by Karen 38 Comments
Out of the blue the other night as I was getting Connor Claire ready for bed, she pointed at her fingers and said, “Mama, paint my hands. You paint my hands and my feet, mama, okay?”
LOL! I’m pretty sure she was asking for a mani/pedi from me. ?
I’m not exactly sure where she got the idea, because I usually do my nails when she’s asleep, since it’s the only time I have to sit still long enough for my polish to dry. She doesn’t ever see me actually doing the nail painting part. I guess she must’ve seen it on TV or heard about it in preschool.
It was both endearing and a little shocking at the same time, because the first time I ever got a manicure was in college.
COLLEGE.
I was 19, and I remember picking out a soft, creamy pink for my nails, and when the nail tech was done, I pulled a twenty out of my wallet (which was the bulk of my paycheck at the time) and said to please keep the change.
I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer to questions like this, because every child and every family’s different (plus, I’ve been dressing up my cat and calling him a kitty supermodel for more than a decade, so I’m not one to judge), but I am curious. How commonplace are mani/pedis among toddlers and kids these days?
I’ve overheard a few moms at the playground talking about how they like to take their two-year-olds to get manicures and pedicures at the salon, and now I’m suddenly recalling having seen many, many pictures of toddlers and slightly older children on Instagram and social media getting their fingers and toes done with their moms.
I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t go to my first nail salon until I was older, but I’ve always thought of it as a grownup thing. Am I alone in this?
Not to say that I don’t plan to paint Connor’s nails before she’s out of high school. I’m sure I will, but she seems to have forgotten about it for now. If/when she asks me again, I’m going to tell her that we can do it for special occasions, like her birthday, and we’ll do it at home.
And when she’s older, like maybe in middle school or high school, if she expresses an interest, I might take her to the nail salon… Or she can just get a job and pay for it herself like I did. LOL!
What do you think? How young is too young for manicures and pedicures?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Reader Interactions
Comments
gritsglitzandglam saysOkay, I will preface this by saying that I have no children so therefore take my opinions with a grain of salt, but I have always thought of manicures and pedicures in a salon as something for adults, teens, and pre-teens. Painting nails, we always did at home from maybe age 4 and up, because we were a bunch of girly girls that loved anything colorful and “pitty” (translation: pretty). My mom or grandmother would always oversee the fun and frequently had us move outside to keep us from making too big of a mess lol.
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- Christina says
I don’t have children yet, so I’m not sure if I’m qualified to speak on this, but if I had a daughter, I probably won’t let her paint her nails until she’s in middle school, and it’d only be for special occasions. My mom didn’t let me and my sisters pain our nails or wear cosmetics (read just lipgloss and sheer, sheer lipstick) until we were in junior high, so I’ll probably be the same. I don’t want them focusing too much on their vanity until they’re a little older, I guess.
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- Rachel says
I think doing it at home is fine when they’re young, but I would save a professional mani/pedi until they’re older!
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- Amy says
I agree! They don’t get to do professional manis and pedis until they’re old enough to pay for it. I didn’t get a professional pedicure until I was 21. I want my kids to understand that extras cost money, and that they’re just that: extras.
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- Kristen says
I think I got my first real manicure for prom in high school. I painted my nails at home all the time though, but I went to Catholic school so we were limited with the colors we were allowed to wear.
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- Niki says
Some salons offer special manicures for little ones using kid-friendly products. I think it’s a good solution for moms who don’t necessarily have the time to go to a salon by themselves…I think of it as child care with an included activity! I didn’t get my first professional manicure until well into adulthood, and its not something I’d choose to spend money on for a child, but I’d paint my kids’ nails myself if they asked.
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- Kim says
I have boys that I can barely get to clip their nails so I’m no expert. 🙂 I had my first manicure in my late 20s and didn’t enjoy it. I don’t like spending the time and money on something I can do myself at home. Middle school used to be the age when girls got into makeup, shaving and nail painting but I’m sure it’s sooner now. I don’t feel strongly either way but would caution against constant polish, just from a nail damage perspective, in young kids. If parents want to bring their kids to salons, more power to them. 🙂 And I know there are salons that cater to tweens and teens for birthday parties, etc, so it must be a thing.
