Mani/Pedi Musts
If you haven't guessed by now, Arianna is a girlie girl. She loves everything girlie - dresses, high heels, jewelry, chapstick, and, of course, painted nails. Although some people might argue that painted nails are too grown up for a two year old, I don't think it's a big deal. Obviously I don't want my little lady growing up too fast, so halter tops and two piece bathing suits are 100% off limits, but appropriate nail color is okay with me.
If you think I'm crazy, I'll explain...
For one thing, it's a surefire way to get Arianna to allow me to do her nails. So many parents have difficulty getting their children to agree to a nail trim they do it while they're sleeping. The idea of using a pair of nail clippers while holding a flashlight, trying to get the job done, and not wake up a little one does not seem like a stress-free evening to me. I'd rather have Arianna on board with the nail trim and make it fun for her.
Another reason is because getting your nails done is fun. So many women meet their friends at the salon for a mani/pedi or bring their elderly mother with them, there has to be something to that. It's a great way to relax and be pampered together.
I'm also sending the message that it's important to take care of yourself and to care about your appearance. We do it so low-key and sporadically, she doesn't think it's a necessity, but she does love it when we do it. I also don't have my nails painted all the time either so she sees that we can still be equally beautiful without it.
I've taken Arianna lots of times to the salon with me. When she was younger, she would just sit on my lap during my pedicure and kick in the water. Then I would have the ladies paint her nails right before we left. But now that she's older, the ladies love setting her up for her own kid-pedicure and manicure. (I want to think it's because she's so cute, but I think it might be so they can charge me an extra $20.)
There's one big problem with salon mani/pedis. The nail polish chips off even before we get home. Take this photograph as evidence... I took it an hour after Arianna got her nails done at a salon. They used Essie sparkly red polish.
I much prefer to do at home mani/pedis with Arianna. I use Piggy Paint polish - it's all natural and non-toxic, so I know that she's not being exposed to harmful chemicals and if it chips off in her mouth, it's not a big deal. The polish doesn't really last long - maybe a day or two before it starts chipping off on her fingers, but will last about a week on her toes. Here's a photograph I took several hours after giving her an at-home mani/pedi using Piggy Paint.
For those of you who do not know where to start, here's my at home mani/pedi procedure:
1. Wash hands and remove any old polish. (Piggy Paint makes a non-toxic paint remover but it's pretty difficult to use.)
2. Trim nails using a curved pair of nail scissors. (See below for why I won't use clippers.)
3. File with an adult nail file. Those baby files are crap. Save yourself the headache and just use a real one.
4. Massage the hand (or foot) with your child's lotion. Then wipe off nails with a Q-tip and some nail polish remover.
5. Paint nails.
6. Blow-dry.
Simple, easy, and fun!
Why I don't use clippers:
When Arianna was three months old I signed her up for Gymboree classes. One of the parts of infant Gymboree is all the parents talking about parenting. I remember one day the discussion was about trimming baby's nails.
Suddenly, several of the mothers began telling stories of how they accidentally cut their child's finger open while clipping them. I distinctly remember thinking, What is wrong with these people? Aren't they being careful? I use the clippers all the time and have never had a problem.
Well... a few months later I clipped Arianna's finger while trimming her nails. If you've ever done this you know how awful it feels to hurt your child, how much it bleeds, and what a taunting reminder that scab is until it completely heals.
I then started to use just the nail file.
But when Arianna was about eighteen months old, I decided to try the clippers again. It worked a few times, until the day she moved her hand mid-clip. And there it was again - the little clipper injury, the crying baby, and the heartbroken mother.
I haven't used the clippers since. Not that I haven't tried, but because Arianna remembers and screams bloody murder when she sees them. (Even at the nail salon she'll say to the woman, "Don't use the clippers on me, okay? No clippers.")
The day I discovered the nail scissors was amazing and I've been using them for over a year without incident. Grooming shouldn't be painful or be a struggle!
If you think I'm crazy, I'll explain...
For one thing, it's a surefire way to get Arianna to allow me to do her nails. So many parents have difficulty getting their children to agree to a nail trim they do it while they're sleeping. The idea of using a pair of nail clippers while holding a flashlight, trying to get the job done, and not wake up a little one does not seem like a stress-free evening to me. I'd rather have Arianna on board with the nail trim and make it fun for her.
Another reason is because getting your nails done is fun. So many women meet their friends at the salon for a mani/pedi or bring their elderly mother with them, there has to be something to that. It's a great way to relax and be pampered together.
I'm also sending the message that it's important to take care of yourself and to care about your appearance. We do it so low-key and sporadically, she doesn't think it's a necessity, but she does love it when we do it. I also don't have my nails painted all the time either so she sees that we can still be equally beautiful without it.
I've taken Arianna lots of times to the salon with me. When she was younger, she would just sit on my lap during my pedicure and kick in the water. Then I would have the ladies paint her nails right before we left. But now that she's older, the ladies love setting her up for her own kid-pedicure and manicure. (I want to think it's because she's so cute, but I think it might be so they can charge me an extra $20.)
There's one big problem with salon mani/pedis. The nail polish chips off even before we get home. Take this photograph as evidence... I took it an hour after Arianna got her nails done at a salon. They used Essie sparkly red polish.
I much prefer to do at home mani/pedis with Arianna. I use Piggy Paint polish - it's all natural and non-toxic, so I know that she's not being exposed to harmful chemicals and if it chips off in her mouth, it's not a big deal. The polish doesn't really last long - maybe a day or two before it starts chipping off on her fingers, but will last about a week on her toes. Here's a photograph I took several hours after giving her an at-home mani/pedi using Piggy Paint.
For those of you who do not know where to start, here's my at home mani/pedi procedure:
1. Wash hands and remove any old polish. (Piggy Paint makes a non-toxic paint remover but it's pretty difficult to use.)
2. Trim nails using a curved pair of nail scissors. (See below for why I won't use clippers.)
3. File with an adult nail file. Those baby files are crap. Save yourself the headache and just use a real one.
4. Massage the hand (or foot) with your child's lotion. Then wipe off nails with a Q-tip and some nail polish remover.
5. Paint nails.
6. Blow-dry.
Simple, easy, and fun!
Why I don't use clippers:
When Arianna was three months old I signed her up for Gymboree classes. One of the parts of infant Gymboree is all the parents talking about parenting. I remember one day the discussion was about trimming baby's nails.
Suddenly, several of the mothers began telling stories of how they accidentally cut their child's finger open while clipping them. I distinctly remember thinking, What is wrong with these people? Aren't they being careful? I use the clippers all the time and have never had a problem.
Well... a few months later I clipped Arianna's finger while trimming her nails. If you've ever done this you know how awful it feels to hurt your child, how much it bleeds, and what a taunting reminder that scab is until it completely heals.
I then started to use just the nail file.
But when Arianna was about eighteen months old, I decided to try the clippers again. It worked a few times, until the day she moved her hand mid-clip. And there it was again - the little clipper injury, the crying baby, and the heartbroken mother.
I haven't used the clippers since. Not that I haven't tried, but because Arianna remembers and screams bloody murder when she sees them. (Even at the nail salon she'll say to the woman, "Don't use the clippers on me, okay? No clippers.")
The day I discovered the nail scissors was amazing and I've been using them for over a year without incident. Grooming shouldn't be painful or be a struggle!
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