Our Top Baby Nail Clippers
Best Choice | Best overall | The Best on a Budget |
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Pigeon Baby Nail Scissors | NailFrida SnipperClipper Set | Safety First Steady Grip |
Pigeon Baby Nail Scissors won us over as the best baby nail clippers overall.
If you’re at all nervous about trimming your baby’s nails, we think you’ll love the small, easy-to-handle blades. These scissors are sharp – great for trimming small bits at a time (don’t worry – the ends are blunt). And because you can see what you’re doing, there’s also less risk of nicking your baby’s skin.
Pigeon Baby Nail Scissors work well for both right-handed and left-handed parents. Although they come in two sizes (newborn – 0 to 3 months and older baby – 3+ months), we recommend you buy the newborn clippers. Many parents we came across still use and love the smaller size well into toddlerhood.
Best Baby Nail Scissors & Clippers
Our Pick: Best Overall Baby Nail Clippers
The Best Baby Nail Trimmers for Most Families
With legions of raving fans, it’s hard to go wrong with the Japanese-made Pigeon Baby Nail Scissors.
Choosing nail scissors instead of nail clippers sounds scary, but actually can make nail trims easier. They’re easy to handle and you can see what you’re doing – which means less chance of cutting too far down on the nail bed.
These nail clippers are easy to handle and sharp, so you can make quick small cuts to your baby’s nail if needed. Nice and small, they are effective at trimming even the tiniest nails.
They come with a plastic case for safety when not in use and are made in Japan of high-carbon stainless steel.
Pigeon Baby Nail Scissors: Pros & Cons
Pigeon Baby vs Piyo Piyo Baby Nail Scissors. Like the Pigeon Baby nail scissors, the Piyo Piyo version has loads of adoring fans. They’re easy to use, sharp enough to make easy cuts, and have blunt tips. However, recent comments from parents have suggested the quality on these scissors has changed in new versions. We can’t confirm that. However, because of this we also can’t recommend these scissors currently.
Runner Up: Best “See Through” Nail Clippers
Reliable & Effective Baby Nail Clippers That Work Great
Fridababy solved one of the biggest complaints about traditional-style baby nail trimmers – not being able to see what you are clipping.
They have an innovative see-through tip. You can actually see how low you are clipping before you use them. This prevents you from accidentally clipping the nails too short.
They also have overlapping blades that are as precise as scissors and leave a nice, smooth cut.
NailFrida Snipper Clipper Set: Pros & Cons
Best Back to Basics Baby Nail Clippers
Basic Baby Nail Clippers That Work Great
Sometimes it’s easier to go with what you know! If using baby nail scissors like the Pigeon brand above sets your nerves aflutter, and the FridaBaby seems to complicated, don’t sweat it: you can use plain old baby nail clippers, too – just make sure you get some that are made for a baby (i.e., smaller!).
These baby nail trimmers look and feel like the nail clippers you are used to using. They are intuitive and a fair price too. They are very easy to grip and their large body makes them easy to find in a diaper bag.
Safety First Steady Grip: Pros & Cons
Best Baby Nail Clippers with Magnifying Glass
A Magnifying Glass Makes it Easy to See What You’re Doing
These nail clippers are really easy to use. By choosing a pair with a magnifying glass, you can see your baby’s nails better, and confidently clip closer to the skin without worrying about nicking your baby.
This is a great option for parents with eyesight challenges, or parents who work at a computer all day, and deal with eyestrain.
The First Years American Red Cross Deluxe Nail Clipper with Magnifier: Pros & Cons
Best Baby Nail Clippers With Light
Perfect for trimming a Sleeping Baby’s Nails
Many parents prefer to trim their baby’s nails at night when they’re sleeping in their crib or bassinet – there’s less fussing, and a higher chance your baby will stay still!
Of course, the problem with this is being able to see what you’re doing – often, the light from a nightlife just isn’t enough to be able to trim your baby’s nails safely.
Enter baby nail clippers with a light, like this pair from Safety First. The light shines directly on the “clip zone” so you can see what you’re doing (without waking your baby up).
Safety 1st Sleepy Baby Nail Clippers: Pros & Cons
Best Baby Nail Clippers for Nervous Parents
Ingenious Design to Protect Your Baby’s Skin
If your main concern is ensuring you don’t cut your little one’s skin, these nail clippers from BabyComfy are the nail trimmers for you.
There is only one single blade, so it cuts the nail and only the nail.
Plus, it has a bottom safety ledge that gently pushes the baby’s skin away from the nail, protecting it even further.
The BabyComfy Safety Nail Clipper won the Mom’s Choice Award for its genius design and safety standards.
BabyComfy Deluxe Safety Nail Clippers: Pros & Cons
Best Baby Nail Clippers for Avoiding Plastic
An Eco Friendlier Option for Green Families
These nail clippers are made with natural wooden bamboo. They also have a silicone thumb grip, and are BPA-free and Phthalate-free. They are small, the perfect size for trimming baby’s nails, with an ergonomic design to help you grip them better.
Rhoost Deluxe Nail Clippers for Baby: Pros & Cons
Best Glass Baby Nail File
Bohemian Glass That Will Last for Years
If you want to avoid plastic and the harmful chemicals that come along with it, and don’t mind filing nails down manually, then this is the best baby nail file you can buy. It’s made from genuine Czech glass, and the glass is rounded so it won’t cut or hurt your baby.
Since it’s a baby nail file emery board, you have full control of where it files and how it works. I enjoy holding my baby’s hand and using an infant nail file to smooth out the edges.
It’s super durable, so you can wash and reuse it over and over again. Use a bit of baby safe dish soap or natural baby shampoo.
