Statistics have shown that 9 out of every 10 people around the world are right-handed. Therefore, it is safe to say that a tenth of the global population has been “left-out”. The moment your baby starts talking and walking, you will notice some things about your baby’s personality. During this time, you will also notice that your baby has started showing preferences when using his/her left or right hand. If he/she uses his/her left hand, then he/she will be amongst the 10% who are also left-handed. This piece will tell you how to raise a left-handed baby in a right-handed world.
Baby Left-Handed--When Will I Tell It?
A child’s preference to his/her left or right hand can show even when the baby is between the ages of six to nine months old. Even so, you will only be able to fully determine whether your baby is right or left-handed when she/he is of about two or three years because that is the time when she/he will be using her/his hands most and might favor either one.
There are some preschoolers that seem to use both hands and some might use them until they are about five or six years old. If you are curious as to whether your baby is left-handed or not, you can find out by trying to hand him/her a toy and wait for her/him to reach for it. Your child is more likely to use the dominant hand to reach out for the toy. If she/he is a toddler, you can roll him/her a ball and watch to see the hand that will reach for the ball first because it is the more dexterous and stronger one.
To know more about when to know whether your baby is left-handed or right-handed, check out this video:
What May Cause a Baby Left-Handed?
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Reasons |
Descriptions |
|---|---|
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Genes |
This is the most common cause of baby left-handedness. There might be some genetic factors that make the baby left-hand. |
|
Sex |
There are slightly more males than females who are left-handed. This, to some researchers, suggests that testosterone hormones in men influence left and right-handedness. |
|
Development of the fetus |
There are researchers who believe that the hand a child uses is influenced more by the environment in the womb rather than genetics. They suggest that environmental factors including hormone exposure can influence the hand a child dominantly uses. |
|
Modeling |
Sometimes, children also learn to use their left and right hand by imitating their caregivers and parents. However, this still doesn’t explain how left-handed parents can have children who are right-handed and vice versa. |
|
Brain damage |
There are some researchers who have theorized that there is no human being who is meant to be left-handed. However, they claim that people who are left-handed normally suffer some sort of brain damage in their early life. However, there is no hard evidence that supports this theory. |
|
Adjustments |
There are times when right-handed people become left-handed because the right hand suffers some injury forcing them to use the left-hand. |
How Can I Raise a Left-Handed Baby in a Right-Handed World?
Life has been made easier as more and more things are made for both right-handed and left-handed people. Here is how to raise a left-handed baby in a right-handed world:
1. Encourage Your Kids’ Special Qualities
Acknowledge your baby’s left-handedness by making it look like a blessing rather than a curse. For example, left-handed people have been known to have the ability to think outside the box and this has made it easy for them to solve problems both in school and in life-situations.
2. Build up Your Kids’ Confidence with Good Company
Remind your child that some of the most powerful people to have ever lived and are living are left-handed such as Benjamin Franklin who was very proud of being left-handed. Others include Ronald Regan, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and even Barack Obama. There are also many left-handed innovators, musicians, athletes such as Jimi Hendrix, Babe Ruth, Leonardo Da Vinci, Marie Curie, Jim Henson, Judy Garland and Oprah Winfrey.
3. Help Your Kids to Adjust
Help your child adapt to his/her left-handedness by showing him/her how to do the simple, everyday things using the left hand such as tying their shoes, learning his/her dance steps. Be gentle when giving physical guidance so that your child will be able to adjust well.
4. Teach Your Kids to Write
Writing is the biggest hurdle for many left-handed children. The way a left-handed person writes letters is different from a right-handed person. Let your kid know that it is okay to cross the J or T right-left instead of left-right.
What Are the Benefits of Being Left-Handed?
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Benefits |
Descriptions |
|---|---|
|
In sports |
Since many players are right-handed, many of them find it hard dealing with left-handed players. |
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High IQs |
Lefties have a higher likelihood or having high IQs or being geniuses. It is not clear why, but a larger portion of intelligent people are left-handed. About 20% of all members of Mensa are lefties. |
|
See under water more easily |
Left-handed people are able to adjust easily to see things when underwater. This ability is more beneficial to lefties living near the sea or those who enjoy swimming. |
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Multitasking |
The brain of a left-hand person is forced to work faster and this makes it easy for left-handed people to multitask. Therefore, they can handle unorganized and large information. |
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Great at artistic pursuits |
A study shows that left-handed university students prefer visual-based instead of language-based subjects. If your child is left-handed and wants to be an artist, then she/he has an amazing benefit in being a lefty. |
More Tips on Raising Left-Handed Babies
1. Do Not Attempt to Influence the Babies’ Hand Preference
If your child is at the stage where his/her motor skills have started to develop, it is not advisable for you to try to influence his/her hand preference. While genetics do not fully explain why a person is left-handed and another right-handed, your baby’s nervous system is part of that reason. When you force your child to write with his/her right hand, it is likely to fail in the long run. Your attempt may merely frustrate or confuse your child along the way.
2. Help Your Babies Live Better in a Right-Handed World
There are some things you can do if your child starts showing signs of being left-handed. Provide him/her with tools and instruments that have been designed for use by left-handed people.
3. Consult Your Pediatrician
If your baby seems to use the left hand exclusively even before he/she is 18 months old, consult your pediatrician. The reason is that it might be an early sign of problems related to motor development.