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- Cha says
My first manicure was for my junior prom. I didnt bother with a pedi because I wore closed toe shoes anyway. ? I remembered being bothered by it because it smelled funny to me and I felt like my nails got thicker and heavier! LOL I was a tomboy in HS so that was a novelty to me and just a new experience overall. I dont remember the color I got. I prolly got a nude, pink or clear polish! Oh and I got my hair and makeup done at the same time— paid for by my ever generous mother. She was all excited for her tomboy daughter to be a lady for once. ?
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- Shakun says
Hi Karen! Surprisingly it’s totally a thing along older toddlers and young kids these days. Saavi has never been to a nail salon, I occasionally paint her nails at home for her on special occasions such as her birthday, when she asks. A lot of her friends have gotten manis and pedis with their parents as a special bonding activity!
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- Christine Beck-Millan says
I remember being at a dance workshop at a hotel that was also hosting a beauty pageant for kids, the kind where 5-year olds have French tips on their finger- and toenails. It was unsettling to me.
However, I think there is nothing wrong with emphasizing the hygienic aspect of a manicure/pedicure: cleaning and grooming the hands and feet. The nail polish just happens to be the cherry on top. That said, I am all for learning how to do for oneself at home because perhaps at that young age, I would be too hyper-aware of the adequacy or inadequacy of sanitary conditions in the salons. I am glad I know how to give myself a manicure/pedicure; if I ever do go to salons (very very rarely for those services), I totally appreciate what goes into it.
Maybe teach Connor Claire what goes into it as a fun activity together (as others have suggested) and when she is older she’ll appreciate what the service entails.
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- kellly says
I’ve seen little girls with nail polish. I think it’s fairly harmless – they want to feel “grown up” like Mom. Maybe I even wore it on occasion when I was little. Now facial cosmetics, I was in high school before my mom would let me use those.
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Being that I’m not interested in paying to get my own nails done, I can’t imagine doing it for my kiddos unless it was a special treat when they’re a little older. My oldest boy started asking for nail polish around 2-3, but I only did his toes because he didn’t have the patience to let his fingers dry. Really early on, he would want it off immediately so I offered using washable markers instead. As he got a little older he was down for keeping the real polish on. Around 4, we started doing his fingers too. He almost always has some remnants of polish on but it obviously chips really fast. ? He sometimes paints his own nails but it’s pretty messy and he tends to get too much on at once. But I feel like he’s pretty proud of himself when he does it himself, so I let him. ?
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- Jennifer says
Take her! Or at least, do them at home!
It’s such a treat to have a mani/pedi and there are a lot of salons these days that cater to the younger set. Take her!
I so wish mother/daughter mani/pedis had been a thing when I was younger. I think my mother and I would have a better relationship today if they had been a thing.
I’m not at all surprised that she’s asked. She’s a smart kid and you pretty much always have a color on your claws, right? Of course she knows about mani/pedis.
Plus, as a Catholic school kid, I basically couldn’t wear polish until college so I’m having to make up for lost time now. Take her!
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- Jennifer says
Also, I have an acquaintance who’s a nail tech and she does a lot of little girl birthday parties where everyone gets a manicure. She’s not too young! Take her!
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- Alicia Hichings says
Look up piggy paint 🙂 it’s safe to use anytime and it dries with a blow drier ❤
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- camille says
my little girl (almost 2) “feels” my nails when they’re painted, so she notices it. i’ve wanted to paint her nails, but she barely started to let me cut her nails while she’s awake, so i’ll probably wait until she understands more. my friend told me about “piggy polish”, so at least i have word of mouth to go by. lol. i don’t know about going to an actual nail salon though. since i rarely go to a salon, i wonder if it won’t come up as much.
my first set of nails was for high school graduation, and i was still grossed out because of stories of nail fungus and people getting cut. it was so pretty and dainty though! but taking them off & growing out the damaged parts was irritating. i do my manicures at home because: frugal life, but i’ll treat myself to a gel manicure if a special event is coming up.
i think i’d do home mani/pedi until she can figure out if she wants to spend money on it. (high school)
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- Tatiana says
Bad Mom speaking up here. I think Dear Daughter was in pre-school when we first painted her nails. A lot of kids in that pre-school had painted nails, including the boys. It was just a form of self expression. Besides, nail polish colors are pretty. Didn’t do it regularly. I think we did it once or twice and she got bored and never asked again. She was in junior high when we sat down and did a proper mani at home. We’d get mani/pedis at the hotel spas when we were on vacation in Hawaii. Bare feet deserve pretty toes.
