- 1). Have the child soak her nails in a bowl of sudsy water to clean the hands and nails, then dry with paper towels or a clean, dry cloth. Use nail polish remover, if there is polish on the nails.
- 2). Lay down a layer of paper towels underneath the child's hands, and have her lay her hands flat on the surface, palms down.
- 3). Apply a layer of clear nail polish to each nail for the topcoat and allow to dry. You can play a quick game to speed up the drying process -- vigorously shake your hands in the air for about two minutes, and have the child follow your moves so that her nails dry quicker and she doesn't get restless.
- 4). Take a bottle of nail polish in nude, beige or pale pink and apply a coat to each fingernail. Apply the nail polish in three strokes -- place the first stroke in the center of the nail, and the two subsequent strokes on either side of the first stroke. If polish touches the child's skin, use a cotton swab and a small amount of nail polish remover to remove the polish.
- 5). Repeat the drying game in Step 3.
- 6). Make sure that the polish applied in Step 4 is completely dry. Cut small pieces of clear tape and apply them to each of the child's nails, covering each nail entirely except for a narrow strip at the top. Gently apply pressure on each nail to fix the tape pieces in place.
- 7). Have the wearer lay her hands flat on the work surface again. With a nail polish pen or brush loaded with the white polish or a color of the child's choosing, apply a strip of nail polish across the top of each nail. Don't worry about applying the nail polish neatly -- the tape will create clean lines for you.
- 8). Let the child's nails dry again by having her shake her hands in the air, and remove the tape from the nails.
- 9). Apply a coat of clear nail polish over each nail. Have the child participate in a low-key activity, such as watching cartoon or a movie, as it takes about 15 to 20 minutes for a manicure to dry completely.
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