Best Baby Nail Clippers
We evaluated popular clippers to find out which will make this dreaded baby grooming task a breeze
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There are some parenting tasks that no one properly prepares you for, like dealing with a diaper blow-out that takes place in your kid’s play yard or gracefully handling a tantrum in the cereal aisle of the grocery store. But one fear you probably didn’t have on your parenting bingo card? Clipping your little one’s nails when their nails seem scarily microscopic to adult eyes.
Cutting a baby’s nails is one grooming responsibility that can’t be avoided or outsourced at all times (trust me, I tried passing it off to Grandma), and it may even require trimming or filing their nails once a week, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. But it needn’t be a task you dread, either. Getting your hands on a reliable pair of nail clippers that are sharp, easy to use, and comfortable is a key way to get the job done with confidence.
Sharpness: Allow me to paraphrase what one of our testers exclaimed after using Fridababy NailFrida The Snipperclipper: “You may think all nail clippers cut well—until you try these and realize, now these can cut!” These nail clippers were the overall favorite—though not by a landslide, I should mention—because they feature unique overlapping steel curved blades that resemble scissors so that every snip is clean, fast, and thorough. You can picture yourself quickly cutting your baby’s nails with these and not having to waste time filing their nails afterward to take care of any jagged edges left behind.
With that said, one reviewer who is a father noted that he found it difficult to line the blade up with each nail, which could prolong the time it takes to clip. The same reviewer also pointed out that the clipper’s extremely sharp blade actually made him nervous that he might hurt a baby while using it—something to keep in mind if you predict you’ll be anxious during this task.
Comfort: Here’s where things get interesting. One male tester with the largest hands of the group (which measured 7.5 inches from wrist to the tip of his middle finger and 8 inches in breadth with his fingers together) rated this clipper as his favorite and said it had a “comfortable grip.” A few hours later, a female tester with the smallest hands of the group (measuring 6 inches in length and 4 inches in breadth) also gave it the highest mark and wrote in her evaluation: “The handle is incredibly comfy to hold.” I observed that the clipper itself has a traditional adult nail clipper design with a handle that you lift and spin around before proceeding to clip nails, but it is attached to a base that is soft and wide, but relatively flat and not bulky like some others on the list.
Perks: This clipper is designed with a very small safety spyhole at the top that allows you to peek in and see what you’re doing in the hopes that you don’t nick your baby’s skin. But, spoiler alert: Not one tester noticed the spyhole or pointed out this feature.
Sharpness: One thing you quickly learn when evaluating baby nail clippers is that personal feelings about clipping a baby’s nails can come into play when deciding which clipper is best. The Safety 1st Fold-Up Nail Clipper is a no-frills, under-$5 option that is sharp enough. Out of eight participants who tried it, six gave it a “3”—the best rating—for sharpness (which was defined as “sharp and cuts right away”), while two gave it a “2”—the second-best rating—(for “slight struggle, but cuts”). But one of our male testers, who is a parent, says the fact that it doesn’t slice into a nail as cleanly as the Fridababy clipper is a plus for him, because having that bit of resistance while cutting a nail makes him feel more comfortable and confident that he won’t hurt his child. The blade is curved and constructed from stainless steel.
Comfort: Testers were mixed when it came to assessing the comfort and grip of this clipper’s rounded and slightly bulky plastic handle. Our participant with the smallest hands rated it as “very uncomfortable,” but most found it to be of average comfort.
Perks: One nice perk is that these clippers come in a pack of two, so you can keep one at home and one in your diaper bag.
Sharpness: Are these the sharpest clippers you’ll find? No. Only three out of eight evaluators considered them best for sharpness and one who gave it a “1” (which means the blade struggled to cut) also noting that they are “difficult to use from the side” and that you have to take your time and trim every angle of the nail. Another tester found it a challenge to line its curved blade with the nail (note: Details about the material of the blade are not available on Safety 1st’s website or Amazon). This clipper was also the only one we tried that left nail clippings stuck behind in the blade.
Comfort: According to most evaluators, this clipper won’t slip in your hands and its bulky, soft body is comfortable to hold. It is bulkier than most on this list, which is something to keep in mind when considering where to store it.
Perks: It would be a crime to not mention this clipper’s most distinctive feature and one that wowed some testers: It is designed with a built-in LED that can make it a lot easier to clip your baby’s nails while they nap or sleep at night. A non-replaceable battery is included and it comes in packs of two with a nail file.
Sharpness: Considering the Tweezerman Baby Manicure Kit’s higher price tag and high-profile brand name, you might expect its baby nail clippers to win evaluators over by a mile—but their reaction to it was lukewarm, at best. With the exception of two evaluators who rated the clipper’s sharpness a “3,” its curved stainless steel blade received a “2” for average sharpness, with some testers remarking that it sometimes took a few tries to get a clean cut.
Comfort: Seven out of eight testers rated the Tweezerman clippers with a “2” for average comfort (the eighth gave it a “3” for very comfortable). It has a fairly small, soft plastic handle that’s rounded, with a sweet moon-and-stars design.
Perks: If you prefer to invest in a one-and-done baby manicure kit by a trusted brand, this pick also comes with scissors with curved, rounded tips that are recommended for babies ages three months and older, a nail brush to remove dirt and debris under the nails, and a soft grit nail file. The clipper and accessories do not come in their own separate case, so be sure to have something like a toiletry bag on hand for storage and travel.
Sharpness: Five out of eight users gave the Yiveko baby nail clipper the highest score for sharpness, thanks to its curved, overlapping blades that provide clean, sharp cuts. One evaluator who gave it an average score even remarked that it “cuts nicely” and that the blade easily grips small nails (but it still provided more of a struggle to cut than some of the other clippers). The curved blade is made from stainless steel.
