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Health

Why does a child's hands shake and what to do?

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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Many mothers are concerned about their child's shaking hands. At an early age, this does not pose a particular danger, but the cause of this phenomenon still needs to be determined.

The first thing you should do is observe the baby and, based on this, draw certain conclusions.

Causes of Hand Tremors in Children

The main reasons for trembling in the hands of a child can be hidden both in harmless manifestations and serious diseases. If the baby's hands are constantly shaking and he is already more than 3 months old, then this may indicate problems with the central nervous system. Moreover, deviations could have occurred during intrauterine development or difficult labor.

A pediatric neurologist can help to understand this problem. Tremor can also develop against the background of minor stress experienced by the expectant mother while pregnant. This could lead to an imbalance in the state of the baby's central nervous system. The cause of shaking hands can be oxygen starvation experienced by the child while in the womb.

If there were unfavorable factors during pregnancy, such as the threat of miscarriage, bleeding, thinning of the placenta and intra-abdominal infections, this could cause tremors in the child's limbs. Weak labor or rapid labor lead to undesirable processes in the child's body, including slight twitching of the arms.

This phenomenon can also occur due to nervous overexcitement. Therefore, you need to try to protect the baby from stressful situations and not overexert the body. In this case, the hands will not shake. But if the problem manifests itself over a long period of time, you should consult a doctor. If the child's hands are shaking, and this does not go away, you need to look for a more serious problem that is causing everything.

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Why do my child's hands shake?

Do you know why a child's hands are shaking? Tremors of the upper limbs can manifest themselves from the very birth of the baby. Often this happens when crying or screaming. If such a phenomenon occurs in a child under 3 months, then there should be no reason to worry. The fact is that the nerve centers that are responsible for movement at this stage are in an immature state. There is an excess of certain hormones in the baby's blood, which cause trembling.

If after three months, the tremor does not go away, you need to see a pediatric neurologist. Most likely, the baby has developed a neurological disorder. It could have occurred due to hypoxia, if the baby's brain does not receive enough oxygen. This phenomenon occurs due to umbilical cord entanglement, impaired fetoplacental metabolism in the womb and during difficult labor. Increased muscle tone can contribute to the development of tremors in an infant.

It is important to understand that hand tremors may be caused by a serious illness. These include intracranial pressure, hyperglycemia, hypercalcemia, encephalopathy, and hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

In any case, if a child's hands are shaking, it is necessary to make an appointment with a neurologist. The child's nervous system is flexible, and it can be restored with the help of properly selected treatment.

Symptoms of Hand Tremors in a Child

The main symptoms of hand tremors in a child can be varied. When a slight tremor appears, it is worth paying attention to the factors accompanying this phenomenon. Usually, hand tremors indicate the presence of disorders in the nervous system. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to how the child behaves.

If during twitching of the hands, a similar action is also observed in the eyes or eyelids, it is worth taking the baby to a neurologist. Most likely, the activity of the central nervous system was disrupted. In a baby, tremors usually do not carry any special symptoms and do not mean the presence of a serious disease. Tremors are dangerous at a more mature age and can mean the presence of serious diseases.

It is necessary to simply give the child more time to rest. Fun games, walks and other little things will relieve tension from the nervous system and the baby will feel much better. If the child's hands are shaking badly, and nothing helps, it is necessary to seek help from a specialist.

Diagnosis of hand tremors in a child

Diagnosis of hand tremors in a child is carried out depending on the reason for which this phenomenon arose. Thus, a number of methods are taken into account, allowing for a comprehensive examination. First of all, the doctor must determine where the tremor most often appears. After all, it is not always only the hands that tremble. All this can be accompanied by difficulty in speech, larynx, etc.

Then the doctor determines the symmetry of the tremor distribution. For this action, rapid video shooting is carried out. It allows you to make a large number of frames per unit of time and determine the amplitude and frequency of tremors. Using the electromyography method, a neurologist can see both qualitative and quantitative indicators of hyperkinesis.

Based on the data obtained, certain conclusions are made and high-quality treatment is prescribed. It is not recommended to delay diagnostics. Despite the fact that children do not often have serious problems, this should not be ruled out. Therefore, if a child's hands are shaking, diagnostics must be carried out.

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Treatment of hand tremors in a child

Treatment of hand tremors in a child depends on the reason for which it arose. If everything happened against the background of overexertion, then it is worth simply taking care of relaxation methods. It is desirable that the child lives according to a certain daily routine. He should have enough sleep and long walks.

You will also have to take care of proper nutrition. It is advisable to minimize the consumption of stimulants. These include cola, chocolate and strong tea. In addition, if the child attends educational institutions where he does not do physical education, it is worth providing him with feasible physical activity. It should be at least 2 times a week.

As an addition to all of the above, it is worth including herbal decoctions. But this can only be done with the permission of a doctor and in the absence of allergies.

If the tremor was caused by more serious diseases, then diagnostics and treatment are carried out in the hospital. It is not so easy to determine the cause of hand tremors on your own. Therefore, it is best to leave this question to a professional. Because if a child's hands are shaking, it is not always safe.

Prevention of hand tremors in children

Prevention of hand tremors in a child is simple, the main thing is to follow some basic rules. So, it is important not to allow serious emotional overstrain of the child. Therefore, it is desirable that the baby does not become a witness to conflicts and family quarrels.

It is necessary to organize the child's routine correctly. Good nutrition, sleep and walks will allow the baby to calm down and will not lead to serious emotional stress.

The child should walk more, develop, but not get tired. Many parents try to enroll the baby in several sections and clubs at once. But such excessive care can lead to serious consequences. After all, hands shake mainly due to nervous overexcitement, which is quite easy to cause. Therefore, you do not need to overexert the baby too much, in order to avoid serious consequences from the nervous system. The right diet, a comfortable daily routine will not only remove the problem of "the child's hands are shaking", but also prevent its development.

Prediction of hand tremors in a child

The prognosis for hand tremors in a child is favorable. After all, this phenomenon is mainly associated with emotional overstrain. It is quite easy to eliminate it. It is enough to surround the child with care, warmth and limit quarrels. In this case, the problem will go away on its own.

In general, trembling is not associated with serious problems. In newborns, it occurs as a result of difficult births and other troubles associated with this process. But, usually by the 3rd month everything goes away on its own. Therefore, in this case, the prognosis is favorable.

In rare cases, tremors can be caused by serious illnesses. But in any case, only a doctor can determine this. Therefore, you should not delay a visit to a neurologist. After all, the situation can be really complicated and require immediate treatment. Otherwise, the prognosis is far from favorable, requiring a long period of getting rid of the problem. Therefore, if a child's hands are shaking, you need to immediately go to see a neurologist.

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