Baby rubs eyes while feeding
Reasons, Dangers, How to Deal with It
When you see your baby rubbing their eyes, your immediate thought is probably, “My kid needs a nap!” And you may be right. There’s literally nothing else more universally accepted as a sign for world-weary fatigue than the ol’ yawn, stretch, eye-rub routine — and for good reason.
On the other hand, very young infants may just be exercising those newborn reflexes — it’s natural for them to bring their hands to their face.
But what if your baby isn’t actually tired or acting reflexively during periods of fussiness? Could it be their vision or an infection? Most likely not, though it could happen. Here are all the possible explanations for why your little one is rubbing their eyes — and how to help.
Babies are human, and humans rub their eyes in response to all kinds of environmental allergens and emotional cues. It’s not unusual to see a baby rubbing their eyes, so don’t panic. But it can mean they’re in some kind of discomfort or distress.
They’re tired
All that looking around at the world takes a toll on your baby’s eyes and brain. When they feel mentally and physically tuckered out, babies may start throwing hints that it’s time for a nap by rubbing their eyes.
Try putting your baby down for a nap as soon as you see the eye-rubbing signal. If they go off to sleep, great — you’ve noticed an “I’m sleepy” cue to look for before they end up crying.
Their eyes hurt or itch
Babies’ eyes are exposed to the same kinds of environmental allergens that ours are, except theirs are even more delicate. In dry air, in dusty rooms, at the beach or park, with Grandma’s cat, during pollen season… these are all prime times for little eyes to get irritated.
That being said, eye allergies are uncommon in babies. But the irritation can cause signs like redness, watering, fussiness, and eye rubbing.
They have an eye infection
Viral or bacterial conjunctivitis (aka the dreaded pink eye) usually comes with obvious symptoms like redness, crustiness, and oozing — but not always.
Itching can occasionally be an early symptom before all the other nastiness shows up.
If you know your baby was exposed to pink eye or they’ve been sick with another virus recently (many childhood colds can cause pink eye), you might want to keep conjunctivitis in mind. And yeah, wash your hands just in case.
They’ve been straining their eyes
When you overexert yourself at the gym, it’s a natural instinct to rub your sore muscles to soothe the ache.
The exact same principle might apply to rubbing eyes: When eyes are overextended for some reason — like when they’re straining to see clearly because of a visual impairment — they’ll get tired and achy more often, making us want to rub them.
Vision problems aren’t common in newborns, but by 6 months, some babies are showing signs of impairments like refractive errors and cataracts.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend eye exams be done by a baby’s pediatrician at each well visit, starting at birth.
They’re teething
This one is a little less likely, but could still be the culprit if your baby is in the peak of a teething phase. Upper teeth, especially, could cause soreness and pain high enough on the face to make babies rub at their eyes in an attempt to soothe the ache away.
Eye rubbing when tired is perfectly normal and not likely to cause harm, unless your baby gets something in their eyes in the process.
The primary risk comes with not figuring out what is causing an irritated eye if there are additional symptoms, like redness and fussiness.
You know what makes a baby really, really want to do something? Knowing you don’t want them to do that thing at all.
In other words, drawing attention to innocuous habits can sometimes make them worse or make the habit last longer; ignore a bad habit and it will typically run its course quickly.
That said, a baby who is constantly rubbing their eyes might be at a higher risk of infection and may need your attention in some way.
Here’s what to do, based on why your baby is probably doing it in the first place:
- Tiredness. Put your baby down for a nap! (Seriously, though… babies need 12 to 16 hours of sleep every 24 hours, and that includes naps, so make sure you’re giving them enough chances to doze.)
- Itchy or irritated eyes. If you think something has gotten stuck in your baby’s eye, you can try gently clearing it out with a washcloth soaked in warm water. If that doesn’t work, or if you think the irritation is caused by allergies instead, give your pediatrician a call for next steps. In the meantime, try to distract your baby with toys and other objects to hold to keep their hands busy and away from their face.
- Infection. If you have reason to suspect an eye infection, call your child’s doctor. Keep the affected eye(s) clear with clean, warm water. You may also want to cover your baby’s hands with those little newborn mittens, which look totally useless but actually do work to keep your baby from accidentally scratching themselves (also trim their nails, if you haven’t already!).
