A Parent’s Guide: Prevention, Signs, and Treatment for Infant Ingrown Toenails

 

Is your baby extra fussy and seemingly experiencing pain in their toe? They might have an ingrown toenail!

In this article, our experts in all toe- and foot-related conditions from the Foot Specialists of Birmingham are here to help you figure out what is hurting your baby’s toe. We’ll cover the following:

• How Do I Know if My Baby Has an Ingrown Toenail?

• Why Do Babies Get Ingrown Toenails?

• How to Treat Infant Ingrown Toenails (infected and non-infected)

• A Great Podiatrist for Birmingham Babies and Children

How Do I Know if My Baby Has an Ingrown Toenail?

Ingrown toenails are one of the few conditions related to feet that we podiatrists find to be easily and accurately self-diagnosable. They occur when the nail grows into the skin/tissue surrounding the toenail—rather than growing normally (straight out and past the nail bed)—and cause pain, irritation, and inflammation. Light bleeding or oozing of clear serous fluid from the wound created by the ingrown toenail isn’t uncommon. 

Apart from these symptoms at the site of the ingrown toenail, your baby will show signs, even though they are too young to communicate their pain through speech. They’ll likely become more irritable, cry excessively, and become extra sensitive when their feet are touched, recoiling when you put socks or shoes on them. They may even hold onto their feet.

Why Do Babies Get Ingrown Toenails?

Children of all ages are more likely to experience ingrown toenails, and the reason is simple. Let’s break it down with a few short facts:

• Childhood is the peak period in everyone’s life for growth and development, and infancy is one of the most rapid milestones in that period. 
• One of the common risk factors for developing an ingrown toenail at any age is wearing too-tight or otherwise ill-fitting shoes that apply excess pressure on the toenails.
• Babies’ feet and little toes grow so fast that even the most cautious parents sometimes won’t notice it when their babies’ feet have just become too big for their shoes. This can cause the shoes to rub against and irritate their toes, quickly leading to ingrown toenails.

How to Treat Infant Ingrown Toenails

The approach to treating infant ingrown toenails depends on whether or not they are infected.

For infants with non-infected ingrown toenails

As we mentioned earlier, it’s normal for the skin/tissue surrounding the ingrown toenail to be painful, irritated, inflamed, lightly bleeding, and oozing clear (sometimes slightly yellow-tinged but still transparent) fluid. Those are the typical symptoms. 

Using sterilized baby nail clippers, you can delicately handle your baby’s toe, gently pulling back the skin away from the ingrown edge, and cut the toenail straight across the top to a healthy length (just beyond the nail bed). If you are not comfortable with this, aren’t sure whether your baby’s ingrown toenails are infected, or want to ensure the best results, talk to a pediatric podiatrist or a general podiatrist with experience working with babies. 

After the toenail causing the problem is cut to the correct length and no longer pushing into surrounding skin, proceed with a normal wound care routine safe for babies. Without infection, that just involves keeping the wound clean and covered, regularly changing bandages, and trying to prevent contact with moisture on the feet. You can help ensure the bandages stay in place by putting properly fitting socks on your baby—nothing too tight. 

Do not cut the toenail into a V shape or anything curved, as this can make ingrown toenail recurrence more likely. You might see this and other sketchy DIY ingrown toenail solutions recommended online, but as podiatrists who treat ingrown toenails in young people every day, we promise that the proper, tried-and-true way to prevent ingrown toenails is to encourage straight, upward growth with straight-across trimming. 

For infants whose ingrown toenails are infected

If you see an opaque yellow, green, or white substance in the ingrown toenail wound, either trapped inside a blister or oozing out, that’s pus, a sign of infection. Other signs of infection include redness that spreads beyond the exact site of the wound on the toe, severe localized “feverish” warmth around the wound, and throbbing or pulsating pain in the toe. As with any infection, your child may develop a fever in their body overall, but you should only begin to attribute that to the ingrown toenail (not another condition) if any of the other signs of an ingrown toenail occur. 

If your baby’s ingrown toenail is infected, you’ll want to contact your pediatrician for an appointment as soon as possible; since they know your baby’s medical history, they can recommend and prescribe the most appropriate form of antibiotic treatment for their age and individual health needs. 

As far as removing the toenail that is causing the infection, a podiatrist experienced in working with children will be most helpful to do so properly and without the risk of germs in the surrounding environment worsening the problem. They can also prescribe antibiotic treatment, though many parents still call their baby’s pediatrician for their opinion on the best course of action. 

A Great Podiatrist for Birmingham Babies and Children

Need a podiatrist in the Birmingham Metro area to help with your child’s ingrown toenail(s) or another foot condition? Come to the Foot Specialists of Birmingham! 

Our leading podiatrist, Dr. Linde, will be glad to help your little one and get them back to running, jumping, and dancing on their happy feet in no time. 

Getting your child in to see Dr. Linde is easy; just contact our staff to schedule an appointment. We look forward to meeting you!