My advice, follow your gut and what you’re comfortable with and don’t let anyone talk you into or out of something you’re not 100% comfortable with. This goes for mani/pedis and anything else related to child rearing.Reply
- ChynnaBlue says
I went to my first nail salon when I was a junior in high school and wanted acrylics for prom because I was a nail biter.
I do my nails at home by myself now and generally avoid salons except for maybe a pedicure once or twice in the summer. So I’d opt to do her nails at home and avoid a salon.
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- Cindy says
I don’t have kids but I see plenty of little girls (maybe nursery school & up) getting mani/pedis at the nail salon I go to, so I guess it’s a thing. I didn’t start going to a nail salon until my senior year of high school, and didn’t start going religiously until after graduate school.
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- Agatha says
It must have been so cute to hear your daughter say that. So many little girls wear nail polish; I don’t think there is anything wrong with it, and it makes them happy. I asked this question to my pediatrician when my daughter was little, because I was worried about nail polish being dangerous, and he said it was fine to polish her nails. I always used Piggy Paint when she was little (it is water based), but it doesn’t last long at all. Now there are probably better polishes to use, and so many polishes for adults are so much safer than they used to be too and could probably be used for kids. Nailmatic (https://www.nailmatic.com/us/) is another one that makes a polish for kids (and also one for adults), but I’ve never used it, although it looks neat. Have fun with your daughter!
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- Miki Nyckel says
Is there a ‘too young’ age or mani/pedi?! ? LOL, I paint my two year old’s nails. Mainly because she demands it, and I can’t get away with doing my own nails without doing hers too. But it’s cute, and she likes it. I mean, it looks horrendous, because she doesn’t get that she can’t touch her nails haha, but it’s fun. And as soon as she can sit still for a salon mani/pedi, she can totally have one! I can’t wait for our first salon spa pedicure together ?
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- Renee says
My mom always let me paint my nails, even though I wasn’t allowed to wear makeup. I was allowed to paint my nails soft colors as a young girl like 4 or 5 (or rather she painted them for me). When I got older and was in Catholic school and we still weren’t allowed to wear makeup or nail polish even in 8th grade, my mom let me paint my nails whatever color I wanted on the weekends. She also taught me how to apply makeup in a “no makeup” makeup look. I think back now that although she was mom, she was fostering a lifelong friendship with me.
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- Abbey W. says
My daughter is four and we paint her nails pretty regularly. She loves it, and it’s something fun we can do together. We don’t go to the salon (but that’s not something I do anyway), but I don’t see anything wrong with that, either, as long as a person has the disposable income. She gets excited to show her friends and cousins (and soccer coach—who was a great sport lol).
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- Lorraine says
awwww! she is such a sweetheart, I would have had a hard time saying no to that request. Well, right before bed is not a time to paint your nails, but she has no idea about sheet marks, right? I agree with what others have said in comments above. No harm, as long as she’s not apt to put her fingers in her mouth/bite her nails. Sticking with healthier/safer polishes is always a good bet. Natural, short nails with colorful polish, nothing too “grown up” or over the top seems completely age appropriate.
I would save the mom-daughter salon visit for when she is a bit older and able to sit still and tolerate all the fumes, the strangers and the separation from mom. Even across the room or in side by side pedi chair can seem overwhelmingly far for some kids in situations like that.
PS I had a daughter and a son and both asked for colored nails when they were around her age. Not because they ever saw me painting but I think because I usually wore polish on tips and toes, they got interested.
