Guthrie scared to cut baby nails
Guthrie surprised her co-anchors at The Today Show with a visit from her 7-week-old baby, Vale, but viewers wondered why the baby girl was still wearing newborn mittens. Guthrie took time to write up an explanation — basically, she's afraid to cut her baby's fingernails, so she gloves her kid's hands so she doesn't have to.
In her blog, Guthrie describes what will likely happen if she tries to trim her daughter's nails. "I start to sweat," she writes. "Nightmare scenarios run through my head. I imagine accidentally cutting into her skin. Drawing blood. Causing wails. Ruining her life."
I'm sure she's being silly and over-dramatic with that last statement (please tell me I'm right), but the same fears, to an extent, have gone through my head too as I surveyed my child's tiny claws the first time we met.
She's definitely not alone, either.
Baby nail anxiety
Baby nail stress
Baby declawed
Each one of my babies also wasted no time and gouged their own faces, which was followed by wails of despair and waves of guilt from my end. They did wear newborn mittens (or, more accurately, baby socks) on their hands for a bit, but after a baby has been around for awhile, you realize the excess nail growth just come right off. Newborn baby nails are not hard at all. In fact, after a bath, I found they were so soft you can peel them without even needing to look at baby nail clippers. A little filing after they're dry and they're good to go.
Some moms also nibble them off with their own teeth.
Baby nail chewing recommended
Quick trim
I know the prospect of cutting a baby's fingernails is a scary one, but someone needs to tell Guthrie that she can most likely peel them down herself after her little one has had a good soaking in a baby tub, or gnaw them off during a quiet moment. She at least needs to try, because keeping Vale's hands under wraps for most of the day is likely detrimental to her normal development. Babies need their hands to explore, to put into their own mouths, and to learn how to use — and not just during scheduled "supervised hand freedom" times.
Yes, the idea of approaching a jerky newborn's paw with a cutting instrument is daunting to say the least. But don't cover your kid's hands because you can't deal with her fingernails. Face your fear, Mama, and trim those tiny nails.
More about babies
The Sims 4 censors breastfeeding because ewww, boobs
Baby role-play is the creepiest thing to happen to parents on Instagram, ever
Woman shatters windshield to rescue stranger's baby from a hot car (VIDEO)