Skip to main content
Skip to main navigation
Skip to talk navigation

Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Saved Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Flip

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

Behaviour/development

Right handed or left handed ??

19 replies

youknowwhat · 09/07/2006 16:27

Some scientists belive that you can tell if a child is right or felt handed even before thy are born.
However, I can't tell if DS1, nearly 3 yo, is right or left handed. He is using one or the other hand to eat, hold his spoon or fork OR his crayon. He is still not very good at holding a pen and drawing which I am not too worried about. But I would like to help him and don't know how without pushing him to use the 'wrong' hand. Also, he is at nursery and I not sure what they are doing there either.
Anyboddy with a similar experience ??
I have to sya before hand, whether he is right or left handed is not an issue.

OP posts:

Report

southeastastra · 09/07/2006 16:41

i wonder how they could tell! my ds(12) is left handed, we started to really notice when he started writing properly

7up · 09/07/2006 16:47

me and eldest ds 11years right handed
ds 21months left handed, he used left since he started grabbing toys at 10months and now throws really well left handed and cack handed wiith the right

purpleturtle · 09/07/2006 17:29

I suppose if he's not showing any real preference then you'd be best to encourage him to use his right, simply because the majority of the world is geared that way.

Ds is definitely a lefty. Has been obvious from about 8 months when he started to feed himself a bit. He is, however, very competent at using left-handed scissors with his right hand. Don't know why.

WigWamBam · 09/07/2006 17:33

Many children don't show handedness until they're 3 - 3.5, they use different hands for different things and often it's interchangable. I would just let him use whichever hand feels right to him - if he picks up his crayon in his left hand, help him to do his drawing with his left hand.

Yummymum1 · 09/07/2006 18:35

Ds1 is now firmly left handed at 5 but when he started school in september he was really using either.Myself and his teacher didnt push him to either and he has naturally favoured his left.

youknowwhat · 09/07/2006 21:10

Thanks you all.
DS2, 13 months old, is obvioulsy right handed. And I really though that at 3 years old, you have been ablt to say whether a child is right or left handed. It's reassuring to know that some children willnot really show their preference until 3 /3.5.
Wait & see then !

OP posts:

Rosieglow · 09/07/2006 21:29

youknowwhat, I've been meaning to post on this topic myself as I have exactly that same query with my DS1 (3.7). He kicks left footed, holds a racket or bat right-handed but uses either L or R to draw or eat (swaps over during). He's also rubbish as drawing! I've been waiting for him to show a preference but nothing yet.

I've been trying to not influence him when I give him pens etc i.e. putting them down so he can pick them up with whichever hand he wants. I wonder if he's really left-handed but trying to overcome things that he's copying us on (we're all right handed and I think the right handed rackets is because that's how I first should him and he's pretty stubbon that once something is done one way - it's always done that way.)

Also have a younger DS that I'm pretty sure is right-handed.

I don't know how long we can keep this thread open for but would be interested to hear how / when you DS decides!

Rosieglow · 09/07/2006 21:31

sorry about the spelling - too much wine!

Lauraa83 · 09/07/2006 22:29

southeastastra..........I read in a baby magazine that whether your child is right or left handed is decided by which hand they move around the most when you are 14weeks pregnant!

PinkTulips · 09/07/2006 22:37

he could be ambidextrous.. the population is split something like 10% left handed, 70% right handed and 20% ambidextrous. both my dad and dp are and they can do anyhthing with either hand.. even write to a certain degree

if your ds is firmly left handed he will tell you he feels more comfortable using that hand to hold the pencil, otherwise teach him to use the right hand to write as it can be a little easier due to the fact that so much of the world is geared that way.

mrsjaja · 09/07/2006 22:44

Hi all, my dd is 4.8 and uses both still. She definitely writes right handed, but draws and eats using both (not a brill artists and is a terribly messy eater). School in September will tell one way or the other i guess

mrsjaja · 09/07/2006 22:44

Hi all, my dd is 4.8 and uses both still. She definitely writes right handed, but draws and eats using both (not a brill artists and is a terribly messy eater). School in September will tell one way or the other i guess

youknowwhat · 10/07/2006 08:23

Rosieglow, I think we are exactly in the same situation aren't we ?
Like you I haven't tryed to influence him but I know that at the nursery, they are trying to teach him to hold a pencil correctly so they must push him in one direction. I would be happy to help him too BUT am worried to go against what he would naturally choose.
PinkTulips, I think you are right about being ambidextrous. In some way, I was when I was little but I have lost a lot of it growing up, including the capacity to write with both hands. I suppose my problem is how on earth do I know which hand he will finally be more confortable to write with ?? Probably wanting him to go too fast again and be able to do things before he is mature enough...

OP posts:

ssd · 10/07/2006 08:34

ds1is right, ds2 is left!

aragon · 10/07/2006 08:54

My DS is definitely left handed. Watched him draw a stick figure person with his left hand yesterday. It wasn't bad - even had a rudimentary face. I love it when children begin drawing people - totally off topic - sorry.

Yummymum1 · 10/07/2006 14:10

Youknowwhat,you can still help him hold a pencil correctly but not push him one way or another.Whichever hand he picks up the pencil with show him how to hold it between his fingers properly.He will soon tell which hand feels most comfortable.When ds1 startd at school as i said he was using both hands to write with but it was obvious which was most comfortable as his letters were all back to front when he used his right hand but perfect when using his left!

Rosieglow · 10/07/2006 16:47

youknowwhat - Yeah, they do sound similar!
I think he is generally confused about left/right at the moment anyway. He can write his name but he's just as likely to try and write it backwards as forewards. He starts on the far right of the paper and then works to the left. I'm not sure if this is related to which hand he's using or if this is something all children do when they learn to write.

fridayschild · 10/07/2006 21:55

with my two DS we worked on the principle that the hand where the fingernails needed cutting more was the hand not being used

maybe things will change when they start school but at the mo' Ds1 is right and DS2 is left

youknowwhat · 11/07/2006 13:21

I never realized that nails were growing faster on one side than the other! Need to have a look at that!

OP posts:

Flip

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.