It is normal for babies to bite their hands before the age of 2, so parents don't have to worry. Recently, a parent asked me why their 2-year-old baby still bites their hands. No matter how parents tell their baby that this is a bad habit, the baby has been unable to correct it, which makes parents feel very frustrated. So, let me explain the reasons below.
The frequency of biting hands in babies usually decreases after the age of 2. However, if the baby still experiences this phenomenon after 2 and a half years old, parents must pay attention and observe the baby carefully to see if it is due to a lack of security, boredom, or anxiety about something.
Baby biting not only harms tooth growth, causing irregular tooth arrangement and even missing front teeth corners, but also irritates the skin near the nails with saliva. Severe biting can cause bleeding and infection of the fingers, and long-term psychological development can be affected. Therefore, parents should spend more time with their babies, take them outdoors to explore different scenery, and immediately shift their attention to reduce the occurrence of baby biting.
When certain essential trace elements such as calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium, and blood lead are lacking in the baby's body, it can also cause the baby to bite. Therefore, if the above methods still cannot improve the baby's bite, parents should take the baby to the hospital for a trace element test in a timely manner. If the test results confirm that the baby is deficient in trace elements, then it is necessary to give dietary or medicinal supplements according to the deficiency situation.