Baby Blue Giraffe Glass Nail File: Pros & Cons
Best Electric Baby Nail File
An Electric Nail File Offers a Fast and Safe Solution
If manually filing your baby’s nails doesn’t appeal, the best baby nail file for you is an electric one. There’s just no easier way to file a sharp nail down quickly.
I prefer an infant nail file because it is made with your baby’s comfort in mind.
The Little Martin’s Drawer model has a super quiet motor and a soft tip, so you can do this while your baby naps if you prefer.
I like the Little Martin’s Drawer model over the also-popular ZoLi BUZZ B Electric Nail Trimmer. In my mind, it offers better value for money.
Little Martin’s Drawer Electric Baby Nail File: Pros & Cons
Baby Nail Clippers Buying Guide
What’s the Difference Between Adult Nail Clippers Vs. Baby Nail Clippers?
No, you shouldn’t try to clip your little one’s nails with your adult nail clippers. And yes, you really do need a special pair of baby nail clippers.
Why?
Adult nail clippers differ from baby nail clippers in several key ways. These differences, when combined, make the job of clipping your baby’s nails easier and safer when using a pair of infant nail clippers.
- Size – Baby nail clippers vs adult nail clippers are like baby fingernails vs adult fingernails: much smaller. While the handles may not be smaller, the actual blades are. This is a safety feature that helps to ensure you clip the nail, not the skin.
- Safety Guards – Some baby nail clippers include safety guards or ledges, which make it much harder for you to accidentally clip your baby’s skin.
- Rounded Tips – Baby nail scissors, in addition to being smaller than adult nail scissors, have a rounded tip. This ensures you won’t accidentally stab a squirmy baby with a sharp blade – always a good thing!
Different Styles of Baby Nail Clippers
When choosing between the different styles of baby nail clippers, consider the pros, cons, and key differences.
Baby Nail Clippers
Baby nail clippers are the kind you’re probably most familiar with. They look like adult nail clippers, with smaller blades and optional safety and functional features.
Operating them is pretty much the same – squeeze the blades together to clip off the fingernail.
A pro of this style is it’s super familiar, and there a ton of different brands to choose from – with different bells and whistles like a light or magnifying glass.
A con of this style is it can be difficult to see if you’re cutting the nail in the right spot. We’ve accidentally cut our baby’s skin on more than one occasion using this style. And it was pretty darn heartbreaking as a parent.
Baby Nail Scissors
Baby nail scissors have rounded tips with edges that tilt upwards, preventing you from accidentally snipping skin.
Some people think scissors are easier to hold and use, plus you can clip smaller parts of the baby’s fingernails with them. You can also see what you’re clipping more easily than with traditional style clippers.
On the downside, these can be a bit intimidating to use and get used to. Scissors near a baby feels wrong on an intuitive level. However, speaking from personal experience, these are a great solution.
Baby Nail File
You should use nail files to soften any sharp edges the scissors or nail trimmers leave behind. However, some parents also prefer to forego nail clippers and scissors, and keep their baby’s nails trim using nail files alone.
Manual nail files look just like the adult versions, and work the same, too.
Electric nail files are another option. You can file down your baby’s nails while they are sleeping, so long as you choose a quiet nail file! These electric files usually have a round tip with soft sandpaper that buffs down the sharp fingernails.
Pro: there’s no chance of accidentally cutting your baby. Con: it takes longer than a quick snip.
Different Features in Baby Nail Clippers
If you’ve ever tried to trim a newborn baby’s nails, you know the struggle is real. It’s right up there with giving a newborn a bath, detangling a toddler’s hair, using a baby nasal aspirator or child proofing a fireplace or bathroom in terms of daunting parenting tasks.
And because it’s such a legitimately stressful task from many (most?) parents, enterprising companies have come up with a range of solutions to make things a bit easier.
As a baseline, you want to look for nail clippers that protect your baby’s skin and allow you to see what you’re doing.
However, there are other features that could make the job a little less stressful.
A Light
For many families, one of the best times to trim a baby’s nails is while they are sleeping. We’ve never done this, because we live in paralyzing fear of waking up our kid once she’s finally asleep. However, we know this system works well for many families, and who are we to judge?
If trimming your baby’s nails while he’s asleep sounds like something you’d like to try, consider getting nail clippers with a light. These lights shine in a narrow, focused area on your baby’s fingers. You can see what you’re doing, but it’s not enough light to wake your baby.
Magnifying Glass
Baby fingernails are actually insanely small. You don’t know how hard it is to see them until you nervously try to trim them. And that’s for parents with good eyesight.
If you’re at all farsighted (have trouble seeing things up close), you may want to pick up baby nail clippers with a magnifying glass.
The First Years American Red Cross pair mentioned above will magnify your little one’s nails at 4x!
Age-Specific Clippers
Check what age the package says the clippers are best for. Some are designed just for infants and others for toddlers.
That said, also read the reviews. For the Pigeon Baby Nail Scissors, for example, most parents seem to prefer the newborn size – even for older babies.
Final Thoughts
If you’re terrified of clipping your baby’s fingernails, know that you’re not alone. This is one of our least favorite parenting tasks, to the point that I’d almost rather deal with a diaper blowout than a manicure. Almost.
That said, it is important to keep your baby’s nails trimmed. Watching them scratch their own face is also not fun. Babies have terrible fine motor skills at the beginning, meaning there’s a good chance they will flair their hands to their faces and scratch themselves at some point.
Every baby nail trimmer has pros and cons – pick out what you think will be the best probably solution, and don’t be afraid to switch if your first purchase doesn’t really work for your family. Whichever pair you choose, take your time, try to enjoy it, and give your baby a big snuggle once the job is over. They don’t stay this tiny forever.
I hope this article helps you – and makes the task a little less stressful.
If you liked this article, share it with some new parents or parents-to-be.
If you have a pair of baby nail clippers that you love, let us know about them in the comments!
