What is your take on nailpolish?

[SarahBear]

Violet is 3 but has a friend who is 6. This 6 year old has asked me (at different times) about whether or not Violet can wear lip gloss or nail polish. I have said no to both. First of all, I will continue to say no to makeup for a long time. I don't see makeup as appropriate for children unless it's something along the lines of stage makeup (used appropriately) or part of a (appropriate) costume such as a red nose for Rudolph. Face paint is also different to me. However, nail polish seems different from makeup as well. It often times, however, contains harmful chemicals that I don't need Violet ingesting or applying to her cuticles. And then there's the fact that it discourages play because of chipping or washing off. To me, Violet seems like the kind of kid who would want it to stay perfect. It just generally doesn't seem age appropriate in the preschool and under group. She isn't particularly interested right now, but I could see it happening in time. I'm wondering if 6 might be a good age to start loosening up on it though. I don't know why 6 exactly and it seems a bit arbitrary, but sometimes when one age seems too young and another age seems OK, you just have to pick an arbitrary time in between... Thoughts?

 

[Larkspur]

I don't like nail polish personally because perfect nails seem like a status boast (ie that you have the time and money to get them done, and a job where they won't get chipped) and chipped polish looks ugly, so I just wouldn't encourage it.

But if I didn't feel that way, I don't think I'd attach an age to it's appropriateness. Or a gender.

 

[SophiasMummy]

My LO wears nail polish though less often now she goes to proper school. I started painting her toenails at around 2 and a half and painting her fingernails at around 3. But nail polish or not she will still run around like a loon playing she doesn't care if it gets chipped. She also never bites her nails.

Btw I very rarely paint my own nails and never get them done properly. I think painting nails at home is very different to going to a nail salon and getting shellac etc

 

[Quartz]

DD I think got some polish for her 4th birthday (from her party) but it was horrible stuff and came off striaght away!

She is not allowed to wear it at school (school rule) but did get some from a Christmas Makeover and just had a makeover party and sometimes wears it on holiday. She has make up as well which she wears to partys and out on holiday. She kept it on for a whole week from the party (half term) and it did chip naturally but never bothered her

I would shy against having a strict age, it just seemed to happen organically so dont overthink

I think you are right to say no at this point but maybe see what happens when its a peer to peer of the same age and take it from there

 

[Natsku]

I don't like nail polish but I'm using it as a bribe to get Maria to stop biting her nails. She's been told she'll get to wear nail polish if she can stop biting them as its getting really bad. No luck so far though.

 

[Natasha2605]

I don't like it because when it starts to chip it really annoys me. If they ask, I will paint their nails but only on weekends. I don't see it as appropriate for school/nursery.

 

[gingajewel]

Megan isnt allowed to wear it to school but I paint them at a weekend when she asks. For holiday last year we both went to a salon and had our nails done and Megan loved it (I did too, the first time I had ever had them done!!)

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

My 10yr old always does the 3yr olds nails and make up. I dont wear make up really. Its more of a bonding/fun thing. Ive not over thought it in all honesty x

 

[CaptainMummy]

Paige (5) sometimes asks me to paint her nails. I make her take it off if she has school, though.
She also has loads of (adult) makeup and loves to do herself up, but it is just fun and she cleans it off when she is done. My 2yr old also likes to make herself up (which is the biggest disaster ever, but she has fun)
I dont mind her wearing a bit of lipgloss if she asks, again, I dont let her wear it to school. I actually have given her a few scented lipbalms that she uses quite alot, I dont mind her using them

 

[Neko]

I let my DD paint her nails and wear lip gloss if she asks. We only use a light pink or silver sparkle polish that barely shows. The lip gloss isn't colored, it's really more of a chapstick. The only time she has worn real makeup is for dance recital/pictures. Even then I put it on lightly and used natural colors rather than stage makeup

 

[Elli21]

My youngest is 4 and has rarely asked for some on and when she has asked I have put it on her
It's more of a fun girly time activity.
My daughter doesn't mind if it chips and it definaty doesn't stop her from doing anything.
And when I have painted her nails it's always off a few days later as she's not allowed it at school xx

 

[.Mrs.B.]

