Little babies within 1 year old always like to eat their hands, for which some mothers are worried. In fact, babies eat hands within one year old, is the normal performance of the oral sex period, if parents too much to stop, will cause the delay of the oral sex period, is not conducive to the development of the baby. Why do babies love to eat hands? Babies become “oral period” in the first year of life, which is the first basic stage of personality development. They have a strong need for a sense of security and a strong need to suck, especially at bedtime. For newborn babies, finger sucking is very normal: on the one hand, it can bring comfort to the baby and reduce anxiety; on the other hand, babies already have the reflex and need to suck, and sucking the finger to bring satisfaction and breastfeeding is not the same as the feeling, so even if the baby is full, the baby will still suck the finger. Benefits of hand eating for babies under 1 year old For babies under the age of one year, hand eating is an inevitable stage in growth and development. Hand eating is the best way to learn about the world and perceive it. Not letting babies within the age of one week eat hands may hinder the baby’s development, not get the following four major benefits, will make the baby stupid Oh! The earliest knowledge of the world and self-confidence Because babies in infancy are exploring the world through the mouth. If parents begin to block the baby eating hands in three months, the baby’s psychological development will be very greatly affected, easy to become self-confidence, suspicious and timid after growing up. Happy and Stable Emotions For the little baby, eating hands can eliminate the baby’s uneasiness, irritability and nervousness, and has a calming effect. Sucking fingers can bring him a sense of comfort, they can get some kind of pleasure from sucking fingers, even if the mother is not around, can not eat the nipple he can also get comfort from it. The more the baby eats hands, the smarter he will be in the future. Low-month-old babies can strengthen the sense of touch, smell and taste stimulation and promote the development of neurological functions when eating hands, which is a signal of the baby’s intellectual development. Exercise hand-eye coordination The process of eating fingers can exercise the flexibility of the baby’s hands and hand-eye coordination. It is not normal for a baby under 1 year old not to suck fingers. Sucking is a normal part of every baby’s development, but if your baby has not shown any finger-sucking behavior by the age of 6 months, it may be an abnormal behavior. Parents need to be more observant, or even try to hold the baby’s hand, put it to his mouth, and let him try to suck it by himself. What should I do if my baby eats hands within 1 year? When babies reach the age of 4, 5 or 6 months, they learn to use their hands under the guidance of their parents and grab whatever they can and bring it to their mouths. Moms and dads are starting to struggle again, what is unhygienic, afraid of poisoning, pinching the gums, and so on. In fact, we have to congratulate parents: babies are making progress again! Their coordination has been further developed. What parents need to pay attention to is to choose toys that are easy to clean and keep them hygienic. If the baby is not allowed to eat hands during this period, the unsatisfied oral period will deviate the baby’s psychological development in the future, which may lead to bad habits, such as overeating, alcoholism, smoking and so on. At 8 months, the frequency of baby eating hands reaches its peak, with the development of the baby’s ability, the baby eating hands will slowly begin to reduce, gradually subside after 2 years of age. Mothers and fathers in the baby within 1 year old love to eat hands to do the following: 1, to create a good environment Once found that the baby ate fingers, we have to be more concerned about the baby’s physical and mental development, and strive to create an environment that allows him to grow and play at ease. 2, let the baby enjoy the joy of sucking Mom to breastfeed the baby as much as possible, let him fully enjoy the joy of sucking. If you want to wean, you should add complementary foods and formula in a timely manner, gradually transition, so that the baby has a process of adaptation, do not suddenly weaned, so that the baby feels anxious and insecure. 3, with candy and cookies instead of Professionals suggest that if the baby has become accustomed to eating hands, can be replaced with candy and cookies, so that the baby to quit. 4, divert attention Parents can use the way to divert the baby’s attention, for example: play with the baby toys, painting, etc., which are good ways to let the baby quit eating hands. To give the baby some love and care, I believe your baby will soon forget the habit of eating hands. 