How to tell if baby is right

Think you have a little southpaw on your hands? If you were wondering about your baby, it may be too early to tell. I’m not just talking about talent here. How can you tell if your baby is starting to favor his left or right hand? It’s pretty safe to assume that your baby is right-handed. Most of us are. In fact, about 85%, or even more, of the population is right-handed.

As babies start to play and hold objects in their hands, they will use each hand. A baby will want to explore how to object looks and feels in his hand, then he will put the object in his other hand. One day, all the toys he touches and holds will be with one hand, next week it will be with another hand. Around two years of age, maybe a little sooner, your little one start holding onto writing objects. They will start throwing balls and other toys.

Watch which hand the baby is throwing and coloring with. It will take some time see which hand his preferred. Around age three is when a more definitive preference is shown. Don’t be in a big hurry or force the issue.

Also, once your child starts to show a preference toward one hand or other, don’t force her to be something she isn’t. Perhaps you are right-handed and want your child to be right-handed. You think it might be easier for the child: buying scissors, ball gloves, playing sports, learning to write, etc. But, you may be making things harder in the long run. Keeping with the example of forcing right-handedness on a left-hand child, you could cause a learning delay. Because the child is having to focus so much on overcoming a dominance issue, they can’t focus on learning. Remember, let the child choose. And they will, when in their own good time.

I have a right-handed son and a left-handed son. Since my husband and I are both right-handed we assumed all our children would be, too. Our second son has proved us wrong. He started showing favor to left-hand around two years old. When he threw the ball, it was most often with his left, the same with coloring. By the time he was three, his left-hand dominance was a given. He did everything with a left-hand dominance. We don’t force the issue. We have called upon left-handed friends and family to find out how to teach him how to do certain things, like tie his shoes. Sometimes, we just have to practice doing something left-handed to figure out the best way to teach him.

Just think of left-hand/right-hand dominance as the last great unknown. Pregnant, not pregnant. Boy or girl. Right or left-handed.