Nails are often the ignored parts of one’s body. The only time we pay any attention when they grow annoyingly long. But with babies, you can’t afford to wait that long. Parents have to keep an eye on the baby’s nail growth as they could end up scratching themselves pretty badly.

Here are some tips to cut your baby’s nails safely:

File them with an emery board: This might be time-consuming but it’s one of the safest ways to clip your baby’s nails. Be careful not to hurt the tender skin under the nail. Avoid a metal nail file, it’s too rough for your baby’s skin.

A baby nail clipper is another option but be sure you do it gently. You’ll have to push back the fingertip from the nail so that there is enough space for the clipper. Even for toenails, hold your baby’s foot and clip straight across. Avoid cutting the sides, it could cause ingrown nails and avoid digging the sides of the nails, it can cause infection. You can use scissor-shaped clippers or manicure scissors too. Use emery boards to smoothen the rough edges.

The ideal time to clip your baby’s nails is when your baby is asleep. Babies, especially the newborns are quite alert and tend to clench their fists hard making the process difficult. But if you choose to clip them when your baby is awake, make sure you distract the baby like singing the baby’s favourite song. Clipping right after a bath too helps, as the nails will be soft and your baby too will be relaxed. If the baby gets tense, take a break and then slowly come back to it.

Fingernails grow surprisingly quick so you might need to cut the more than once a week, toenails grow relatively slowly.

Still, if you are not very comfortable doing it, you can ask the nurse at the paediatrician or even take the help of a seasoned parent.