Halloween could be a good excuse to do a butterfly themed nail art manicure. to go with her pretty costume! have fun
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- mylinda says
I get the impression that you were mortified she even asked. But really, it’s not like she asked you to take her to a salon to get her nails done. She asked if you would do it. She sees that you have polish on and probably concluded that you do it yourself and maybe she thought it looked nice 🙂 I have two daughters, one is almost 12 and the other is 5. I would let them have polish if they asked, but they’re not really interested. When the younger one sees that I have polish on my toenails (I don’t really do hands, very rarely) she always wants to touch them, especially if it’s pink, and it usually is. But when I ask her if she wants, she always says maybe another time. I bought a bottle of ella + mila polish at Target, in a nice baby pink, just for her, but she prefers to just walk around clutching the bottle and not actually get her nails done.
There is a salon chain called Sweet & Sassy here. They do kids cuts, manis and pedis. Parties with manis for all the kids, limo rides etc. It’s not my thing but it’s popular. I took my older daughter for one haircut there as a treat when she was 6 but we didn’t do the mani pedi because she wasn’t interested. Thinking about it though, I probably would have said no anyway because if it’s for her, I’d rather do it myself. I think salon manis might be something better if/when she could pay for it herself. But doing it at home, I’m totally fine with at any age, if the child wanted it. The only rule I would have is that the mani/pedi has to look good. If it’s chipped, it has to come off, because I can’t stand looking at chipped nails.
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- Elle says
We painted nails at home all the time when my sister and I were younger (maybe 10 or 12?).
Professional manicure–maybe middle or high school. I was 17 and had my nails done the first time before high school graduation. Didn’t like it and didn’t have them done until about 15 years later! Save something for later. I don’t understand the rush. Also, as I tell all my nieces—“You don’t gild a lily.” 🙂Reply
- Dot says
I remember being a girly girl and being SUPER interested in makeup even as a toddler. My mom let me play around with her clear polish, and by the time I was twelve, my mom let me buy my own polish to do my nails… haven’t stopped since! My mom did not let me get an actual manicure until prom or something in high school, which I thought was completely reasonable. My mom never got her nails done so it wasn’t ever something I wanted to do. Looking back, I think I’m a little concerned about how early I was exposed to all the chemicals in polish, but it also probably would have been a losing battle for my mom, so maybe this one was one she wisely decided not to fight.
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- Joyce says
This is so funny that you posted this because I recently had the same thoughts. I didn’t go to a nail salon until I was about 13 or so, (I’m 35 now) but I think thinking back to that time, nail salons did not really exist the way they do today – huge spas with massage chairs, nail art, and all that. I think that also plays a part into more people going. I have a 5 year old girl and I have let her paint her nails on special occasions but with “little kid” polish. But recently for a birthday treat I took her to the salon and she was so excited and it turned out to be a nice bonding time with her. So even though my upbringing didn’t have me with this experience till a little older, I think I’m okay with her experiencing it now but holding it for special occasions only.
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- Courtney says
My daughter is 3 and likes to get her toenails painted on occasion. I don’t paint her fingernails because she puts her hands in her mouth too much (even though I use nontoxic polish on her I don’t trust it 100%). I probably won’t take her to a nail salon until she’s a preteen at least. I don’t like the idea of little ones breathing in the fumes and I know my toddler won’t leave a mask on.
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- LindaLibraLoca says
A tricky question. My daughter will be five in February and constantly asks to have her nails painted. It is very common in kindergarten, with a few girls even owning their own nail polish and glittery makeup sets. I do paint her toes occasionally, but maybe once every two months, but refuse to do her fingers. She bites her nails and I don’t want her to ingest any of it.
I wouldn’t dream about taking her to the salon though, that is something she can do when she is old enough, but then again I don’t go to the salon myself, so she is blissfully unaware that this possibility exists.
My son, who will be three in March, now wants his nails painted too, so I do his toes as well when I do hers. Caused quite a stir when I did it on holiday in France and my boy was wearing pink nail polish, a few people expressed their concern that it might make him gay eventually *insert maior eye roll here*.Reply
- TravelingBlush says
She sees that you have color on your nails, so she wants that too. Not that she wants to go to the salon and get a manicure. There are lots of water based polish out there, you could try that. I think it’s fun. If face painting is ok, nail painting shouldn’t be bad.