Comfort: Don’t expect a lot of bells and whistles when it comes to the Yivenko’s handle: it’s soft, nonslip, and on the smaller side, without the bulk you’ll find on most of the other models. But that’s exactly why evaluators were almost equally split in giving it either a “3” or “2” for very comfortable or average comfort. Bottom line: This clipper gets the job done nicely and is comfortable enough.
Perks: I challenge you to find a baby nail grooming kit cuter than this pick. The clippers come in an owl-shaped protective case and the set includes baby nail scissors, a glass rounded nail file, and soft, nonslip tweezers for removing secretions from a baby’s nose or ears. The case may prove a bit bulky for everyday travel but will look adorable in a nursery. It comes in three colorways: green, pink, and blue.
Sharpness: Six out of eight evaluators thought this clipper and its stainless steel blade was sharp. One user who picked this one as her favorite says some of the other clippers were more difficult to maneuver around the tiny space of a baby’s fingernail, but The First Years clipper honed in on small areas.
Comfort: Most evaluators said this clipper was fairly bulky and the curved plastic handle was very comfortable or of average comfort, but, interestingly, our male evaluator with the largest hands in the group gave it a “1” for “very uncomfortable”—something to keep in mind if you have larger hands.
Perks: A magnifier with 4x magnification is the stand-out feature on this model, and it’s tucked into the handle so well that some of our testers didn’t even realize it was there. Once they lifted the magnifier to try it out, there were some “ooh’s” and “aah’s,” and a few remarks about how magnification would be especially great for grandma or grandpa. But some also found it to be a bit cumbersome, especially because you have to move the clipper and magnifier from one part of the nail to another. One tester said it was a cool addition, but she wasn’t sure she would ever use it. The jury’s still out on whether this feature alone makes the clipper a must-have item, but we could see it being a selling point for some, particularly if you struggle to see up close.
Bonus points for the fact that these clippers are licensed by the American Red Cross—a factor that will likely appeal to some shoppers.
What’s the Safest Way to Cut a Baby’s Nails?
Now that you’ve narrowed down your baby nail clipper choices, you may be wondering: how on earth do I go about clipping their nails in the safest, least terrifying way possible?
For starters, if your baby is less than one month old, do not cut their nails. “For newborns, the nail does not separate from the skin in the first month of life so we do not recommend trying to clip them in the first month,” says Austin-based pediatrician Ari Brown, author of the 411 parenting book series. “But, those nails can be razor sharp and newborns tend to scratch their face in an effort to rub their eyes or get their tiny fingers into their mouths. The best advice I can give is to put socks on their hands or use a nail file. And it’s an urban myth to try biting the nails off.” The American Academy of Pediatrics acknowledges that some parents bite or peel off their newborn’s nails instead of clipping or cutting them with scissors, but that doing so can potentially lead to infection.
Once your baby is old enough, Brown says she prefers clippers mostly for the speed of the process. “Most babies don’t love this experience, so the quickest way to get the job done is my preference,” Brown says. “But, with practice, scissors work, too. By the way, another popular approach is to use a baby Dremel.” CR did not evaluate any baby Dremels or electric nail buffers at the same time as clippers.
Some parents prefer to clip nails while the baby is asleep, Brown says. “As long as you don’t wake them up (the last thing any sleep-deprived parent wants to do!), that’s fine,” Brown says. “I would definitely suggest having one adult be the ‘holder’ and one be the ‘clipper.’” Brown also says she does not have a personal preference when it comes to curved versus straight nail clippers, but either way, try to cut the nail straight across and not curved at the edges to avoid ingrown nails.
How We Evaluated Baby Nail Clippers and Scissors
To evaluate baby nail clippers and scissors, we purchased standard Scotch Magic Tape and folded it over on itself once to mimic a baby’s nails before securing the tape to the fingers of a lifelike doll. The doll was placed on its back to mimic the position of a napping baby. We asked eight CR staffers to try out six best-selling nail clippers and two popular baby scissors. We measured evaluators’ hands with their fingers together. Each participant then tried one clipper or scissor at a time, holding the tape securely on the doll’s nail with one finger to keep it in place, while snipping at the corner of a piece of tape with their dominant hand. Two of the eight participants were male and six were female. All participants were right-hand dominant.
About the Nail Scissors We Evaluated
In addition to testing baby nail clippers, we asked participants to try out two pairs of baby nail scissors: Fridababy Easy Grip Nail Scissors and Simba Baby Safety Scissors. To effectively evaluate scissors, a follow-up test of just the most popular scissors would be required. But for the sake of simply comparing users’ scissor experiences with clippers, here’s how these two scissors fared.
Sharpness: It seemed like testers wanted to like these scissors thanks to their fun, grippy, comfy handle (more on that in a minute). But most just couldn’t figure out how to cut a nail properly using the long, rounded stainless steel blade. All eight participants gave it a “1” for “very difficult to cut.”
Comfort: These scissors have asymmetrical handles that the company claims are good for right- or left-handed users, and several evaluators said the super-soft, nonslip handle is very comfortable.
Perks: These scissors come with a convenient safety case for storage and portability.
Sharpness: The Simba Baby Safety Scissors have a stainless steel blade and evaluators said they had above-average or average sharpness. The blade is rounded but I observed that it is shorter than the Fridababy scissor, which made it easier to control, especially when trimming around nails.
Comfort: Overall, testers found these to be average in comfort.
Perks: A protective blade cover is included.
