If you find yourself caught in the common and often subconscious habit of nail-biting or are actively working to break free from this behavior, incorporating fidget toys into your daily routine can offer a constructive alternative. These specialized tools serve as effective outlets to redirect the nervous energy and restlessness that often contribute to nail-biting tendencies.
The act of nail-biting is frequently linked to stress, anxiety, or even boredom, and fidget toys provide a tangible, non-destructive means of channeling that energy. By engaging with these toys, individuals attempting to overcome nail-biting habits can transfer their focus to a more positive and controlled outlet, aiding in breaking the cycle of this potentially damaging behavior.
Here's a curated list of our favorite fidget toys for individuals trying to curb nail-biting:
Peel off the adhesive backing and stick them to your phone, water bottle, game controller, notebook, or under your desk! Fidgety fingers and sensory seekers will be soothed and satisfied by swiping, rubbing, or scratching these focus-enhancing tactile fidget tools.
This palm-sized squishy ball is filled with several finger “craters” for poking your fingers in! Our Big Ole Ishy Squishy Ball makes an irresistible squishy gishy sound when squeezed and feels sticky to the touch without leaving any residue on your hands. A great pick for skin pickers (dermatillomania), nail biters, anxiety, and restless fingers.
Awesome squishy squeezy Neato fidget ball with a mushroom-shaped "cover" that can be taken on and off (and used as a separate, stretchy fidget toy)! Squish, squeeze, and gently stretch this unique fiddle sensory tool that's beloved by nail biters.
These awesome sensory fidgets provide wonderful massaging tactile input as you roll them up and down your fingers. A superb silent fidget tool choice for teens and adult fidgeters, sensory processing disorders, nail biters, skin pickers, hair pullers, dermatillomania, trichotillomania, tactile sensory seekers, and other sensory differences that result in restless fingers.
5. Puller Picker Finger Guards™
Puller-Picker Finger Guards™ are a helpful new sensory tool for anyone who is a nail biter, skin picker, or hair puller. Simply slip on a gel finger cover(s) and your full fingernail is covered all the way to the tip with a very texturey, rubbery guard. Our stretchy sensory finger guards are excellent for individuals who need a visual and/or tactile reminder to not bite, pick, pop, or pull.
Cool 3-1/2" boinks with a marble inside that you can slide back 'n forth! Boinks Marbles Fidgets make a great silent fidget toy for school, the office, or for traveling.
Visually appealing fidget ball with oodles of squishy balls encased in a rubbery skin that changes colors when you squeeze it! This calming sensory fidget is a nice choice for those who need to keep their fingers occupied.
Feel anxiety and tension melt away as you rub this silky-smooth gemstone between your thumbs and fingers. Sensory stones are an all-natural silent fidget that makes a great focusing fidget tool for on-the-go.
9. Lego Sensory Fidget Strips™
These bumpy fidgets have gobs of irresistible raised rubbery nubs and peel-off adhesive on the back that allows you to "stick" these innovative subtle fidget strips under (or inside) desks, chairs, kitchen tables, computer desks, or inside backpacks/notebooks/pencil bags... practically anywhere! Lego Sensory Fidget Strips™ are an inexpensive little sensory fidget tool for fidgeters of all ages.
10. Chewberz Chewy Pencil Toppers
Chewberz are prism-shaped chewy pencil toppers that feature a closed rounded top; a discreet new chewy tool that's great for self-regulation and focusing oral sensory input. They also add a nice touch of weight to handwriting tools. This inexpensive oral motor set includes 3 chewy fidget toppers in 3 assorted textures: smooth, dotted, and ridged. These latex-free chewable pencil toppers come in a neutral navy color and fit standard-size pencils and pens.
11. Poppin Pea Pods
Neat little keychain-style 3" brightly colored pea pod that has 3 little peas that pop up when you squeeze it. It also makes a nice finger-strengthening fiddle tool that's easy to take wherever you go!
12. Spiky Fidgipod Ultimate Desk Fidget
Extraordinarily tactile desk top fidget tool featuring 100's of soft rubbery spiky bristles on the top, chunky sensory spokes around the rim, and a 1" deep spider-web design on the bottom that offers a smorgasbord of crevices, craters and sensory finger compartments for fidgety fingers to explore, poke, and hide inside! Fidgipods have a non-skid bottom that keeps it securely in place on a flat surface and are a blast to spin when they're inverted.
