It is very common for babies to like to eat their hands. They found their hands as early as two months ago. They like to put their hands and feet in their mouths and suck happily. Freud, a famous psychologist, called the first year after the birth of a baby "oral period", which is the first basic stage of personality development.

Reason one: eating hands, the way the baby relieves "stress"

Don't think that babies have no pressure, in fact, they are the most sensitive to their surroundings. Careful parents will find that when the baby feels uneasy, irritable and nervous, eating hands will calm his mood. Some babies will eat their fingers to seek self-comfort and fall asleep again when they are in a light sleep state. In this process, parents need not worry too much. According to foreign research, if you force your baby to stop eating hands during this period, it will make your baby have rebellious psychology and become more likely to form an aggressive personality when he grows up. In short, eating hands is a psychological need and sexual behavior during the baby's growth, and it is a healthy way for the baby to comfort himself.

Therefore, the baby before the age of 2 has the behavior of eating hands, so parents don't have to be too anxious and can't be rude.

Reason 2: it helps to eliminate the discomfort in the long tooth period.

It is a normal physiological behavior for children under one year old to "eat their hands", which is a necessary stage in their development. Li Yu, director of the Pediatrics Department of Guangzhou First People's Hospital, pointed out that most babies start sucking their fingers from 3 months, and after adding complementary food for 6 months, their performance is obvious, and they will gradually form a peak with teething. 3-6 months is the stage when the baby begins to sprout deciduous teeth. At this time, the baby will eat his hands to relieve the discomfort during the teething period.

Reason 3: Babies in anus are easy to eat their hands.

Before the age of 2.5, the baby's defecation is basically conditional discharge, and it is naturally excreted by reflection. But after 2.5 years old, the baby's urinary system is well developed, and when he wants to defecate, this information will be reflected in his brain. After thinking and judging, the brain decides whether to defecate now or later. Through this experience of holding back and letting go, we get pleasure, which includes not only excretion, but also tactile pleasure of lips. This is normal if the baby reaches the anal stage.

Reason 4: Poor appetite, eating hands may lack trace elements.

However, if the baby's eating hands are accompanied by eating paper, scratching the wall, poor appetite, yellow hair and short stature, parents should not take it lightly. It is best to take your baby for a trace element test to see if it is zinc deficient. Li Yu, director of the pediatrics department of Guangzhou First People's Hospital, said that 1-3 years old is a critical period for growth. Zinc deficiency will affect growth and development, so it is necessary to intervene in time. More contact with the outside world after the age of 3 is also a critical period for the development of the baby's gums. Parasitic diseases caused by sucking fingers are more common, which is also a factor that parents should consider.