How can I tell if my child is right or left handed?

[mother of faith]

My toddler uses both hands to write and eat? How can I decide which one for him to use or should I just wait? I myself can use both, my mother, and my brother as well? Is there a way to tell which one is dominent?

[nhockaday]

From what people say on this thread http://forum.brillkids.com/general-discussion-b5/early-handedness/ children are not supposed to show a preference until they are older. How old is your child? My son has favored his right hand for a long time, although he uses his left hand too.

[mother of faith]

he is 20 months

[christinc21]

Interesting question. I have wondered this too.

My son uses both hands equally. I am right-handed and my husband is left-handed.

My husband is a drummer and hopes that our son is eqaully useful in both hands so he can be a drummer as well, .

[Tiger Lily]

Hi All,

I think my daughter (17 months) will be a lefty.  She eats with only her left hand using her fingers or fork.  She also picks items up using her left and predominantly using that hand for leggo.  My husband's brother and my brother are both lefties.

Things are easy to buy for a left handed person these days so I am not worried.

Tiger-Lily

[Nikolett]

They say most kids decide by 2.

My youngest used both till recently. She is a lefty.  I read an article about encouraging use of right hand by placing spoon, pencil, etc. on the right side. Well, she just picks it up and passes it over, ha She is getting clumsy with her right hand (eating) and definitely prefers left. Isn't it awkward to write for a lefty? When I was little, they used to "retrain" left handed kids in school. Is that possible? I don't have any in the family...

[Nikita]

Azaria is left handed... for sure.  I could tell many months ago... always preferred her left hand, and if goes to draw, if I hand it to her in her right hand, it will end up in her left hand.  And her scribbles are better using her left hand...she has more fine motor control and better grasp of a pen, crayon etc.  My other kids were right handed, and they were the same with their right hands. I think you can tell from before 12 months.  I wanted the others to be left handed (it's so unique), but no.  Then I heard that lefties live 7 years less in general, so I hoped Azaria and the others to come would be right handed... My ex-hubby is right handed as am I, and generally the family is right handed, so I expected righty-handedness with the first bunch of kids, but with Azaria her father and his mum are lefties, and possibly other rellies on that side, so I knew she might be leftie.  Yet my natural inclination is to hand her things to her right hand... I have to consciously remember she is a leftie, like at her music playgroup... I shouldnt just shove instruments in her right hand.  So I just hold them out and she usually grasps them with her left. Sometimes with her right, but she is really all over the place with her movements then... but hey, if we can encourage ambidexterity that's good, especially if they use the use of their favourite arm some day. (shark bite, stroke,falling out of a tree, industrial accident etc... who knows what can happen in life).

[Nikita]

Yes they can retrain lefties to be right-handed, but it isnt good to NOT be what you naturally are. They used to hit left-handed kids over the knuckles with rulers years ago, as if it was BAD to be leftie.  So they didnt have a choice.. they had to use their right hands.  But that was barbaric and really damaged their psyches.  The main problem is writing from left to right means lefties drag their arms over the page they've just written on, which can mess up their work or make it difficult to watch what they are doing... but hey, it'd be handy in China wouldnt it... they write right to left dont they??

[LUV2READ]

How to tell if baby is right- or left-handed
http://www.helium.com/items/883016-how-to-tell-if-baby-is-right--or-left-handed

[Nikita]

When Azaria presses the buttons on a toy phone she uses her left index finger. Points with her left index finger mostly.  Seems to have more strength and precision there. Watch what hand they use to give dolls a bottle etc.

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