discomfort. Hope it helps keep you on the road!
