Although it will be a while before your baby is writing her name, you may be wondering if she will be a righty or a lefty. At this stage in her development, it’s probably not easy to tell. After all, she may be grabbing things with her right hand one day, and her left the next. In most cases, hand preference is not clearly noticeable until a child is about three. But your baby may start to show some preferences by about a year a half.
It’s often difficult to tell your baby’s hand preference when they are infants because they have not mastered a lot of motor skills yet. For instance, your baby may clumsily reach out for an object with one hand. But that does not mean that is their dominate hand. Even as an adult, you may grab things with your non-dominate hand. So one-hand grasps are not a good indication of whether your baby is a leftie or a righty.
As your baby gets older and uses both hands to play, such as when he stacks blocks or pulls objects apart, it may be easier to determine if he is showing use of a dominant hand. In many cases, by the time your baby is about 24 months, he may be consistently favoring one hand over the other.
If you prefer your baby be right-handed because you think it may be easier, don’t bother trying to influence her preference. Researchers think whether a person is right-handed or left-handed is partly genetic. So if you and your partner are both lefties, your little one might be too.
Keep in mind, if you try to make your baby use her right hand if she naturally wants to use her left, you’re only going to make matters worse. It’s likely your baby will get frustrated, and it’s probably near impossible to make her become right-handed if she is wired to be a leftie.
If your baby does turn out to be left-handed, there are things you can do to make it easier for him to learn new skills. These days there are a lot of instruments and tools that are designed for lefties. From toys to books and school supplies, there are everyday items made with lefties in mind.
Remember, not all people have hand dominance. Some people use both hands equally. Whether your baby turns out to be a leftie or a righty, one thing is for sure, she is pretty much perfect either way.
Written by MaryAnn DePietro @writerlady34
This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.