At what age can you determine for certain....

[CHICagoMUM]

wether your child is left our right handed?

I would have thought...right from the point they start picking things up and handling things? But i am definitely no expert.....

Well during my nursery nurse training many moons ago we were always told not until they were writing/school age.

But i can think of a few children - my dd included - who definitely have one dominant hand. I can also remember some children in nursery who would happily use either hand to paint and colour etc.

ds1 is 5 and rh. ds1 is 7 and stil uses both, but im not sure if he is taking after my brother who is 25 and can also use either, tho they both tend more towards using their left. is there a reason why you are asking?

i thought it was around 3 or 4... before that most kids are pretty ambidextrous.
linus is 15 months and seems to prefer his left hand for a lot of stuff, but will ahppily use either to hold a spoon with!

Yes i think it's around 3 or 4. I think most are pretty flexible till then

DD was pretty much always right handed (but left footed for kicking, etc.). Was very definite from being about 2yo.

DD is now 4, we have for a long time suspected she is left handed (neither myself or dh are but both our fathers are). In the last few months she has started to write letters left handed and use scissors etc, but in the last week or so she has switched to her right hand.

As a Reception teacher I've seen children of 4 and 5 still swapping, and even some children who change from what their parents thought was a definite dominance to using the other hand. I think though, with most children you can be fairly sure by the time they are 3ish, if they are showing a clear preference.

I'll be interested in what others say, as my ds (2.3) has always used his left hand for everything - eating, throwing, drinking, drawing etc, but is definitely right footed (always uses his right foot to kick, jump from etc). I'd be surprised if he swapped
now, but you never know.

BTW QV, you have aquired an extra "d" in your name.

dd aged 13 uses left to write, scissors, eat etc but plays, golf, cricket right handed, but kicks with her left.

dh is right handed, eats left handed and kicks a ball with right or left, but thought you could tell which was dominant by 18 months or so

ah....so i do......

ah....thats better