Baby Rubbing Eyes -Causes And How To Prevent It

Baby rubbing eyes frequently, is it normal?

It is completely normal if your baby feels annoyed and starts rubbing their eyes or starts itching but what if they start doing it continuously and it starts making you little anxious looking at their irritation and crying.

When they are 6 months of age or less, will try rubbing their faces against something if they feel irritated or crying continuously what do you think can be a cause behind it or how can we manage the behaviour?

Causes which can lead to Constant Eye Rubbing

• Due to Sleepiness:

If your baby rubs her eyes and starts getting recurrent yawns it shows that he or she is sleepy and tired, though continuous yawning is also considered to be sign of dehydration. In case he or she is tired, their eyes are fatigued. Just like a simple way of scratching their eyes out of irritation helps in soothing the eye muscles, rubbing eyes.

Rubbing the eyes is an act of soothing their irritation and it is considered it relieves them from the soreness of eye muscle which is considered to be okay but their continuous action may leave you into the question mark that what makes them do it again and again?

• Foreign particles In Baby’s Eyes:

Your baby may also rub her eyes if there is something irritating in them externally, the cause can be from anywhere internal or external. There could be crustiness around her eye or a scrap of paper or pollen or dust in her eyes which can be due to the environment. These particles can irritate them so badly that they may want to vigorously in order to remove the piece rub her eyes.

In cases like these, rubbing can cause irritation and redness in the yes this will lead them to take immediate medical care.

If eye rubbing is accompanied with crying and eyes turning red which is dangerous sign. It is a definitive signal that there is some particle in your baby’s eyes. Soak a cotton ball in cold water and squeeze over the eyes slowly to flush away the particle. Remove out any crustiness using a clean cotton cloth.

• Irritation due to dry eyes:

Your baby may also rub her eyes when they turn too dry. The eyes are well enclosed in the capsule which protects the eye from getting dry which tends to evaporate easily outside.

This can cause discomfort to your baby which will make them prone to rubbing eyes and they will, again and again, comfort them by rubbing their eyes.

• Baby Is Curious:

Besides baby can have sleepiness and tiredness there are other possible causes of why your baby may rub his or her eyes. You might have come to conclusion regarding how curious your baby is when the baby develops certain muscular skills in their milestones.

If she has developed her muscular skills he or she may be experimenting by touching every part of her body to know how his or her body is feeling, it is their way of understanding things at this level.

PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE:

By being a little observant and without getting we can easily deal with their behaviour and also with the cause of the problem above how can we deal with their behaviour.

• Be sure about your little one for signs of sleepiness and fatigue. Rubbing and yawning are common signs that indicate your baby requires a nap. If you observe these initial signs of sleepiness, put your baby to sleep immediately to avoid fatigue.
• Understand your baby’s sleep routine. Once a proper routine is set make sure that she has enough sleep at a given time even though you are away from home.
• Move their attention by showing her something more interesting than a light play she gets. As your baby’s attention span is short they will get distracted easily.
• Do not leave your baby in a place where there is a lot of dust flying around in the air. If it is inevitable to protect her eyes when you are in a hazy atmosphere.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO TREAT THEIR HABIT?

To minimize injury and scratches to eyes, you need to stop your baby from rubbing her eyes. You need to protect her eyes enough to realize the negative effects of rubbing her eyes.

• If your baby has a habit of rubbing her eyes, try covering her hands. They will protect her when she is rubbing her eyes or scratching her face. You can also pull your baby’s long sleeve t-shirts to cover their hands so to avoid rubbing her eyes.
• You can still hold your little one’s hands away from her face and you think they may rub her eyes. You can divert their attention and by giving or making their music so that her mind gets completely out from rubbing eyes and you can protect them.

The behaviour of our little baby is this behaviour of our little toddlers is very much normal and just with certain techniques they can be controlled there is nothing which can be needed medical intervention.

One of the certain reasons is when you notice that your baby is completely fresh and out of their sleeping time one of the reasons for rubbing their eyes can be due to the incredible visual attraction. There would have loved the feeling of closing her eyes, rubbing them and repeating it to see all those visual patterns.

The actual thing is that you also might have also noticed that when you close and rub your eyes you can see patterns and certain design in the closed eyelids.

It may be the reason for your little one’s interest to rub her eyes. It is okay to be a little anxious regarding their habit but relax mommy and daddy for all we know the little one might even tease you some time to gain attention also.

Taking suggestions from your Paediatrician is advisable during regular follow-ups as they give a better idea on how to avoid it looking at your baby’s behaviour individually.