Can a baby be trained to be right or left-handed?

One can train a baby or train oneself to perform an activity with opposite (non dominant) hand. You can train the baby to write with a specific hand, do normal chores like brushing, shaving, open door with a specific hand, etc.

Like the way, I trained myself to eat, shake-hand, serving food, religious rituals, etc with my right hand.

But, you cannot curb the natural instincts. In most cases, a left-handed (right-handed) baby/person would use its left (right) hand for a reflex or natural or untrained activity - like pick a pebble from ground, pick a fruit, cover nose while sneezing, etc. Or an action that needs strength like using spanner for unscrewing/screwing, etc.

p.s: This answer is from my experience as a left-handed. Not endorsed by any scientific theory.

If you're right-handed, what are some of the things that you do with your left hand, and if you're left-handed, what are some of the things you do with your right hand?

I am left-handed, left-eyed, left-footed. I prefer left by nature and by choice if there’s an option.

Below are few things I use right hand for, by habit/adaptation/lack of choice (mostly the last one):

• While eating with hand (Indian). Will use spoon with right hand in public and left-hand at home. Sometimes, at home, I snack with left-hand if I am alone.
• Using computer mouse at work
• Turning on/off ignition key in car daily
• Steering as my left-hand is mostly on gear shift (Right-side driving in India)
• Scissors, nail cutters, knives
• Hindu religious activities when obligated - rituals like pujas, lighting lamps, putting tilak/bindi, ringing bells in temples, taking prasad/harati (arti)
• Serving food at family events (avoid as much as I can)
• Using ATM
• Dialing on my office VOIP phone
• Buttoning/unbuttoning my shirts/jackets/trousers -yeah, you can do easily with single right hand, but not with single left hand. Try yourself!
• Locking/Unlocking paddle locks
• Open refrigerator door
• Biometric reader (fingerprint scanner) at my office turnstiles entry that reads only my right index finger.
• Clicking (pressing shutter button) on my SLR camera needs my right fingers (by design), though I use my left-eye for view-finder - my nose bumps and smears the LCD screen

Do left-handed people and right-handed people buckle their belts differently?

As a left-handed, I used to do buckle the opposite way as a kid - insert to the left loop of my trouser first - so, the tail end stays to the left after buckling - like the kid standing on the left in the picture in the Question comment.
However, I slowly shifted/adapted to the common practice, like many other things, for few reasons -

• Wearing my school belt that way would show the school emblem/logo on the buckle in inverted way

• Same way with the general belt buckles - I have to find a design that would have a symmetric design when inverted. I cannot use the below one, but the following ones.

• Some belt buckles would have a button/pin on the bottom to loosen and release the belt. With the inverted way, the button would be on the top pressing into my belly.

• The second layer of belt would not let me to easily insert my ID card holder to the right-side of my trousers.

However, wearing this way (start by inserting into left) causes few inconveniences as a leftie -

• To remove the belt from the rings, i can pull only by my right hand. Pulling by left hand won’t remove the belt easily.
• I can unbuckle easily only with right hand. I have to remember that sometimes.
• The hanging second fold of the belt gets hit to my left hand which is the active one, especially while taking out wallet/phone from left pocket. Another reason to wear the watch on right hand.

Is it still considered Left handed, if you do all other tasks with left hand leaving besides writing and eating?

Yes. I consider one as a Left handed, if one does all other tasks with left hand leaving besides writing and eating?

Disclaimer: This is my personal opinion, not a scientific answer.

I think ‘Writing’ and ‘Eating’ should not be considered as the primary criterion in identifying the ‘handedness’ of a human.

Writing is an acquired skill and it depends on which hand you started training and learnt.

Similarly you can train yourself to write with a specific hand, learn to do normal chores like brushing, shaving, open door with a specific hand, etc. Like the way, I trained myself to eat, shake-hand, serving food, religious rituals, etc with my right hand.

One’s “natural”, “reflex”, “physical”, “instinctive” actions should distinguish that person as a left-handed or right!

· If I throw a dagger/stone at you, would you rise your left hand or right hand to block?

· If I offer you a bag of apples, will you pick with your left/right?

· When you sneeze, do you use your left/right hand to cover your nose? In some cases, this can be trained. I pick my nose with my right hand because my left hand would be busy most times like writing :-) Just kidding.