If your doctor prescribes antibiotic eye drops, follow the instructions on your prescription. - Eye strain or vision problems. Start with your baby’s pediatrician — if there’s a true vision impairment, they can refer you to a pediatric eye doctor for a full exam.
- Teething. Put teething toys in the refrigerator, buy two (or 10) Sophie the Giraffes to keep on hand, and stock up on infant Tylenol if your pediatrician gives the OK. Rinse and repeat until baby has all their teeth.
If you think your baby is rubbing their eyes for reasons other than sleepiness or teething pain, schedule a checkup with your pediatrician to see what’s up. Any signs of pediatric vision problems, too, should warrant a visit, especially after 6 months of age.
Most of the reasons why your baby could be rubbing their eyes are pretty harmless, but there could be some kind of physical discomfort going on — even if it’s just a need to be cuddled away to dreamland.
Help your little one out by investigating the possible causes, experimenting with some solutions, and seeing your child’s pediatrician — if needed — to troubleshoot some more.
Reasons, Dangers, How to Deal with It
When you see your baby rubbing their eyes, your immediate thought is probably, “My kid needs a nap!” And you may be right. There’s literally nothing else more universally accepted as a sign for world-weary fatigue than the ol’ yawn, stretch, eye-rub routine — and for good reason.
On the other hand, very young infants may just be exercising those newborn reflexes — it’s natural for them to bring their hands to their face.
But what if your baby isn’t actually tired or acting reflexively during periods of fussiness? Could it be their vision or an infection? Most likely not, though it could happen. Here are all the possible explanations for why your little one is rubbing their eyes — and how to help.
Babies are human, and humans rub their eyes in response to all kinds of environmental allergens and emotional cues.
It’s not unusual to see a baby rubbing their eyes, so don’t panic. But it can mean they’re in some kind of discomfort or distress.
They’re tired
All that looking around at the world takes a toll on your baby’s eyes and brain. When they feel mentally and physically tuckered out, babies may start throwing hints that it’s time for a nap by rubbing their eyes.
Try putting your baby down for a nap as soon as you see the eye-rubbing signal. If they go off to sleep, great — you’ve noticed an “I’m sleepy” cue to look for before they end up crying.
Their eyes hurt or itch
Babies’ eyes are exposed to the same kinds of environmental allergens that ours are, except theirs are even more delicate. In dry air, in dusty rooms, at the beach or park, with Grandma’s cat, during pollen season… these are all prime times for little eyes to get irritated.
That being said, eye allergies are uncommon in babies. But the irritation can cause signs like redness, watering, fussiness, and eye rubbing.
They have an eye infection
Viral or bacterial conjunctivitis (aka the dreaded pink eye) usually comes with obvious symptoms like redness, crustiness, and oozing — but not always. Itching can occasionally be an early symptom before all the other nastiness shows up.
If you know your baby was exposed to pink eye or they’ve been sick with another virus recently (many childhood colds can cause pink eye), you might want to keep conjunctivitis in mind. And yeah, wash your hands just in case.
They’ve been straining their eyes
When you overexert yourself at the gym, it’s a natural instinct to rub your sore muscles to soothe the ache.
The exact same principle might apply to rubbing eyes: When eyes are overextended for some reason — like when they’re straining to see clearly because of a visual impairment — they’ll get tired and achy more often, making us want to rub them.
Vision problems aren’t common in newborns, but by 6 months, some babies are showing signs of impairments like refractive errors and cataracts.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend eye exams be done by a baby’s pediatrician at each well visit, starting at birth.
They’re teething
This one is a little less likely, but could still be the culprit if your baby is in the peak of a teething phase. Upper teeth, especially, could cause soreness and pain high enough on the face to make babies rub at their eyes in an attempt to soothe the ache away.
Eye rubbing when tired is perfectly normal and not likely to cause harm, unless your baby gets something in their eyes in the process.
The primary risk comes with not figuring out what is causing an irritated eye if there are additional symptoms, like redness and fussiness.
You know what makes a baby really, really want to do something? Knowing you don’t want them to do that thing at all.
