Manicure for children – tips, ideas and instructions for doing it yourself

How interesting Mommy's nails are. They are constantly appearing in new bright colors or with beautiful motifs and patterns. This is of course a special attraction for little girls. And at some point the moment will come when it’s time for your first manicure. Now some mothers are worried about whether and when a child's manicure is appropriate. And what motifs and colors can you actually use so that the fingernails end up looking child-friendly? We'll give you some information and tips about manicures for children as well as some great inspiration for nail designs that you can recreate as you wish.

At first, your toddler won't really understand what you're doing with your nails. It notices when these change and then usually takes a closer look at them, but that's usually all. But at some point the moment will come when your child shows greater interest and perhaps even your ownFingernails painted colorfullywould like to have. So what to do? Adult nail polish is not recommended at first. On the one hand, this contains chemicals that your child could not tolerate. On the other hand, it is not removed so quickly. To do this, nail polish remover must be used, which is relatively aggressive and could also irritate children's delicate skin.

Instead, you can use children's nail polish. Yes, it really exists. Simply ask at the drugstore or online. The advantage of this nail polish is that it can be easily washed off with warm water and soap. This is especially good if your child really wants to try it out for themselves and something drips onto their clothes or other textiles. The nail polish is also free of chemicals. A second big plus point!

What speaks for it?

Or should the question instead be “What speaks against it?” It's completely normal for children to become more and more interested in what adults are doing after they reach a certain age. That's also a good sign. Painting also teaches little ones a certain amount of patience. After all, they have to keep still while painting (which isn't necessarily easy for the little fidgets) and then also wait until the nail polish has dried. If the children lend a hand themselves, this in turn promotes fine motor skills because they have to be careful not to paint next to it. And last but not least, manicures are fun for children!

Of course, it may also be the case that your son is interested in nail polish. This is by no means negative. After all, he doesn't yet understand that this is a typical procedure for women and just finds the bright colors and changes interesting. And even if he does - let him have fun and paint each other's nails with the children's nail polish.

Manicure for mother and daughter

In some beauty salons there is oneprofessional manicureoffered for children. Even better are sessions for mother and daughter, where you get your new nail design together and are not separated from each other. Your daughter sees that the same thing is being done to you and so she doesn't get scared. Also, make sure that your child really wants a manicure and don't force them to do it. It is also recommended to visit the beauty salon several times in advance so that both of you can get to know the manicurist and the child no longer perceives her as a stranger during the actual appointment.

Do your own pedicure or manicure for children

The simplest option is of course a monochrome design. However, if your daughter is a little older or has no trouble holding still, you can also try painting something fun or interesting on her nails. This will be a bit of a challenge on these little nails. Also get a practical manicure set for children so that you can teach them how to file and clean their nails.

Children's nail design with unicorn

Unicorns are currently all the rage among children. This of course makes them perfect as a motif for nail design. And they're not that difficult to make, even if you don't really have much experience with painting fingernails. For this design you will need:

  • Children's nail polish in the colors white, purple, pink, gold and blue
  • Glitter nail polish for children as desired
  • a water-soluble nail polish pen in black

Choose the finger you want to paint the unicorn on. There you use white to create a semicircle with two ears and an elongated triangle between the ears for the horn. Allow the paint to dry. Then design the mane alternately in pink, purple and blue by painting irregular dots. Allow each color to dry before moving on to the next. Finally, use the black pen to draw the eyes and the last strokes of the horn. You can paint another nail with glitter polish, while the others are painted completely white and designed with the same design as the mane.

Strawberries nail art

  • green nail polish and a thin brush
  • roter Nagellack
  • pink nail polish
  • black nail polish and a sewing needle or nail polish pen

If you want to paint fruits on your nails, strawberries like these are a fun idea. They put you in a summer mood and look cheerful. Paint the fingers red or pink or use both colors as in the example. Let this paint dry and then use black paint to add the strawberry seeds. The easiest way to do this is with a nail polish pen, but you can also dip a needle into black polish (the side with the eyelet) and paint with it. Using green nail polish and a brush, you can paint the green of the strawberries. Alternatively, a green nail polish pen is also suitable. Of course you can also choose and combine other fruits.

Cute foxes

  • Nagellack orange tree
  • white nail polish
  • black nail polish pen
  • a thin brush

As complicated as these foxes seem at first glance, you will be amazed at how few steps you can make them yourself. For this manicure for children, first apply the orange color to all nails. Allow them to dry thoroughly. Then take the white polish and the thin brush to paint two oval shapes on the left and right of the nail as well as two ears in the shape of triangles. Repeat the whole thing with all your fingers, then give the nail polish some time to dry. Now all that's missing are a few final things in black and more specifically the nose, ears, eyebrows and whiskers.

Colorful dots

  • Nail polish in any bright colors
  • white nail polish
  • Ear sticks or a special dotting tool

Such a nail design is particularly easy to make. The basis is the white paint, on which the bright colors can come into their own. Once it has dried well, you can take the first color and use the dotting tool to dab dots here and there on the nails. Alternatively, you can also use a cotton swab, cut off the cotton head and use the stick to create the swabs. If you feel like it, you can also paint a beautiful design on a nail or use a sticker.

If you don't dare to try a more complicated design, there's still the manicurist who is guaranteed to conjure up something beautiful for your little princess. You can also make manicures easier for children by using stickers, rhinestones, stencils and the like to design them. And if you're in a hurry, a monochrome design in an interesting shade or with an effective glitter nail polish will certainly suffice. There are also interesting stickers that imitate nail polish and have beautiful patterns or motifs. These are cut and glued to the entire nail bed, which is another alternative. Below we have a few more ideas for children's nail designs: