If you are a new parent, you should know that you have to deal with many things, and sometimes you are not able to know why your babies have strange behaviors.
Babies are sensitive, and you have to put in a lot of effort while raising them. They can’t communicate, and this is the reason why they act interestingly and have strange facial expressions.
All of these things are some signs that your baby shows you and wants you to know that they need something. Babies aggressively rub their faces, and this might happen for many reasons. In this article, I will explain why they might do it and mention all the reasons regarding this case.
Main Points
- Babies are cute and strange at the same time, and you need to put so much effort while raising them.
- Parenting is a challenging process since babies are not able to communicate, and you need to pay attention to the signs they show you.
- Babies aggressively rub their faces for many reasons; they want to show you that they require something.
- When babies rub their faces, it means they might be tired, need sleep, has skin irritation, and many other things.
- There are ways how to prevent or stop babies from rubbing their faces; you can swaddle your babies, and this is the best way to stop this behavior of your babies.
Why Babies Aggressively Rub Their Faces?
Babies can’t speak, and they use their faces to show you that they need something. Baby aggressively rubbing their face is one of the behaviors that babies show most of the time.
There are many reasons why they start doing this. They do it while sleeping, when they are in your arms or when you are breastfeeding them.
They are not capable of controlling their full bodies and telling you what bothers them, so you will notice strange facial expressions that mean a lot.
What you need to do is try to understand what they want to explain especially when they aggressively rub their faces.
If they could only speak, believe me, everything would be easier, and we didn’t have to do much research only to find out the reasons for their behavior. Yet, it is what it is, and we as parents need to pay attention to everything about our babies.
Explore the reasons why your newborn may be resistant to being swaddled. Understand the common causes and potential solutions for a baby who hates swaddling
Reasons Why Babies Rub Their Faces
There are many reasons why your babies might aggressively rub their faces. I will mention all of them and explain everything in detail. You need to know those reasons to be able to find solutions for them, so better read this part carefully.
Skin Irritations
Babies are very sensitive and are prone to many allergies and skin irritations. Due to this, you need to pay attention to this case. Skin irritations and itchiness might be two main reasons why your babies aggressively rub their faces.
Sometimes babies rub their faces only because they are itchy, and this is the only way how they can show this to you. So, if you notice that your babies rub their faces, better take a look at their skin and try to find out whether this is the reason why they act so.
Also, it might be a sign of an allergic reaction, so if you detect that your baby aggressively rubs his/her face due to skin irritation it is always better to consult a doctor.
They Want To Sleep
Maybe, the only reason why your babies are rubbing their faces is that they want to sleep, and you are not aware of it. If your babies rub their faces, this might be a signal that they are ready for bed and need sleep.
They are not capable of telling us that they are tired and want to rest, so they do it by their arms and legs or facial expressions. If your babies start to rub their eyes or ears, then this means that it is bedtime for them, and you need to put a little effort to get your baby to sleep.
Rooting Reflex
I am not sure whether all of you are informed about the rooting reflex, but anyways this reflex might be the cause and one of the main reasons why your babies aggressively rub their faces. A rooting reflex is a survival instinct found in newborns.
A rooting reflex is an involuntary act that your baby shows, it simply indicates that your baby is hungry and trying to catch attention and find the nipple in the order you to breastfeed them.
So, if your cute babies start to rub their faces, it might be due to their rooting reflex, and this might be a sign that it is time to feed them. However, as you can see babies rubbing their faces means a lot, they show us that they are starving by doing this, and you need to pay attention to those signs.
They Want Their Mom Closer
Newborns feel safe only when they are next to their moms, and it is simply an instinct. They want to have more skin-to-skin contact and smell their moms as well. Most babies aggressively rub their faces when they want their mother to be close to them.
Accordingly, if you notice that your babies are rubbing their faces, it might be a sign that they want you to take care of them so they can smell you and feel secure. The sense of smell in babies develops in the early stages, and the smell of their mother is the first one they are exposed to.
Sign Of Teething
Teething is one of the crucial parts of baby development. During this period, your babies might act strange and feel uncomfortable because they have pain.
Teething is one of the main reasons why babies aggressively rub their faces. If you see that your baby is doing so more often, then check your baby’s mouth since most likely, they are about to have their first tooth.
Learn about the ideal time frame for breastfeeding and find out when it may be too late to start. Understand the benefits of breastfeeding and the potential risks of starting too late and make an informed decision for you and your baby
How To Prevent or Stop Rubbing Face
There are many ways how you can prevent your babies from rubbing their faces. If your babies aggressively rub their faces due to skin irritations, try to keep their skin hydrated so they won’t need to rub their faces.
Most probably, you will notice your babies rubbing their faces while they are sleeping; if so then, what you need to do is so easy; swaddling them is the best solution. Ensure that their arms are straight inside the swaddle or blanket that you use.
To prevent rubbing, then you can also put mittens on your babies’ hands. This is one of the most preferred methods by many parents.
Discover the appropriate number of outfits your newborn baby needs. Learn about the factors to consider when dressing a newborn, such as the frequency of diaper changes, spit-ups and other accidents, and the weather. Understanding these factors will help you determine how many clothes you’ll need to have on hand for your little one
Final Words
Babies are not capable to communicate, so it is hard to understand what they want from us, and this is why parenting is so challenging. However, babies use their legs, arms, hands, or facial expressions to show what they need.
So, all of those strange things and behaviors of your babies are simply signs that they show to you whether they are hungry, itchy, or have some other issues.
Babies aggressively rub their faces for many reasons, such as skin irritations, itchiness, and teething signal. So, if you notice that your babies are rubbing their faces, they most likely have some issues and want attention. I am sure that this article helped you a lot and that you found the answers to your queries.
Have a nice day and take care.
I am a stay-at-home mom of a wonderful son. I write on this blog as a hobby to help fellow mothers in their parental journey 🙂