In other words, drawing attention to innocuous habits can sometimes make them worse or make the habit last longer; ignore a bad habit and it will typically run its course quickly.
That said, a baby who is constantly rubbing their eyes might be at a higher risk of infection and may need your attention in some way. Here’s what to do, based on why your baby is probably doing it in the first place:
- Tiredness. Put your baby down for a nap! (Seriously, though… babies need 12 to 16 hours of sleep every 24 hours, and that includes naps, so make sure you’re giving them enough chances to doze.)
- Itchy or irritated eyes. If you think something has gotten stuck in your baby’s eye, you can try gently clearing it out with a washcloth soaked in warm water. If that doesn’t work, or if you think the irritation is caused by allergies instead, give your pediatrician a call for next steps. In the meantime, try to distract your baby with toys and other objects to hold to keep their hands busy and away from their face.
- Infection. If you have reason to suspect an eye infection, call your child’s doctor.
Keep the affected eye(s) clear with clean, warm water. You may also want to cover your baby’s hands with those little newborn mittens, which look totally useless but actually do work to keep your baby from accidentally scratching themselves (also trim their nails, if you haven’t already!). If your doctor prescribes antibiotic eye drops, follow the instructions on your prescription. - Eye strain or vision problems. Start with your baby’s pediatrician — if there’s a true vision impairment, they can refer you to a pediatric eye doctor for a full exam.
- Teething. Put teething toys in the refrigerator, buy two (or 10) Sophie the Giraffes to keep on hand, and stock up on infant Tylenol if your pediatrician gives the OK. Rinse and repeat until baby has all their teeth.
If you think your baby is rubbing their eyes for reasons other than sleepiness or teething pain, schedule a checkup with your pediatrician to see what’s up. Any signs of pediatric vision problems, too, should warrant a visit, especially after 6 months of age.
Most of the reasons why your baby could be rubbing their eyes are pretty harmless, but there could be some kind of physical discomfort going on — even if it’s just a need to be cuddled away to dreamland.
Help your little one out by investigating the possible causes, experimenting with some solutions, and seeing your child’s pediatrician — if needed — to troubleshoot some more.
Child rubs eyes in sleep, during feeding - cannot sleep normally
Date of writing: 06/07/2017
Reading time: 10 min
If the child experiences itching around the eyes, he will reflexively rub or scratch them. Should I be worried about this? Symptoms such as rubbing and itching of the eyes are not always a reason for serious excitement. However, in combination with other behavioral manifestations, these symptoms may indicate a pathology that has arisen and a consultation with a specialist is necessary. Of course, if your baby is tired and rubs his eyes - most likely he just wants to sleep.
If he just woke up - to rub his eyes in order to better see his beloved mother, God himself ordered. If, during a walk, a mote was blown into his eyes by the wind, it's okay. Just rinse your eyes, and the baby will forget about this trouble. But not all reasons are so harmless. Often, babies diligently rub and scratch their eyes at night. Their sleep becomes restless, they sob, their fists tirelessly rub their eyes. Let's see why the baby's eyes may itch at night.
Why does a child up to a year and older rub his eyes in his sleep: the reasons are in the table
A child rubs his eyes: how to determine the cause?
