The Science Baby Podcast

Is My Baby Right or Left Handed (and when will I know)?

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How soon can you know whether your baby is going to be right or left handed, and what can that tell you about how their brains are developing? Kim and Leila dive into the surprising science that links dominant hand with language, emotion, genes, and the environment. And since Science Baby himself is a leftie, we consider his experience growing up in a right-handed world.

In this episode:

  • We introduce the idea of handedness being potentially linked to language, noting that left lateralisation of language in the brain could be linked to the predominance of right-handers within humans.
  • We talk about the genetic basis for handedness preference
  • We discuss when a hand preference is likely to emerge in our babies and toddlers
  • We examine how much the external environement can affect dominant hand use
  • We use brian lateralisation again to explain why mothers tend to cradle their babies on the left, regardless of which is their dominant hand
  • We discuss a study that found that kids who show an early preference for their right hand tend to be more advanced with language - noting its strengths and weaknesses, as well as the opposite pattern seen in Science Baby
  • We talk about the experience of our young left-handers in a right-hand world. 

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    The Science Baby PodcastBy Leila Battison