Scratch his face fingernails

My son, who just turned 5 last week, is constantly scratching his face. He has no rash and we have tried allergy medicine and lotion, but it hasn't helped. He is a very laid back kid, but we're wondering if it might be some kind of nervous habit. He seems to have a pattern to how he scratches his face. He starts with his forehead, then nose, then above his lip, then his chin and then he starts all over again.

Yes, it's normal. Newborns and infants have very little control over their hands, so at this stage it's common for them to accidentally scratch themselves, particularly in the face, says David Geller, a pediatrician in Bedford, Massachusetts. But could it be dangerous? That's why I rarely see any problems with this in my office. Scratches elsewhere almost always heal without leaving a mark. If a scratch becomes infected, which is rare, consult your baby's doctor.

A man whose girlfriend allegedly scratched him on the face with her fingernails told a deputy that he wanted her charged with assaulting him "with a deadly weapon," because he had read on the Internet that her fingernails could be considered a deadly weapon, according to a Bay County Sheriff's Office report. The year-old man was driving his year-old girlfriend to the Walmart Super Center when they began to argue. He said she grabbed the stick shift and put the car in neutral, then began to scratch his face when he pulled over into a parking lot, according to the Panama City News Herald.

One of the most common questions moms ask pediatricians are related to scratches, especially on the face. One of the many concerns new mothers have are the after-effects or consequences of such scratches. Some parents choose to put cotton gloves or mittens on their baby. Another option is to buy long-sleeved clothes. Second of all, they only work for the winter.