Colorful self-adhesive strips featuring 100's of teeny tiny sparkling gems to fiddle with, run your fingers across, or to pick off. Tiny Gem Fidget Strips™ are a terrific quiet fidget tool for inside or under classroom desks, kitchen tables, notebook covers, drink bottles, or pencil cases. Best of all, these neat fidget strips™ can easily be cut to a desired size using standard scissors.
14. Sweet Treats Hide Inside Thinking Putty
Ravishing new Sweet Treats Hide Inside Thinking Putty features 100s of dazzling little treats hidden inside crystal clear putty! This scrumptious sensory putty provides an enticing way for fidgeters to refine those crucial fine finger, visual perceptual, and sensory processing skills; happily mesmerized as they squish, squeeze, and stretch their way to finding all the treats on the checklist.
15. Thicker Chewy Bangle Bracelets
Stylish, thicker design 3" chewy bangle bracelets made of rubbery silicone that is hypo-allergenic, resistant to bacteria, and free of BPA, PVC, lead, and phthalates! Designed for mild-moderate chewing, Thicker Chewy Bangle Bracelets are an effective oral motor chewy tool for self-regulation; they also make a convenient bendable silent fidget!
If you love pushing buttons or clicking pens, you’ll love this new phone-shaped fidget made by our friends at Bouncy Band. Fidgeting Button Phone features 25 small squishy buttons that you can push, tap, and quietly "click"; with an indented bar at the bottom to rub your fingers in.
Super cool little springy, bouncy, squeezy, orb-shaped metal coils that strengthen fingers as you squish, squeeze, and pogo away; providing deep pressure input to your fingers! These neat pincer and tripod grasp-building, pocket-sized sensory fidgets are perfect for anxiety and stress relief, keeping restless fingers busy, and for promoting/building finger grasps.
18. Sensory Stone Wristband Set
A versatile set of sturdy, interchangeable sensory stones that kids can tuck in their pockets and backpacks, keep in their desks, or wear on the included wristband. This one-of-a-kind set includes 4 double-sided "worry" stones: one side is texturey; the other is silky smooth and has a fun kid-friendly character on it. Feel anxiety and stress melt away as you rub them. A helpful wearable sensory tool choice for scab and skin pickers (dermatillomania), fingernail biters, hair pullers (trichotillomania), or for those who crack their knuckles.
19. Neoprene Stress Gel Fidget Ball
Our fabulous one-of-a-kind sensory Gel Fidget Ball is covered in a silky soft, smooth neoprene skin that provides wonderfully calming, tactile input!
20. Square Textured Chewy Necklaces
Our stylish 1-3/4" Square Chewy Pendants feature thick grooves on one side, raised sensory bumpies on the other, and they come on a silky, soft black breakaway necklace. Square Textured Chewy Necklaces come in your choice of 5 vibrant colors and are PVC-, lead-, latex-, and phthalate-free.
Happy Snappy Neato Balls are the reverse of our Pop It Bubble Balls, when you squeeze this unique sensory fidget, the rubbery bubbles pop out while making a wonderfully satisfying “gurgling” / soft "popping" sound! These innovative sensory balls make a great fiddle tool for reducing stress, and keeping anxious minds and restless fingers happily engaged.
22. On The Go Fidget Tools for Fidgety Fingers™
This exclusive Therapy Shoppe® Kit features 8 popular fidget tools: a Boinks Marble Fidget, Mini Super Tooob, Twirly Orb, Wiggly Soft Porcupine Ball, Fidget Spinner, colorful Mochi Animal, Springy Coils Fidget, and a Wire Fidget Ring. Eight all-time favorite fidgets in a convenient (and wonderfully touchy-feely) rubbery, zippered take-along pouch; fidgeters won't wanto to leave their house without this neat tote-everywhere kit! On The Go Fidget Tools For Fidgety Fingers™ Kit is a perfect calming / focusing kit choice for hair pullers, nail biters, skin pickers, stimmers, tactile seekers, and those who have restless fingers, ADHD, BFRBs, or anxiety disorders.
23. Klicks Fidget
Addicting finger fidgeter you can click ‘n twist, shape ‘n crunch, bend ‘n click... Pull apart the interlocking pieces and try snapping ‘em back together again for a great finger workout! 24-piece, jumbo bracelet size.
Looking for more sensory fidget ideas? Check out the links below:
21 Fidget Toys for Compulsive Hair Pullers (Trichotillomania)
23 Favorite Stress Reducing Fidget Tools
21 Favorite Tools for Compulsive Skin Pickers (Dermatillomania)