| Cause | Additional symptoms |
| teething | During teething, most babies become very irritable, whiny, they lose their appetite, and may even have a fever. Some people develop loose stools, many scratch their eyes, nose, ears. And, of course, they pull into the mouth and gnaw everything that comes to hand. If the baby has several of the above symptoms, and no liquid is released from the eyes, it is worth waiting for the appearance of the first or subsequent tooth. |
| Foreign body | Getting even the smallest foreign body into the eye can lead to some pretty serious problems. Even an eyelash or a speck of dust can cause the most unpleasant sensations in the eye. In addition, trying to get rid of a foreign body, the baby can bring an infection into the eye. Therefore, parents should strictly monitor hand hygiene in young children. If a speck has got into the eye, first of all it is necessary to inspect and identify its location. Then, the eye can be washed with boiled water or weak tea. If the foreign body is large, it is best to immediately go to an appointment with an optometrist, so as not to cause unnecessary pain to the child. The specialist will remove the foreign body quickly and painlessly. |
| Inflammation | Inflammation of the eye is a fairly common disease in children, as it has many forms. Inflammation of the eyeball, eyelid, furuncle, stye, inflammation of the tear ducts, etc. Almost all of these diseases have the following symptoms: redness of the eye itself, swelling and redness of the eyelids, burning, copious discharge (possibly purulent), severe itching in the eyelids, pain and increased photosensitivity, tearing, blurred vision. Sometimes the child has a fever. To establish a tone diagnosis of a child, it is urgent to show it to an ophthalmologist. No self-treatment! |
| Allergy | Inflammation of the eyes of an allergic nature is provoked by: medications, food allergens, house dust, animal hair, some plants, etc. Symptoms: severe itching, redness and swelling of the eyelids, purulent eye discharge. As a rule, with allergic conjunctivitis, the nasal cavity is also affected, the patient develops a severe runny nose. Allergy treatment consists of removing the cause of the allergic reaction and taking antihistamines prescribed by a doctor. |
| Eye fatigue | Eye fatigue occurs in older children. Symptoms of fatigue appear after watching TV for a long time, reading books in poor lighting, playing for many hours on a computer, etc. Symptoms: dry and red mucous membranes of the eyes, irritability, burning and itching in the eye area. Treatment in this case is one - regulated TV viewing, computer work, adjusted lighting and long walks in the fresh air. |
| Decreased visual acuity | Quite often, children during wakefulness constantly rub their eyes, squint when looking at an object, complain about a fuzzy image on a TV or monitor. Perhaps these are symptoms of a decrease in visual acuity and in this case one cannot do without the help of an ophthalmologist. The sooner parents pay attention to these symptoms, the more chances the child will have to fully restore vision. |
| Barley | Barley is an inflammation occurring in the hair follicle. This disease is caused by a staphylococcal infection. It proceeds in an acute form. Pus exudes profusely from the swollen sac. The child is disturbed by painful "bursting" sensations. The temperature may rise. As a rule, barley appears on the background of a cold. Barley treatment is prescribed by an ophthalmologist. |
| Conjunctivitis | Inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eyes, as a rule, occurs after hypothermia on the background of a viral or bacterial infection, with a current allergy. Symptoms: itching, burning, redness of the eyelids and eyes, swelling, photophobia is possible. After sleep, the baby's eyelids stick together, he complains of pain in his eyes. Yellow purulent crusts appear on the cilia. The child does not sleep well, he loses his appetite. Today, pharmacies have a lot of drugs against conjunctivitis, but we do not recommend self-medication. |
| Nervous | Itching and burning of certain parts of the body (including the eyes) quite often indicates the presence of depression and other problems associated with the child's psyche. If your baby does not sleep well, constantly rubs his eyes at night, and behaves either too aggressively or too apathetically during the day, he must be urgently shown to a neurologist. In the early stages, nervous disorders in children are quite easy to treat. |
Only an ophthalmologist can tailor the treatment for your child. A child scratches his eyes while sleeping and feeding: expert opinions
Any small child rubs his eyes vigorously from fatigue or overwork. But what if he scratches them while eating and even in a dream. Experts name several reasons for this behavior.
- Most often, a child starts scratching his eyes when feeding and sleeping, if he has an aggravated allergy .
As a rule, allergic itching appears during the flowering of certain plants, in case of malnutrition of the mother with HB, in the presence of animals in the house. - Itching often bothers children during teething . But we already wrote about this a little higher.
- The third most serious cause of this itching can be congenital obstruction of the lacrimal ducts . In this case, the child must be shown to an ophthalmologist without fail. The doctor will prescribe a therapeutic massage, eye drops, and, if necessary, probing the tubules.
Ophthalmologist N.I. Ivanova: If a child scratches his eyes, then it is most likely an inflammatory eye disease: conjunctivitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eyeball), blepharitis (when the eyelids are affected), keratitis, etc. Each of these diseases requires its own separate treatment, in addition, it is necessary to take into account the reason that led to the fact that the child scratches his eyes.