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- Jae says
I grew up with a strict dad who did not let me wear make up until I was 16. He didn’t approve of nail painting either. My mom would veto the nail painting and make up during the summer when my neighbor and I would hang out daily at each other’s houses. We painted our nails, played with make up, braided each other’s hair and all other girly stuff. I was in elementary school/middle school then. I also got a free pass during special occasions (weddings, birthdays, etc).
The first time my daughter expressed interest in nail painting was when she was 2. I had gotten my nails and toes done for a wedding we were attending. I picked up some piggy polish from Target and did her nails. That phase lasted for a few months. Then my brother in law got married last year and my sister in law and I went to the salon to get our mani/pedi and brought our daughters. For $5 they could get their nails done too. We figured why not…it was for their Uncle’s wedding. Incidentally, my two older boys would watch me do my make up and get my nails done every so often. But they would play with my brushes and try to put make up on their faces and even asked to paint their nails in pre school. I obliged, even though my hubby didn’t quite agree. Now they’re 11 and 9 and could care less about my makeup or nail polish but I find it so sweet when they offer to paint their little sister’s nails for her when I’m too busy. I don’t see myself taking my girl to the salon on a regular basis (even if she has friends who do) and will opt to do it at home, for special occasions IF she wants to.Reply
- Ilene says
Hi Karen:
Connor looks so big! I hope she’s enjoying school. With my daughter I would make a deal to paint her toes if she let me cut them. I probably took her around 5 to get mani/pedi but very infrequently, like if we had a wedding or a bar mitzvah to attend. She was so little she couldn’t sit in the pedicure chair. It’s a nice mother-daughter time and we still go together ( and I pay!). And she’s turning 20 next month!
IleneReply
- Stephanie says
Maybe use Jamberry for her nails? Nail wraps, but they have super cute designs, such as Disney Princess type ones, and the Jamberry juniors are specifically for little kids. Cut to size, heat, and it’s much less messy than nail polish with my daughter (just turned 6), who will not sit still, let alone wait for polish to dry. Also, no chipping and they last for about two weeks.
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- Shannon says
My mom started painting our nails as a reward for not sucking our thumbs (must’ve been somewhere between 4-5 at the time). She obviously didn’t know much about the stuff, though, because post-nail-painting she saw my sucking my thumb and tried to SCRUB the nail polish off, lol. (Maybe that was more desperation than lack of knowledge about nail polish; who knows!) I’ve still only had one manicure before in my life – I think I was 24 or so – but got my first pedicure in high school or college. I think it depends on what you’re around, and the culture of your family. My sisters goes somewhat frequently to get her nails done, and she’s taken her daughter along (at 3 years old). It’s not something I spend money on, so if I had a kid I highly doubt I’d take them to get their nails done. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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- Alexandra says
I have no kids yet, but as a lover of all things makeup and cosmetics, I’m pretty sure I’ll let my child play with them from a pretty young age. A couple of companies now release water-based ‘nail polish’ for children, which is nontoxic and safe for them to play with as they wish and is easily removed with water. As for salon manicures and pedicures, I really don’t know. I don’t have them done often myself, almost always doing my nails at home, so… 😀 I think the first time I painted my nails with grown-up nailpolish was when I was… 12, maybe? Ohh, it was a bright orange-ish Max Factor.
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- Leigh says
I have an almost 8 year old and we’ve been going to get mani/pedis together since she was about 5. We go once or twice a year. She loves it and calls it “girl time”. I love seeing how excited she is. It’s not even half the price of mine because it’s a “kids mani/pedi”. I’m not breaking the bank and I’m spending time with my daughter doing something we both enjoy. ??♀️ To each their own I guess.
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- girlhwy says
I think it depends on the child and if they will sit still for it and want to do it. I took my 5 year old for pedicure and she loved it. The salon’s have chairs and give them a wonderful experience. This year we found a child’s spa called spa-di-da and it was a blast! We call it a girls day.
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