springmama Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 My youngest is 13 months and primarily uses his left hand for picking up toys and also for eating. His right hand is only used when the left is already doing something or if he needs two hands to hold something. How early do kids show a preference? I don't remember noticing anything with my other kids, probably because they used their right hand and it wasn't a big deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elise1mds Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 My die-hard righty still swapped until about the age of 3; my mostly-righty (I think she's going to be a lefty for sports and righty for writing, and I'm precisely the opposite) still swaps sometimes, and she just turned 4. That's not to say yours couldn't be showing a preference already, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwalizer Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Because I am left handed, I decided to try to notice if my ds, now 13, showed a tendency to also be left handed. As soon as he was learning to feed himself with a spoon, I noticed that he always used his right hand. I would switch the spoon to his left, just as an experiment, and he would always switch it back to his right. When he was ready for crayons, I would direct them to the left hand to see what would happen and he always switched to the right hand. I never tried to make him use his left hand, I just put things in that hand to see what he would do. BTW, he is right handed. I'm the only lefty in my family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 My lefty showed a preference almost from birth. He sounds like a lefty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4kiddies Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 My lefty has always prefered his left hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 My lefty showed preference at that age. At nearly 9 he's still a lefty except when it comes to cutting. Scissors he uses with his right. For that, I'm supremely grateful. My dh can't use scissors to save his life (he's a lefty too)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 (edited) My youngest is 13 months and primarily uses his left hand for picking up toys and also for eating. His right hand is only used when the left is already doing something or if he needs two hands to hold something. How early do kids show a preference? I don't remember noticing anything with my other kids, probably because they used their right hand and it wasn't a big deal. Out of my seven kids, two are definitely left handed and I believe the youngest is as well. She has always used her left hand for grabbing. Two are and have always been exclusively right handed. Two others were switchers but wound up righties. One of the switchers is actually left foot, ear, and eye dominant but uses her right hand. It seems to me that when a child shows clear and consistent preference for the either hand they are likely to wind up preferring that hand long-term. Barb ETA: Oh and I can't imagine there isn't a heritable component to handedness. Out of our family of 9, four of us are lefties and one more is a lefty in all ways but handedness. Maybe brain damage runs in our family?? :tongue_smilie: Edited March 31, 2009 by Barb F. PA in AZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakia Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 My lefty showed a preference almost from birth! Sounds like you've got yourself a lefty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
East Coast Sue Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 My dd was a lefty from birth. In the high chair, she would lean against her right arm and refuse to use it. I was concerned and tried to encourage her to at least acknowledge her right hand/arm but it was pretty much useless. I still have to remind her to use her right hand to hold her paper! Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Because I am left handed, I decided to try to notice if my ds, now 13, showed a tendency to also be left handed. As soon as he was learning to feed himself with a spoon, I noticed that he always used his right hand. I would switch the spoon to his left, just as an experiment, and he would always switch it back to his right. When he was ready for crayons, I would direct them to the left hand to see what would happen and he always switched to the right hand. I never tried to make him use his left hand, I just put things in that hand to see what he would do. BTW, he is right handed. I'm the only lefty in my family. LOL. I would have really confused you! I use scissors with my right hand, eat with my right hand, paint or do other things (embroidery, stirring pots, tennis, baseball, whatever) with either hand, but write with my left hand. Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwalizer Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 LOL. I would have really confused you! I use scissors with my right hand, eat with my right hand, paint or do other things (embroidery, stirring pots, tennis, baseball, whatever) with either hand, but write with my left hand. Ria That's too funny! I never considered he might have been ambidextrous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugarfoot Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Well, I'm so strongly left-handed that I expected at least one of my kids to be left-handed, too. Two of them are, and it was evident before they were 18 months for both of them. My righties were evident at that age, too, and they're the ones that always look "weird" to me doing stuff with their right hands! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
springmama Posted April 1, 2009 Author Share Posted April 1, 2009 These responses are pretty interesting. I was sure you were all going to tell me that it's too soon to tell but I just had to ask somebody because I do think about it often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinsfamily Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Both my older ds's showed preference from birth. One is right-handed and one left-handed. The baby is switching back and forth. He grabs for things with either hand and even tries to feed himself with either hand. We'll see. Since my dh and I are both left-handed, I always root for lefties:tongue_smilie:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracey in TX Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 DS was showing preference from birth. DD was exhibiting signs within a month. (We have 2 lefties, 2 righties, and 1 ambidextrous. Three of grandparents were lefties, so we knew to expect it.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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