Tonight I learned a lesson I will never forget. As soon as I shared my experience with friends, I realized this is probably something every mother learns the hard way: watch where those little hands are flying!
Around five months, you baby will start reaching for anything and everything. Some babies start this skill even sooner. One of the most interesting things to grab is your face. Your nose is sticking out and your mouth is always moving. You have interesting teeth to feel and it’s likely your baby gets a big reaction out of sticking her little fingers in your mouth. Before you realize it, your baby is always trying to squeeze every part of your face. And you thought you had to keep those nails short to protect your baby’s face!
While this behavior is extremely cute, it poses a hazard for your eyes, especially when you consider the amount of hand-eye coordination your baby possesses. The only thing my baby’s hand coordinated with tonight was my eye!
There I was, reading an innocent bedtime story, my son standing up on the chair next to me and leaning on my shoulder (he won’t sit), when all of a sudden I felt a little fist slam into my left eye. The tears quickly followed and as I attempted to rub my eye, my son continued to squeeze my nose and cheeks, cooing into my ear. I persisted through the story while my left high stung and watered. After I put my son to bed, I told my husband jokingly, “your son punched me in the eye!” My husband chuckled, “he’s just a baby, he didn’t mean to.”
Be aware of your baby’s grasp, watch your eyes, and be prepared to get slapped, punched and scratched. With those strong little arms swinging out of control, an accident is inevitable.