5, give the baby to choose some grip toys Oral stage, parents should consciously give the baby to choose some attractive children and easy to grasp the toys, such as rattles, pinch loud toys. Initially touch the baby’s hand with the toy, let the baby feel the different textures of different toys. After the baby’s hand is open, the toy can be put into the baby’s hand and slowly withdrawn when the baby’s grip is tight. You can also let your baby touch different objects with his/her hands, which is actually a sensory activity of early education. Training baby hand grasp ability 1, finger opening and closing training: mom can eat and happy baby when, while talking to the baby or singing, while gently caressing the baby’s hand, the baby fingers one by one open, in the closure, repeatedly. 2, stimulate grip training: mother can put a baby favorite toys to the baby can grasp the place, encourage the baby to grasp. Remember not too far, so as not to discourage the baby from grasping. 3, strengthen the massage training: Mom can give the baby every day to do hand massage exercise, massage parts can be the back of the fingers of the abdomen and sides, but the focus is on the end of the finger, because the fingertips are dissatisfied with the sensory nerves, massage the finger end to stimulate the development of the cerebral cortex. More with the baby mom and dad to more hugs, more with the baby, carefully distinguish the baby’s various requirements, to meet his various needs, the conditions of the mother can do for the baby touch massage, before going to bed to the baby to tell a relaxing and pleasant stories, read catchy children’s songs, so that the baby fell asleep happily, and always feel safe, happy and satisfied. When do I need to control my baby’s hand eating? Generally, after the age of two, the habit of hand eating will gradually disappear. However, if by the age of 4 years old still have the habit of eating hands, there may be physical or mental problems, such as the body lack of zinc, iron and other trace elements, or a psychological problem of the external manifestations, such as repression, anxiety, compulsion. If at this time also let the baby eat hands may have caused the jaw dysplasia, teeth alignment abnormalities, upper and lower teeth alignment problems, parents should be corrected in a timely manner. Meet the normal needs of the child The best way to find out if the child’s needs are being met is to find out if the child’s needs are being met. In addition to satisfying children’s physiological needs (e.g. hunger and thirst, heat and cold, sleep), it is important to enrich children’s lives by giving them interesting toys so that they have more opportunities to have fun. Favorable conditions should also be provided so that children can go outdoors more often and play with their buddies to make their lives full and vibrant. Distract attention from inherited habits, maintain a pleasant and lively life mood, so that the child can be psychologically satisfied. Parents should be patient Parents should correct children’s finger-sucking behavior patiently and calmly. For this kind of children should not use simple and rough educational methods, do not ridicule, intimidation, scolding, reprimand, not to mention the use of binding arms or wearing finger cuffs mandatory methods. Because this is not only ineffective, and will make the child feel pain, depression, emotional tension, and even produce low self-esteem, loneliness and other conditions. And as soon as the opportunity arises, the child will want to suck the finger even more, and make the bad behavior of sucking the finger stubborn. Develop good hygienic habits Develop good hygienic habits from a young age, do not let your child suck his fingers for fun, but patiently warn your child that finger sucking is unhygienic, which will not only cause swelling and pain in the fingers, affecting the development of the lower stoop bone and deformation of the teeth, but will also easily bring a large amount of dirt into the mouth, causing digestive diseases and other infectious diseases. Figure out the reason For children who have developed the bad hygiene habit of finger sucking, should figure out the reason for this bad habit, if it belongs to the improper feeding method, first of all, should correct the wrong feeding method, to overcome the bad feeding habits. To cultivate the child’s regular eating habits, to do regular quantitative, hunger and satiety section. Distract your child’s attention Whenever your child sucks his or her finger, you should look at him or her sternly and say in a firm tone, “No!” At the same time, distract the child’s attention. When finger-sucking behavior decreases, encourage and praise the child in a timely manner. And to explain to the child, as long as you can reduce this behavior, control this behavior, he will be rewarded, the use of this “positive reinforcement” treatment, can have obvious results.