· I set/comb my hair with left hand

· In an action that needs strength like using spanner for unscrewing/screwing, do you use left/right?

Some websites talk about other ways like

•      “which thumb is on up side when you interlock your fingers?”,
•      “which palm is up when you clap while applauding?”,
•      “which hand is up when you hold hands on your back?”
•      “with which eye do you wink?”

I don’t believe in the above stuff.

Things I do with right-hand, though I am left-handed

I am left-handed, left-eyed, left-footed. I prefer left by nature and by choice if there’s an option. Below are few things I use right hand for, by habit/adaptation/lack of choice (mostly the last one): 

• While eating with hand (Indian). 
• Will use spoon with right hand in public and left-hand at home. Sometimes, at home, I snack with left-hand if I am alone. 
• Using computer mouse at work 
• Turning on/off ignition key in car daily
• Steering as my left-hand is mostly on gear shift (Right-side driving in India)
• Scissors, nail cutters, knives, peelers, can openers
• Hindu religious activities when obligated - rituals like pujas, lighting lamps, putting tilak/bindi, ringing bells in temples, taking prasad/harati (arti)
• Serving food at family events (avoid as much as I can)
• Using ATM
• Dialing on my office VOIP phone
• Buttoning/unbuttoning my shirts/jackets/trousers -yeah, you can do easily with single right hand, but not with single left hand. Try yourself!
• Locking/Unlocking paddle locks
• Open refrigerator door
• Biometric reader (fingerprint scanner) at my office turnstiles entry that reads only my right index finger.
• Clicking (pressing shutter button) on my SLR camera needs my right fingers (by design), though I use my left-eye for view-finder - my nose bumps and smears the LCD screen

What are some of the ways you can distinguish between left and right handed persons, besides Writing?

I think ‘Writing’ should not be considered as the primary criterion in identifying the ‘handedness’ of a human. Writing is an acquired skill and it depends on which hand you started training and learnt.

Similarly you can train yourself to write with a specific hand, do normal chores like brushing, shaving, open door with a specific hand, etc.

Like the way, I trained myself to eat, shake-hand, serving food, religious rituals, etc with my right hand.

One’s “natural”, “reflex”, “physical” actions should distinguish that person as a left-handed or right!

• If I throw a dagger/stone at you, would you rise your left hand or right hand to block?
• If I offer you a bag of apples, will you pick with your left/right?
• When you sneeze, do you use your left/right hand to cover your nose? In some cases, this can be trained. I pick my nose with my right hand because my left hand would be busy most times like writing :-) Just kidding.
• I set/comb my hair with left hand.
• In an action that needs strength like using spanner for unscrewing/screwing, do you use left/right?

Some websites talk about other ways like

• “which thumb is on up side when you interlock your fingers?”,
• “which palm is up when you clap while applauding?”,
• “which hand is up when you hold hands on your back?”
• “with which eye do you wink?”

I don’t believe in the above stuff.

Why do lefties face problems with day to day objects?

Wake up in the morning and do the following with your left hand.

• Unlock your phone - buttons are on the right side.
• Go to toilet - Flush button is on the right side. Tissue dispenser or water bidet are on the right hand side.
• Open your fridge door to pull milk sachet.
• Use scissors to cut the milk sachet.
• Unscrew the lid for sugar tin.
• Turn on/off the stove burner/knob.
• Drink coffee in a printed mug.
• Switch on the TV with power button on remote.
• Use a can opener to open your cut-fruits tin.
• Cut onions with a one-sided knife.
• Button up your shirt with one hand.
• Wear watch on your left hand. Wear belt the regular way - push first into the left side ring.
• Turn the keys to lock your home.
• Put a signature for a delivery boy.
• Use the lift/elevator buttons, which are kept on the right side of the door.
• Turn the ignition on your car.
• Go to ATM and withdraw money.
• Go to a super market or a shop, and sign on the PoS at the billing.
• Go to office. Shake hand or high-five your boss/coworkers.
• Switch on your laptop or desktop.
• Use a water pitcher or coffee machine.

Now, tell me what your experience is and whether there are any problems/inconveniences. Note the above is not an exhaustive list.