Decode the habit of sucking hands in children

Most hungry babies will suck their hands, showing their need for help to find a sense of calm when anxious and stressed.

Hand sucking is a common practice in children, especially infants. This habit brings pleasure, which is considered one of the most interesting games for children in the early years of life.

Experts at the American Pediatric Association say most babies who are hungry will suck their hands. Sucking on this hand is one of the manifestations of hunger and need for milk. That makes children feel comfortable and stimulated like finding the feeling of breast milk, near their mother. This is the continuation of the baby's natural reflex right in the womb.

Gradually, this habit forms even when the child is not hungry, even growing and not sucking. The majority of children with dehydrated hands are 1-2 years old; about 15% continue sucking hands until four years old. Some children like to suck their fingers at night or sometimes get stressed, even though they grow up. When children suck their hands, they stimulate the brain to produce endophin - an endogenous analgesic that helps the body relax and create a feeling of pleasure.

Most babies when hungry will suck their hands.(Photo: agoramedia).

Disadvantages of children with sucking sucking hands

Hand sucking is considered normal in young children. Natural sucking instincts lead to frequent sucking of children during the first months of life and even before birth. Children may suck their fingers, hands or other parts of the body. Many studies show that most children can safely suck their fingers gently.

However, children over five years old still keep this habit, sucking fingers will become difficult to cure, causing disadvantages to health and development in the future.

Sucking your hands when young hands have not been washed will be a favorable factor to spread dangerous infectious diseases through hand - mouth diseases such as hand, foot and mouth disease, flu, chickenpox, worm infection and especially diseases of gastrointestinal.

Children suck their fingers too deeply to vomit, especially after eating or sucking. In children with strong sucking movements continuously, even chewing or pushing their tongue, can cause some injuries such as cracked skin, cracks, even sores, enabling external germs penetrates under the skin causing pyoderma. Long sucking fingers with long time also cause deformed finger bones, creating unusual finger shape.

Children from 5-6 years of age who are in the period of permanent tooth replacement, sucking sucking hands with continuous sucking action or pushing tongue can cause some damage in teeth and jaw, leading to dental deformation like jaw or cheek, dislocating the bite, it is difficult to pronounce.

Psychologically, finger sucking is often seen as a sign of shame, lack of confidence and being teased and teased by friends when it comes to school.

Help children to gradually stop being sucked and sucked

Older children, but still have a habit of sucking on their hands, need patience to help them remove gradually.

For children who are still breastfed, breast-feeding should be sufficient to ensure that they are not hungry, avoiding the habit of finding their hands sucking. If children occasionally suck their hands, parents just need to distract their children, attracting attention to games suitable for their age, helping them to be comfortable at times when they are about to suck.

When children are struggling or stressed out such as being sick, suffering from vaccination, being intimidated by adults, making them afraid, parents should spend a lot of time close to taking care of their children better, creating warmth. Apply pressure to help your baby through a difficult time easily.

Older children, who still have a habit of sucking on their hands, need patience to help them gradually remove, encourage and explain the possible harms when sucking on long-term sucking hands, adversely affecting health and play . Create favorable conditions for children to participate in favorite games such as crossword, comic coloring, molding, sculpting, playing bridge, playing football gently . developing well physically and mentally, easily forgetting Go to the "favorite" dish.

For children who are addicted to their hands and suck in toys, during the period of detoxification, parents should take note of necessary hygiene habits such as reminding them to wash their hands often, cut their nails, and clean their skin to avoid spreading the disease. Regular toys and children's play areas must also ensure good hygiene.

If the above efforts of parents do not help, take the child to see a doctor who specializes in child psychology to take measures to overcome and care for the baby to avoid sucking and sucking more effectively.