Babies are young wonders they are full of energy and tend to touch various things around them always learning new things and coming up with new habits. This is one of the usual signs that parents realize, with the child rubbing the eyes constantly. Even this small action can make a child very puzzled new parents might not know whether it is a sign of a problem or just a behavior. In this blog post, we will discuss why is a baby rubbing his/her eyes, the possible causes for this behavior and what one should do about it.
Table of Contents:
The Natural Behavior of Babies
Several Causes for Eye Rubbing in Babies
2.1. Sleepiness and Fatigue
2.2. Dry or Irritated Eyes
2.3. Allergies or Irritants
2.4. Eye Infections or Conditions
2.5. Sensory Exploration
3.1 When Eye Rubbing Is an Issue
3.2 Parenting advice that can help you ease irritation for your baby’s eyes Basically, here are some tips that could help relieve your little one’s eye discomfort.
4.1. Ensuring Adequate Sleep
4.2. But that could be because of the fact that most people do not understand
4.3. Avoiding Exposure to the Inflammatory Agents
4.4. Drink and Moisture
4.5. Allergies and How to Get a Treatment
When one should go to a doctor
1. Their Natural Behaviour
Babies are born having their modes of communication fully developed; in this case, they use their entire bodies to communicate. Among them, they include sucking their thumb, yawning or why babies rub their eyes as they continue growing. These actions are all natural and give them comfort or relief of feeling they cannot put into words.
Babies often rub their eyes as part of their behavior when they are bored or uncomfortable. Otherwise, rubbing the why babies rub their eyes could be as result of being tired, or uncomfortable due to their inability to well control their physical movements yet. But as natural as it is, there are times when understanding why this is so may assist the parents to feed their baby adequately
2. How Often Does Rubbing of the Eyes Occur
rubbing of eyes is not toxic at all, it’s an action that may help the little one let you know something. There are still many cases in which why babies rub their eyes rub their eyes for different reasons and knowing them will make it easier for parents to know what the baby requires.
2.1. Sleepiness and Fatigue
Sleepiness as earlier mentioned is among the causes of babies’ eye rubbing; other causes include infection and Strand. While growing up, children develop fatigue and close their eyes, while rubbing them is a natural reaction of a baby when he/she is feeling sleepy. Such actions will make the eyes be able to rub themselves as the eyes are closed to sleep. Apart from eye rubbing, other things that the baby will display depend on age includes yawning, crying, and reduced stimulation.
To prevent your baby from rubbing his/her eyes due to tiredness the child should strictly be put to bed at appropriate times if he/she is a tired baby. They also need proper sleep for their health and growth to be in a proper shape as expected.
2.2. Dry or Irritated Eyes
why babies rub their eyes have very sensitive skin relative to their age as well as small and sensitive looking eyes as compared to those of an adult. Slight exposure to dust, dry air or even winds may cause itchiness around the eyes and they tend to rub their eyes. In the same vein, when exposed to air condition or heater, the humidity level in the room is likely to be low and makes the baby feels itchy on the eye.
In such circumstances, they just aggravate the problem of irritation by rubbing their eyes with dirt or bacteria getting into them. To prevent this, a good step is to ensure the environment around the baby is well-humidified and your baby’s eyes are clean and wet.
2.3. Allergies or Irritants
Another reason which can cause eye rubbing in why babies rub their eyes is an allergic reaction produced by such factors as pollen, dust mite or even pet dander. These allergens common cause eye inflammation or conjunctivitis in babies and when inflamed, the baby will rub the eyes to ease the irritation. Ahysical symptoms of allergy one may experience while rubbing his eyes include sneezing, nasal stuffiness or coughing.
Children are also allergic to some items and parents should ensure that they have minimized items with allergic contents within the compounds. For instance, it is advisable to vacuum the house often while keeping pets away from the baby’s sleeping quarters and using air cleaners.
2.4. Eye Infections or Conditions
Sometimes a baby who rubs his eyes can be affected by eye infections such as the conjunctivitis (pink eye) or other eye ailments. Consultation with an ophthalmologist may be necessary if infections are causing itchiness, redness, discharge, or swelling which causes eye rubbing. In these cases one should see whether the baby develops signs of infection, for instance if its eyes are crusty or in any way the baby appears uncomfortable.
Bacterial, viral and allergic conjunctivitis are common and should be treated by a health care provider. As a result of this presenting complications may arise and may worsen if not well managed.
2.5. Sensory Exploration
Why babies rub their eyes spend a lot of time discovering something or other around them and this mostly involves thr use of their body. It is developmental but as babies grow, they become more conscious and the way they interact with the environment and their bodies.
Perverting rubbing is typical and may happen when the baby is simply trying to figure something out. Nonetheless, parents need to monitor their baby to avoid the rubbing leaving the skin of their baby irritated
3.When Is Eye Rubbing Harmful
Parents should check whether eye rubbing in their baby becomes a routine or turns out to be forceful to avoid having skin injures around the tender area or eyesight problems in future due to improper attention on the issue.
4. Making Your Baby’s Eyes Comfortable
To help reduce the baby’s discomfort in his/her eyes, and to reduce the frequency of rubbing the eyes, the parents can undertake the following remedies: Below are some helpful tips to try at home:
4.1. Ensuring Adequate Sleep
Since sleeping is one of the causes of rub oftentimes, you should ensure that your baby has heaps of sleep. Make it a habit to have a routine that prepares your baby for a goodnight’s sleep, also organize the baby’s room for sleep.
4.2. How to Wash Your Eyes
It is important to clear your baby’s eyes often for this will prevent eye infection or any form of eye irritation. It is advisable that the caregiver wash the eyelids with a little warm water and wipe it with cotton wool so that they do not rub their eyes due to dirt. One suggestion is to have different single handed towels for each eye in case one of them becomes contaminated.
4.3. Avoiding contact with subsance that can cause irritations
Reducing exposure from dust, smoke or pet hairs may help reduce eye irritation in the patient. With regard to possible irritants, one should avoid using hars chemical in cleaning products for babies room and be sure to ventilate the room properly.
4.5. Differentiating Allergies and Getting a Treatment
If your child has an allergy, your pediatrician will be able to recommend a safe antihistamine or other allergy medicine, if needed. That means the proactive approach can help minimize eye rubbing due to allergies.
5. When to get a professional:
In as much as eye rubbing is normal, there are occasional moments when one should consult a doctor. In case your baby is giving signals such as infection signs, spoils discharge, or eye inflammation, the doctor’s attention should be sought. They can identify the problem and recommend the right intervention.
Also, there arises an important question of whether the baby is suffering from any vision problem or acute light sensitivity, in which it would be advisable to consult an ophthalmologist specializing in dealing with infants.
6. Conclusion:
Parents, whether first time parents or those who have many children, generally experience the phenomenon of trusting one’s instincts.
Any behavior your baby exhibit as a new parent is a source of worry, but it is important to know that eye rubbing is not the big deal, it could be due to tiredness or mild irritation. Through awareness and keen observation you will be in a position to determine whether your baby is comfortable and well throughout the day. If unsure always question and consult a doctor to avoid any looming issues about your body.
It is therefore important to find out why your baby’s rubbing his eyes and take necessary steps to ensure they do not develop stress from the condition you propose to take necessary steps in order to ensure the baby is comfortable enough to grow properly.
