For some reason, your daughter has latched onto squeezing your face as a particular way of "connecting" with you. You could think of it as a comforting mechanism or a way of saying hello or her way to convince herself that someone she loves can't turn away and pay attention to something else.
Why? Your toddler keeps touching your face because she's seeking comfort. Caressing your face reminds her that she's safe and secure. It's also a way for your toddler to connect with you and make her presence known.
Babies need a sense of touch in their faces to give contact feedback to the brain, which in turn helps the baby find the nipple to breastfeed.
By two months, most babies will look happy to see you, and they'll smile when you talk to them. For many parents, those smiles are a heartwarming first glimpse of true affection. By four months, your baby will be smiling unprompted, hoping to catch your attention with a little “I love you” from across the room.
When your baby gazes into your eyes when they're in your arms, it's baby's way of expressing they're attracted to you, and want to get to know you even better. Babies will try to copy your facial expressions, test it out by sticking out your tongue when baby is gazing at you, they may well copy.
Your baby grabs your face when falling asleep because they are excited to see you. Babies are often delighted to see their parents; the familiar sight of your face can bring them comfort and security. This excitement can manifest through physical touch, such as grabbing your face, to express their affection.
With kids younger than 1, simply and gently stop the offending behavior. If your baby pinches you, you can physically remove their hand. If your baby is biting you, and they don't have teeth, place two fingers in their mouth, separate their jaws, and pull them away. At the same time, say firmly, "No.
Toddlers look for comforting sensations that were familiar to them as babies—sucking, touching, skin-to-skin contact—and find a way to repeat them. Kolari explains that these behaviours repeat themselves as a result of forming neural pathways.
Babies, even those in the womb, put their fingers in their mouth. Experts say that finger sucking is a way of coping with an excess of stimulation. New noises, new people, new sights: there is so much going on in a baby's life.
Around 3-5 months, you should also be on the lookout for the five signs of self-soothing: sucking on hands and fingers, bringing hands to midline, burrowing into a parent's armpit to turn off stimulation, developing a whiney, self-soothing cry, and rolling on his side or tummy.
Hyposensitive kids are under-sensitive, which makes them want to seek out more sensory stimulation. They may: Have a constant need to touch people or textures, even when it's not socially acceptable. Not understand personal space even when kids the same age are old enough to understand it.
They're discovering their pincer grasp, playfully exploring cause and effect – look!
The answer behind this cute behavior might go beyond snuggles and snacks, though. A recent article in Frontiers in Psychology found that these types of sensory-seeking behaviors might be a comfort mechanism, a way to self-soothe when babies are feeling out of sorts, hungry, tired, or just overwhelmed.
This is caused by pain in the gums, which can travel to the cheek and ear, especially when the molars are erupting. Infants will rub those areas.
Self-soothing
Some babies find it soothing to shake their head from side to side. They may do this when they are overstimulated, anxious, or trying to fall asleep. Self-soothing is harmless and may help a baby feel less anxious in new situations.
You should stop swaddling your baby when he starts attempting to roll over. Many babies start working on this move at about 2 months old. Swaddling once your baby can roll over may increase the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and suffocation.
As early as three months, babies learn to recognize their parents or primary caregivers. And there staring is their way to communicate. Babies can't quite interact yet for the first few months, so their staring is their way of communicating with you.
One of the most common reasons babies rub their eyes is that it's a normal part of their development. Babies are born with limited control over their limbs and movements, but when they discover their hands and develop fine motor skills, rubbing their eyes is one of the earliest physical actions they learn to do.
Hair-pulling in the under 2s is usually a self-comfort action, often starting as twirling their hair around their fingers and only later progressing to pulling. It is often associated with thumb-sucking but can also be related to boredom: young children who pull their own hair are often very bright.
Unfortunately, it is something children today experience too. If your children are not touched, they can get into a deficit state that can lead to negative mental health as well as show up as psychosomatic symptoms. These symptoms could include a headache, abdominal pain, anxiety, and sadness, to name a few.
Mothers and fathers can often confuse being attentive to a newborn or toddler's needs with smothering or spoiling the child. There is a widespread sentiment that too much warmth and affection will lead to a child who is too needy or 'clingy'. But according to experts, this notion is false.
A good rule of thumb is trying to have at least four meaningful physical touches each day to each child. This can be a hug in the morning and at night, snuggling on the couch watching a show, or giving them a piggyback ride to breakfast.
Your baby is hungry
At first, it might sound like fussy crying, but after a while, the cries become more frantic to a point where they are louder, longer and more demanding. Listen for: A type of cry that sounds like a siren.