Some time ago, a colleague who was about to become a mother in the office shared with me: The obstetric examination beat the B ultrasound, and the doctor said that the baby was eating fingers in the abdomen?
When I video chatted with my cousin these two days, I found that his son, who is more than 8 months old, is also intoxicated when he eats his fingers.
I remember when my daughter was more than 1 year old, she loved to eat fingers. My wife often quipped: Is my girlfriend smearing honey on her fingers, to see that she eats so vigorously.
But at the same time, I am very worried, what if the disease comes through the mouth? What if my finger bites the skin?
Looking at the girlfriend who loves to eat hands, Wen Wen's father and father are also anxious! Later, when doing child protection, Wen Wen's father hereby asked the doctor about the child's finger eating.
The doctor's words made Wen Wen Dad very relieved, and he no longer had to worry! Now, Wen Wen Dad will share the things about children eating fingers as follows:
01, in the face of children eating fingers, parents usually have 2 reactions
Due to different parenting concepts, parents usually have two very different reactions to the fact that their children eat their fingers:
Allow children to eat their fingers
A friend of Wen Wen's father belongs to this kind of parent, he said bluntly: The child loves to eat fingers, let him eat it.
In his view, eating fingers is the innate instinct of children, the skills that will be acquired from the womb, and it is also an inevitable process of growth, such as the period of appetite and teething. In addition, children will be particularly quiet when eating fingers, and adults will also enjoy it.
Children are not allowed to eat fingers
Such parents are both concerned and anxious about the growth of their children, believing that children are small, their resistance is not good, and they will always eat their hands, which will bring germs into the mouth, thus affecting health, after all, the disease comes from the mouth.
In addition, eating fingers is also a bad habit, once developed, it is more annoying to change it later! With this in mind, the wife was once firmly opposed to children eating fingers.
So, should children be allowed to eat fingers? Will there be a gap between children who "eat their fingers" and those who do not eat their fingers?
02, "eat fingers" and "do not eat fingers" children, after growing up, the gap is obvious
British psychoanalyst Winnicott believes that before the baby is 3 months old, it will bite, which is an important psychological process that helps to form the cognition of me and non-self.
When Wen Wen's father consulted the child care doctor, the doctor also said bluntly: the baby eating hands is a fairly healthy thing, and it is also a manifestation of the baby's intelligence, and it is also the need for the baby's emotional development.
Gaps in hand, eye, and brain coordination
Eating fingers, in the eyes of parents, is a very simple action, but it is not easy for young babies:
Is this little hand dangling in front of me a part of my body? How can I successfully put it in my mouth?
When the baby eats the fingers, the coordination ability of the hands, eyes and brain will be exercised, and the functional differentiation of the fingers will be accelerated, and some fine movements of the fingers will be completed, such as picking up things, throwing things, stringing beads, etc.
Developmental psychologist Piaget proposed: the stage of perceptual movement at 0-2 years old. In this phase, babies need to learn by interacting with their environment through reflexes, sensations, and movements.
In other words, the baby's innate reflex behavior, movements, and the stimulation they feel when they eat their fingers are the starting point for their learning.
From this point of view, the baby who loves to eat fingers from childhood will have more advantages in the coordination of hands, eyes and brains and the fine movements of fingers when they grow up.
The gap in gaining a sense of security
A child's sense of security is not innate, but is built up in early childhood, especially before the age of 3.
In this regard, the child care doctor said bluntly that the simple finger action can bring unlimited happiness and satisfaction to the baby.
Careful mothers will find that children will unconsciously eat their fingers before going to bed and when they are hungry, in fact, this is the baby's self-soothing, providing a sense of security for themselves by eating fingers.
However, if the matter of eating fingers is interfered with by parents for a long time, the need for security is ignored for a long time, and when they grow up, the light people are prone to lose their temper and become anxious; the serious ones will also form learned helplessness, and even the way of looking at things will become negative.
In addition, if the parents do not allow the baby to eat the fingers, it may also prolong the time for the baby to eat the fingers. Watching the European and American pop music scene of small diva Rihanna, has been photographed by reporters many times to eat fingers, cute and embarrassing, triggering heated discussion among netizens.
Looking at those children who have fingers from snacks, they tend to have better psychological development, especially those who are satisfied during the oral period, and after weaning and kindergarten, they are relatively more independent and more adaptable.
Therefore, for the baby to eat fingers, parents do not need to over-intervene, help the child wash their hands, let them eat enough. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children 2 years old or even before the age of 4 eat their fingers, and parents should not be anxious at all.
03, although it is good to eat fingers, to this extent to intervene
The reason why many parents do not let their children eat their fingers is on the one hand a hygiene problem, on the other hand, they are worried about affecting the development and appearance of teeth.
In this regard, the pediatrician clearly stated that if the child is very large and often eats fingers, it will affect the normal development of teeth and bones, and even language.
For example, at the age of 4, the child often eats his fingers, which will affect the development of the jawbone and normal bite, and in severe cases, the upper and lower teeth will not be able to bite, forming a commonly known "ground bag".
After the formation of the "earth bag day", the baby's language development will also be affected, according to the study, these babies may not be able to produce a clear tongue tip sound, such as pinyin "S".
If the child eats his fingers for too long, it will affect the changes in the upper and lower jaws and muscle morphology, which in turn will affect the shape of the face and lower the appearance value.
04, the correct way to quit eating fingers
Wen Wen's father's family originally helped his daughter quit the habit of eating fingers, and once made the child very sad. As soon as the wife saw her daughter eating her fingers and did not listen to two sentences, she would scream sharply and even hit her daughter's hand to achieve the effect of quickly stopping it.
Later, the child did not eat his fingers in front of his parents, but he would still eat without stopping behind his parents' backs, which made Wen Wen's father realize that forced withdrawal was not feasible.
Later, after Wen Wen's father consulted the information and asked his friends, he found several more useful methods:
Positive encouragement
If the child eats his finger for psychological comfort, the parents force it at this time, which will only backfire.
At this time, adults can reason with children and explain the disadvantages of eating fingers. After obtaining the child's consent, make a schedule to paste on the wall, record the number of times the child eats his hands every day, find that which day is less, you must encourage it in time, and then paste a small red flower or reward the child's favorite small toy.
This trick worked very well for her daughter, who hadn't eaten her fingers for a long time in order to get a little toy she liked.
Wear finger covers
After communicating with your child, you can buy some finger sleeves or finger splints, which can effectively alleviate your child from eating fingers.
Actively see a doctor
If your child eats his fingers and affects the development of his teeth, he or she needs to see a doctor in time.
If the upper and lower teeth fail to bite, the doctor may put a food-proof device in the child's mouth, and at the same time achieve the effect of correcting the teeth.
Finally, Wen Wen Dad wants to remind everyone that if there are children who love to eat fingers, they must first wash their hands frequently; if the children are more than 4 years old and often love to eat hands, they must find a way to intervene!
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