This may be an allergic or viral process (tetracycline ointment will not help here), a bacterial infection, or a foreign body. Therefore, in order to avoid the development of possible complications, it is recommended not to self-medicate, but to consult a pediatric ophthalmologist for an examination.
The child rubs his eyes, cries, cannot stop - how to help?
Effective eye wash
- First of all, the child should wash the eyes with boiled water or tea infusion . This infusion is prepared in an elementary way: one gram of tea leaves should be put in a glass of boiling water. Use regular black tea. Cover the glass with a saucer and let it brew for about 30 minutes. Then, the already prepared solution must be filtered.
- To relieve inflammation and itching, decoction of healing chamomile is perfect . 1 tsp chamomile should be poured with 200 ml of cold water and boiled for ten minutes over low heat.
Collection of chamomile is best purchased at a pharmacy. Cool the broth and strain. The eyewash procedure itself is simple. To carry it out, you need to prepare a napkin and a sterile pipette. The child must be laid on his back, put a decoction or infusion into a pipette, and carefully drip a couple of drops into the inner corner of the eye. Then turn the baby's head so that the liquid flows into the outer corner. When the liquid flows out, the eye can be slightly blotted with a sterile napkin. After that, exactly the same procedure must be done with the second eye.
Of course, if the baby has developed conjunctivitis , no washing will help. If conjunctivitis is viral or bacterial, the doctor will prescribe the necessary medications belonging to the antibiotic group. If itching is allergic, then antihistamines are used.
If a foreign body (for example, a speck) has got into the baby's eye, you can try to carefully remove it yourself.
As a rule, a corner of a clean handkerchief is used for this. You need to act as carefully as possible so as not to cause even more injury.
In ophthalmic practice for bacterial infections children's eye drops Albucid are widely used. These drops stop the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms. In maternity hospitals, Albucid is instilled in all children immediately after birth. However, despite this, before using these antibacterial eye drops, parents should definitely consult an optometrist.
Children's eyes are defenseless, they look at us with hope and love. Any pathology not noticed by parents in a timely manner can lead to the most serious complications. Take care of your children's eyes!
Signs of the Dark: How to spot visual impairment in a child / Un Certain Regard
Listen to publication color photograph. On a blue background, a five-year-old girl closes her eyes with her hands. She has blond hair pulled back, long bangs, and is wearing a short-sleeved blue and white plaid blouse with thin white lace trim along the button line, on the sleeves, and on the breast pocket on the left.
Parents sometimes do not notice that something is wrong with the child's vision, because he cannot always speak directly about his problems. How to notice visual impairment in children in time, what to pay attention to and how to deal with it - in our article.
Doctors identify three negative factors affecting visual function:
-
heredity. If parents, or even grandparents, have any pathological diseases associated with visual impairment, this can affect the development of the child's visual apparatus;
-
congenital pathologies. Such pathologies can develop due to abnormal pregnancy, genetic predisposition, medication and complicated childbirth;
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acquired diseases. A large load on the visual organs in the first few years of life can lead to visual impairment. You also need to be careful about the child taking medications that can directly or indirectly affect the visual activity of the child.
In the presence of at least one of these factors, the parent should be wary, notes Zhanna Aleksandrova, an ophthalmologist in the children's department of the St.
Petersburg branch of Eye Microsurgery named after. Academician S.N. Fedorov.
Description: color photograph. An ophthalmologist examines a girl's eyes on a slit lamp. The girl has straight blonde hair and wears an emerald denim jacket. She sits with her forehead resting against the top bar of the headrest and her chin resting on a pedestal. A doctor in a white coat, thick long hair slicked back, sideburns, mustache and beard.
“The formation of the visual analyzer occurs gradually,” Zhanna says. - You need to understand that a child is born with less visual acuity than an adult: at birth, visual acuity can be 0.002. Therefore, a parent in the first year of life should pay attention to the fact that the visual apparatus of the child develops organically: in a month and a half, the child begins to briefly fix his gaze on toys; by two months the fixation will be longer. The child begins to actively follow moving objects; at three months, he begins to choose toys by color.
The parent needs to observe how the eyes stand, whether there is a strabismus. You should also pay attention to the color of the pupils (whether there is a presence of gray or white colors), whether the baby fixes his gaze well, whether there are any unusual, nystagmoid (involuntary - ed.) eye movements.