Same as facepaint for me, I would let them at any age. We don't have any in our house but when DS was almost 2 my sister painted one of his thumbnails as she was doing hers and he was delighted with it. Chipped nails are inevitable on kids but at least it goes with the smudged facepaint and mud splattered clothes, lol.

 

[alibaba24]

My 6 year old sometimes wears it. But I let her apply it herself. Of course she makes a mess and had no patience for it to dry. So she has her own sensible reasons for not bothering with it lol. Occasionally she will ask me to put it on her. It doesn't bother me. If I say no there's a chance she will just become obsessed with wanting it on and think about it more than I'd like her to. At this age for my dd anyway she doesn't care about her looks. If I thought she was doing it to make herself extra pretty or whatever I might try and discourage it

 

[mum22ttc#3]

I've let mine from pretty much when they can ask so probably 3-4. They aren't allowed to wear it to school so it only gets done a handful of times a year, mostly when it's the holidays.
They never wear makeup out accept my eldest, (she's nearly 13 though and then it's not a lot and never to school) but DD2 did get some very childish bits for Christmas so they have done make overs on each other a couple of times, it gets washed of at the end of the day

 

[Bevziibubble]

I don't wear nail polish myself but I let Holly have her nails painted by her nana as they love a girly pampering session together. I don't allow it on her fingernails though as she bites her nails occasionally.

 

[maria43]

My 14 year old wears it and she has done since she was quite young. Around 3-4. Not all the time but just every so often for special occasions or just a treat. She wears it almost all the time now but her school doesn't mind and she's old enough to do it herself now obviously.

 

[EcoMama]

I've not really thought about this.

my 6yr old son has had his nails painted at the christmas fayre in school as it was his friend's mum doing it and he wanted to join in.

I don't have any polish in the house, so I guess my 2yr old won't be asking for a while, and when she does it'll naturally be a one off, which is fine.

I also don't wear make up, so she has no idea what that is atm. Again, I'm sure that'll change as she gets older, but I'm hoping more towards age 10 than 6.

I use lip balm for chapped lips, which she likes to get hold of but mainly just eats it! (It's coconut oil, so she can eat it if she wants!)

 

[SarahBear]

Well, I guess I don't have to worry about this for a while, haha. We were at the park with my neighbors and nail polish was mentioned. The mom found some nail polish in a pocket on the stroller and she was commenting to her daughter about it. Then Violet said "no nail polish for me!" No one asked her about it, but un-prompted, she was rejecting the idea of nail polish for herself. I don't know what she thinks of feels about it exactly, but at least she isn't being drawn to it right now which means I don't have to worry for a while.

Edit: Not that she was particularly drawn to it before, but she's not actively rejecting it. Hopefully that attitude sticks for a while. If she does get to a point where she's interested, I'll talk to her about having to wait for it to dry, et cetera and if we get to the point where she's interested AND willing to be patient enough, I'll look into polishes with natural ingredients.

 

[Zephram]

I don't like nail polish on my fingernails but I do like to paint my toenails in summer if I'm wearing open toe shoes/sandals. I haven't considered this in regards to my kids as I have two boys and so they won't get the gender/peer pressure about doing it that girls will, and also I have so rarely painted my toenails since I've had kids that I don't think my eldest even knows what nail polish is - he certainly wouldn't remember the last time I did it. But thinking back to when I was a little girl I never got in to painting my nails until I was about 12. It wasn't a big thing with the girls I was friends with. I remember doing it occasionally for fun with friends before then but my mum never did it at home and to be honest I never even thought about it. I probably wouldn't worry about it or encourage it either way with my own kids. I don't think it's a big deal if it's just for fun every now and then but I wouldn't be buying a young kid nail polish to have at home.

 

[Cattia]

My daughter loves wearing it and also messing around with my make up. She had some kids' make up for her birthday. I don't really approve of it but to be honest I figured in the end there are worse things than letting her play make up with her friends so I let it go. They v aren't allowed to wear anything to school so it's mostly holiday time that she plays with it, and also mainly when she has friends over.