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'It'll be OK,' Savannah! Readers share 9 secrets to clipping baby nails

Terrifying parenting moments come in all shapes and sizes. Even baby fingernails can stress out a new mom.As TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie made a surprise appearance with her 7-week-old daughter Vale on Monday, she revealed the baby is wearing mittens because she's terrified to cut those teeny-tiny (and oh so sharp!) nails. The thought of wielding nail clippers on delicate little fingers can be intim

Terrifying parenting moments come in all shapes and sizes. Even baby fingernails can stress out a new mom.

As TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie made a surprise appearance with her 7-week-old daughter Vale on Monday, she revealed the baby is wearing mittens because she's terrified to cut those teeny-tiny (and oh so sharp!) nails. The thought of wielding nail clippers on delicate little fingers can be intimidating to new parents.

“The truth is, I would rather have a root canal than cut those little nails,” she wrote.

Fear not, Savannah. Help is on the way from TODAY readers. Here are their best tips from the TODAY and TODAY Parents Facebook pages:

  • Clip nails while the baby sleeps, suggested Angela Reynolds.
  • Try clipping after a bath, when the baby's nails will be softer, advised Amy Rush.
  • Bite them off yourself – “just nibble at them – (that’s) what the women in my family have done for generations,” wrote Colleen B. Macaulay.
  • Ask another family member, like dad, to do the task, advised Randi Maerz.
  • Use cuticle scissors – they’re easier to handle and “less horrifying,” Shelley Townsend wrote.
  • "Play with her fingers during the day to get her used to mild pressure on her fingertips," wrote Jana Berthold Schutte.
  • Consider using a nail file to reduce the risk of cutting, suggested Stephanie Block.
  • Know that other parents have accidentally cut into their baby’s skin while on nail clipping duty — and everyone was fine in the end: “She cried, I cried more. It inevitably will happen. Luckily she won't remember even though you will, and she'll still love you. It'll be OK,” Tamyra Bravener wrote.
  • And we'll let Mary Comeau have the last word: "No advice. Mommas always know best. If you don't mind the mittens still on, why should we!? When you feel ready, you will feel it."