My Baby Is Obsessed With His Hands!

A baby can become obsessed with whatever is at hand. Literally, and don’t think for one minute, the child is alone. Didn’t you become obsessed with said baby from day one? Thought so.

So the love affair or obsession, as it were, with everything has begun. You are amazed. They can become obsessed with the strangest of the strange: hair, skin, the mole on their tummy. Nothing is immune.

Sometimes you watch and laugh. Sometimes you wonder. “What is wrong with my child?” As you show concern for the recent discovery of private parts. It’s okay. It’s what babies do. Yours is no different.

Then comes the day they notice the five little digits attached to the tiny hand. And then it’s on. “Look what I can do! I can even make them move! Can you do it? No, like I do it!” it has to be what is going through their all-absorbing tiny brain.

Six months later, the baby is still obsessed with his hands. Should you be concerned? Is it normal? You are worried. You are a parent. Worry is job-one.

Is hand obsession cause for further investigation? Hopefully, you just need a bit of inside information on the subject.

Hand Obsession Explained

As mentioned, a baby will be obsessed with everything they find. One day it’s handed. The next day it’s feet. When he gets to be a teenager, the obsessions are a bit more complicated. Before he becomes obsessed with girls, let’s take a look at his childhood.

Hand obsession is a completely normal obsession or fixation as the professionals call it. They are beginning to learn hand-eye coordination by focusing on their hands. The eyes focus on the hands. Then they learn how to control, as best they can, their little fingers.

We watch in amazement as they use the hand to grasp a toy or other object finally. Then said object goes straight to the mouth. Everything is food. No worries. Your baby is right on track!

By far, the most intriguing item they have come across is their hands. They are obsessed.

Obsession With Other Body Parts

Your baby is at a time in his or her life when they begin to realize they are a separate individual from you. So they begin to explore their newfound bodies. Today the hands, tomorrow the…something else.

Being curious about their body parts is a normal part of their development. Both physically and socially. How many times have you walked into their room to find them holding their feet? Or tugging an ear? They are tiny explorers, and their body is what they explore. It’s always there.

You can participate as well. When the baby grabs his nose, take his hand away and place it on your nose. Play your nose, my nose game—Word association with a bit of hand-eye coordination. See how easy it is to be a parent?

Safety Protocol

It is worth mentioning here. Keep a watch on the items baby picks up with his newfound hands. You already know whatever is picked is going to the mouth, so be safe. Non-toxic toys and no toys which don’t age-appropriate. We don’t want something lodged in their throat. Just be aware of their toys and the objects within reach.

No one is implying you have bad parenting skills. It’s just worth mentioning.

How Long Be Will My Baby Obsessed With His Hands?

To my knowledge, there is no ‘set’ time frame for different baby milestones. The fact your baby is on a year-long obsession with his hands is no reason to worry. He may be just waiting until he wants to move on to something else. And rightly so.

There are guidelines you can refer to like the age they sit-up, the age they start walking. But these are just a suggested time table for development. Somebody, somewhere thought it would be a good idea to make charts showing these milestones. And the proper time they should happen. Somebody ought to find the person who thought it was a good idea. All it does is reinforce worry in parents.

“My child is six-months-old, and he should be doing (fill in the blank), but he’s not. I’m worried he may have (again fill in the blank)” Needless worry and concern. Every child is different, and an obsession with their hands is required as apart of healthy behavior. I will now get off my soapbox.

Encourage the Obsession

You can help your baby by encouraging their hand obsession. There are plenty of ways you can teach him or her some hand games to promote further learning of the hands.

• Teach them patty-cake
• Teach them ‘thumbs-up.’
• Teach them to ‘high-five.’
• Show them your hands
• Show them how to point
• Teach them ‘one-two-three.’

Everything here can support hand-eye coordination as well as having a bit of fun. Everybody likes games, right?

Introduce Them To Other Body Parts

If you just have to be concerned about the hand obsession, teach them about other body parts. Babies love to play games involving body parts. Games like:

• Show me your belly button
• Show me your nose
• Show me your feet

And so on. Make it a daily habit to show them other parts other than their hands. They may soon change obsessions. Don’t worry either when the ‘finger in the nose’ obsession rolls around. It’s all good. It’s what babies do. Just sit back, supervise, and enjoy. These moments won’t last forever.

Is your baby’s obsession with hands related to sleep?

Babies often try to touch or manifest in the real world whatever they dream about. The internet is full of information to help you figure out if your baby is dreaming about hands. It’s actually quite common for babies to dream about random items, including hands. To understand more about how your baby’s sleep can be related to a hand obsession, click that link.

Conclusion

Plain and simple. Babies are obsessive. These obsessions range from hands to you. Yes, a baby can be obsessed with mom or dad. It’s all healthy, and it’s all apart of their learning and development.

Now make them obsessed with your love and affection.