With age, the child has additional loads in the form of developmental activities: drawing, modeling, writing and reading. If the time of study and rest is not properly dosed, the child may experience headaches, spasms, profuse lacrimation, redness and swelling of the eyelids. All this may indicate that the child's eyes are under increased stress. By the way, the correct development of the visual apparatus in a child is directly related to his cognitive abilities, therefore, the more optimal the load, the smarter the child will be.
As a preventive measure, parents are encouraged to walk with the child more often and show him various moving objects: cars, animals, leaves swaying in the wind.
Tiflocommentary: color photograph. The outside. Warm day. A blond-haired boy of about five wearing glasses sits on a stone bench and eats a peach. The boy is wearing a short-sleeved white shirt and dark trousers, and behind him is a large gray-blue backpack. He turned to a blue lunch box with two peaches and a water bottle with a straw next to him. The boy is holding two bananas in his left hand. Behind the bench is a wide strip of lawn and a blurry outline of a building in the distance.
“As a rule, at school age, the main problem we face is acquired myopia,” Zhanna adds. - What you should pay attention to here: the child comes close to the TV or monitor, leans low when working close, often squints. By itself, myopic (nearsighted) refraction is beneficial for near work, but at an early age it is considered a violation. The main factor that provokes this is, of course, excessive activities with gadgets. Schools now mean active exercise, but there still must be certain hygiene rules that allow the ciliary muscle, which we work with near exercise, to be in a more comfortable condition.
Preventive measures are, of course, a reasonable attitude towards gadgets. The eyes experience a smaller, more physiological load when working with a computer and watching TV, but still physiologically for a child at preschool and school age, the total load on weekdays (should be - ed.) half an hour to an hour, on weekends an hour and a half with breaks . There should be a combination of visual and physiological loads.
If a child rubs his eyes, complains of eye fatigue (asthenopic complaints), this may be due to latent farsightedness. All children have it, but the range is different for everyone. If farsightedness is higher than age norms, and the child is actively loading himself up close, then you need to see an ophthalmologist and pick up glasses for classes.
Some ophthalmologists also advise installing special programs on smartphones and computers that block the blue, annoying spectrum in order to reduce the strain on the child's optic nerves during the training period.
Parents who have self-diagnosed visual impairment in their children also note other signs of eye problems.
Antonina, Saratov, son Egor (4.5 years old):
“Like all parents, we were watched with a child in the maternity hospital, and more than once. Everything was fine, Egor's vision was stable. Once he was playing with a neighbor's boy in the sandbox, and I suddenly saw that he was sitting gloomy and actively rubbing his eyes. I immediately thought: well, that's it, they threw sand in my eyes! And then she began to watch him - and he often, it turns out, does, and one eye opens badly. We went to the optometrist - it turned out that his eyesight had fallen sharply in a year. It's good that we caught on in time."
Description: on a white background, close-up of the edge of the cheek and eyes of a child wearing glasses with a dark plastic frame. The child has a blue and white wavy iris pattern, long eyelashes and thick eyebrows, light freckles on her cheeks.
The child looks to the side and up.
Sophia, St. Petersburg, daughters Anya (3 years old) and Dasha (9 years old):
“I have always had bad eyesight, but I don't remember having any particular symptoms as a child. And so, when Dasha went to first grade, I thought about it. All the time she complained to me: she was sick. Nauseous, and that's it! Of course, we went to a gastroenterologist and an allergist. They didn't give any results. And then I met a woman, and she told me that with this word, children can determine eye fatigue. And after they looked at us and prescribed corrective glasses, Dasha's complaints stopped. Now we already have experience, we are looking after the youngest, but so far everything seems to be going well.
It is also worth noting that young children may express their complaints indirectly. In addition to obvious signs: redness, tearfulness and swelling of the eyes, the habit of squinting and rubbing his eyes, he may also complain that his “toys have become ugly” or “wrong”, refuse to engage in activities related to fine motor skills (puzzles, drawing), be irritable and even aggressive, complain of headaches and fatigue at school, refuse to do homework.
