Two days ago, Nayeol's grandparents visited us. They traveled a long way from Busan to see their granddaughter, Nayeol. Our usually quiet home was bustling that day. Especially due to Grandpa who loves to drink, the tension in the conversation also heightened! If Nayeol had been sleeping well, we would have quietly laid her down in the room. However, she had been constipated for two days, and seemed uncomfortable after having formula. So, we had no choice but to keep her in the lively living room. Just as the conversation delved into "Modern Parenting vs. Traditional Parenting," we caught Nayeol putting her fist in her mouth 😅. It was a sight we'd never seen before, so it was simply cute~! My wife captured Nayeol munching on her fist on video and sent it to me.
I suddenly wondered why she was sucking her fist? It seemed like she didn't do it on purpose but rather found her hand near her mouth and decided to give it a taste. 'Eureka~! 🤩' It didn't seem to taste bad, so she kept on munching away. This was the first time we saw Nayeol suck her hand, and although we knew babies did this, we didn't know the exact reason why. So today, I want to look into this topic.
Reasons for Hand Sucking
Many people think babies suck their hands when they are hungry. For newborns, if you bring a finger next to their lips when they are hungry, they will follow it with their mouth. So one may assume the sucking behavior indicates hunger. This isn't entirely wrong, but in Nayeol's case, she had just been bottle-fed not long ago, so we don't think it was due to hunger. After looking into some foreign articles, it seemed more like Nayeol's hand-sucking was for 'exploration or fun.' She woke up to the sound of conversation and found her hand near her mouth. It seemed like she found it interesting enough to continue sucking her hand a few more times.
Since that day, we haven't seen Nayeol sucking her hand yet. Perhaps it was a significant day where she just happened to taste her fist that was near her mouth. Further research indicates that babies also suck their hands for self-soothing. Sucking reflexes continue from the womb, and later on, the act of sucking can provide self-soothing effects. Adding a little more to that, it seems that around 2-3 months, such sucking behaviors lead to experiences of satisfaction and fulfillment, and thus self-soothing. (Could this be considered a form of continuity of experience?)
While this doesn't apply to Nayul right now, it's common for babies around 4-7 months of age, when they start teething, to pull their hands out to relieve gum itching, pain, and stress. I don't think it's a big deal at this age, so I think it's okay to leave it alone, but I'm thinking about getting Nayul a teether when she's around 100 days old!
To summarize the causes of hand-sucking in a nutshell, I think it can be summarized in the following four ways.
[ Causes of hand-sucking ]
- hunger
- for exploration or fun
- self-soothing
- to relieve gum pain and stress
How to stop hand-sucking
If you're concerned about your baby's hand-sucking behavior, you can try to eliminate it by identifying what you think is causing it. First of all, if your baby sucks his hands because he's hungry, you can try feeding him. If your baby hasn't fed in a while, there could be another reason and you should keep an eye on your baby. Nayul was more interested in exploring, so I think my wife just captured it on video because she thought it was cute👍.
If the sucking continues beyond the age of 5, it can affect the shape of the mouth and the alignment of the teeth (at this point, it's usually a specific finger sucking, not a whole hand sucking), so it's usually not a big deal under the age of 4, but if it becomes a problem, behavioral therapy is usually recommended. Here's a summary of how to stop finger sucking according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
- The first step in dealing with sucking is to ignore it. Teasing or punishing the behavior can upset the child and is not an effective way to get rid of the habit.
- Praise and reward them when they stop sucking their fingers or side teeth.
- If he's sucking to relieve boredom, try to keep his hands busy or distract him with something interesting.
- If you think there's a problem with the alignment of the teeth, consider getting braces and make it clear to your child that you're not punishing them, but helping them to change a habit.
I've included a link to the article below so you can read it if you're interested.
Nayul has only had a taste of pacifiers once. But sooner or later, she'll be tempted by the flavor and temptation to bring her hands to her mouth more often... (and later, her feet..lol) From that point on, she'll be covered in saliva, and I think she'll have to wipe her hands and mouth a lot to prevent poisoning. Eating on the spot and sleeping on the spot might be the least messy time for her 😅.
Observation on May 29, 2023