Hah, that is a brilliant idea!
Sally Hansen’s plant-based polish is my go-to. The brush is better than most kids’ polishes and it actually lasts, so I keep it at the salon for when clients bring their kids in.
Piggy Paint chips pretty fast, though it works okay otherwise. Maybe that’s just kids being hard on their nails. I haven’t tried the other brands you mentioned. At $20+ a bottle, the indie ones are hard to justify when Sally Hansen works fine for less.
The only thing I’d recommend until they’re past the hand-in-mouth stage is Piggy Paint with their base and top coat system, plus a cool hairdryer between layers.
After that, any reputable brand like OPI works fine because the nail plate is too thick for any real absorption. The only people who really need to worry are salon workers who breathe in the fumes for years.
Okay wait so I’m curious, does anyone else struggle with Piggy Paint? Because I feel like I’m doing something wrong but it takes SO many coats and my kid literally cannot sit still long enough for it to dry. I’ve been using my Magic Eraser more on nail polish streaks around the house than anything else at this point lol.
I’ve just started using regular Essie on her and one coat and it dries fast, then flakes off on its own so I don’t even need remover. Is that terrible?
I also discovered washable markers work great for when she wants to ‘do nails like mommy’ she can color her own nails and give herself little tattoos and everything just washes right off.