Several things might confuse you when you become a parent for the first time. Irrespective of whether it is your first time or a third one, there are some baffling situations that you have to face. One of the most commonly asked questions is why does my child grab my face? This article will give you comprehensive knowledge about the topic and tell you why it is normal for a baby to hold their mother’s face.
Why Does My Child Grab My Face?
When the babies grow up enough to use their hands, the first thing they do to acquaint themselves with their surroundings is grab the faces of the people who come near them. It is normal, and there is nothing to get concerned about. They are trying to explore a new dimension by moving their fingers on your face. It eventually facilitates the child in further growth.
Reasons Why The Baby Grabs Face
There can be plenty of reasons why a child grabs your face. You can read some of them in the given points:
1. Attention Lovers
Since newborn babies cannot speak, they draw the attention of people by grabbing their faces. A child of approximately eight months is capable of grabbing the face of an adult. At the same time, s/he is not aware of her/his strength. Sometimes you may get scratches because of the nails of the baby.
2. Valued Eye Contact
A baby sometimes loves to have eye contact with the people around him. Sometimes he grabs your face just because he wants to draw your attention to make eye contact with himself. They might also want to draw your attention towards something good they have done and now want to flaunt it in front of their mother.
3. Time To Explore
Straight to the time when they develop their fine and motor skills, they develop their sense of touch. They say it’s the most productive age of the child, and it is good to allow them to reach as far as possible. So, by grabbing the faces, he is exploring his new dimension and testing his sense of touch. Finally, they will start getting their own grounded version of permanent things.
4. Feeling The New Texture
When the child comes to life, everything is new and unique for him. Everything he finds in his surroundings has a different texture for him. Probably he wants to explore the surface of the people who come near him.
5. An Expression Of Joy Or Frustration
Are they frustrated?
Yes, it can be the case that when your child grabs your face, he is showing a sense of frustration towards something you have done to him, and he does not like something you have done to them.
5. Hunger Hunger Hunger
A baby of 8 months cannot speak and ask for food when he is hungry. All he can do is draw your attention towards himself, so you can guess he is hungry. It’s not a new sign, and your child should reassure you every time he grabs your face whether he is hungry or not.
Discouraging Your Child From Grabbing Your Face
Furthermore, it is a bad habit to repeatedly touch or graph the face; hence, you must stop it. You can practice the below methods to control your child from grabbing your face.
1. Give Thorough Explanation
Try explaining the importance of not touching the face of the person in front. When your child is old enough to understand the concept of germs, you can tell them that grabbing the face, again and again, can transmit a lot of germs that may enter our body through the mouth, eyes, or ears.
2. Praise Your Child
It can be hard sometimes, but you should praise your child when they are not grabbing or touching your face intentionally. Positive reinforcement can be a powerful source of motivation for children to keep trying when learning something new.
3. Offer Something to Hold
This can be the best method to avoid your child grabbing your face. You can always give them something to hold in their hands to keep them busy. In that case, slime can be a good toy for them.
Conclusion
We’ve found a solution to the issue, “Why does my child grab my face?” with various responses.
Some may not apply to you right now or you may have used in the past, but they will undoubtedly occur at some point during a child’s life.
All your youngster is doing is becoming enthralled by his new talents. You need to be the patient parent that we know you are and put up with this face-grabbing. If your child gives you a few scratches along the road, try disregarding any discomfort it may bring. It will benefit you in the long term.
