How do you buy for someone who is left handed?

I pretty much buy for them the same as I would for someone who is right handed. It is really too bad, but the fact is that lefties have some difficulty using many things, at least at first, and that's unlikely to change. I don't think trying to shield your son from this by not buying him anything right handed people can use easily is the right approach. He is unfortunately going to have to get used to it.

 

@Tulosai is right. I would get him left-handed scissors for home but also teach him how to use right handed scissors. I know right handed notebooks require a learning curve for a left handed person to use but he may need to get past it. One thing that might help is to get loose leaf paper and binders or folders that can clip it in to keep it neat and in order. Then he can pull the paper out to write at whatever angle it's most comfortable and then put it back in the binder. Or teach him to take his notes from the back of the notebook, flipping the notebook over so the spirals are on the other side makes it an instant lefty. You can even put a 'front cover' on the back to make it nicer. Left handed products are nice but often not worth the additional money.

 

I'm quite different from your son then. I'm left-handed, but I use things like a normal right-handed person because that's what I got used to, in the same way that my left hand just happened to pick the pencil and learned how to write with it. I feel ok writing on right-handed armchairs, I hold and text with my phone (it has a keypad) mostly with my right hand, and I use the mouse like a normal right-handed person. I just notice that my left hand is "stronger" than my right hand, and I use my left shoulder for hanging a backpack or shoulder bag on it.

 

I thought it was a very interesting question because I would never have thought it necessary to buy a left handed person anything different based on them being left handed. So I do agree with tulosai. I'm glad that your son is getting on with it just fine, too

 

I am left handed and I because no one cared about the needs of a left-handed person, I was forced to learn how to use my right hand equally well but that affected me negatively. Most of the people I've worked with are right handed so there's never been a need to buy anything special for someone who is left-handed. From my experiences though, should the need arise, I'd spend a little more to get someone something they'll be [more] comfortable using.

 

Lefty here as well. The only thing I was able to switch to right-handed over the years were scissors, for some strange reason - I can use either hand for that. But for writing and eating with utensils I have to use my left hand.

I don't think there are necessarily that many specialty products you need to buy for a left handed person, but just some simple swap outs with regularly available products instead. The left handed scissors would really be the only specialty item I can think of, and that really only mattered when I had to use those silly dull kids scissors. I can cut just fine with my left hand and a traditional sharp pair of kitchen shears.

When getting pens, look for ones that dry quickly so he doesn't get ink all over the sides of his hand. The ink in traditional ball point pens is sticky and gets all over you when writing left handed. Same thing goes for pencils as the lead in standard pencils will smudge easily. Instead I would suggest drafting pens and pencils. The ink in the drafting pens is fluid which dries quickly and actually writes even smoother. Gel pens are another good option. For pencils, the Berol Drafting pencils allow you to choose different hardness for leads. 2B is what's in a standard pencil, but you can try some of the harder leads like a 2H instead - see what he's comfortable using as the harder leads require more force to write with and erase, but they won't smudge easily.

For notebooks, try to avoid ones with huge spiral rings. The ones without any rings, which are simply bound together and have perforated pages for easy removal, are the best since the rings don't get in the way when writing.

For a computer mouse, unless it's some really specific ergonomic design meant for right handed people only, most mice are symmetrical, and if you want to use it on the left side of your desk, you can simply update the options for it in your control panel within Windows.

 

I never had to bug any specialized left handed items before but I just came by to post something which was that we used to have left handed desks at my elementary school before and now looking back I think that idea is pretty neat. I know I'd probably want to buy or make one for the left handed kids in my family. We actually have a kid in our household that is growing up seemingly to be left handed so I am starting to look for some specialized gifts for her and I'm hoping to have a customized desk made for her in the future.

 

My son and my brother are both lefties. I bought my son left handed scissors when he was 5 for home but at school they never had left handed scissors so he just learned to use right handed scissors. I've noticed some things like can openers, zippers and safety pins are just made for right handed people. My son is a true lefty so some things which we right handed people just take for granted are so awkward for my son. Since he's left handed he has to have his own catcher's glove in baseball, the team rarely has one.

 

This reminds me of an episode of the Simpsons where Ned becomes happy to find things for left handed people such as himself. I remember in grade school having to sit next to a boy who was left handed and he would get in my way sometimes because I'm right handed so we are pushing each other's arms for writing space. I now teach people to crochet so I have wondered what I would do if the student was left handed. I have seen YouTube videos but I am not sure if the video is just mirrored or the person really can use their left hand. It must be inconvenient to not have left handed stuff all the time.

 

With the internet these days it usually means that if you can think something up, then someone is selling it, and you can purchase it for the right price. Because of this I am certain that there are online stores where they sell products specifically for people who are left-handed. Just give it a quick google search

 

I'm also left-handed. I have read that lefties often die earlier than righties, due to industrial accidents and other mishaps, from using equipment designed for righties. That wouldn't surprise me, because I'm so used to doing things the right-handed way, that when I try to re-train my brain to do things left-handed, it gets very muddled. I spent many years sharing work-stations with righties, so have learned to use a mouse (trackman) with my right hand, but it still feels awkward sometimes. I still do it that way here at home, though, because otherwise I'd have to move my keyboard and trackman, which would throw off my monitor, etc. at this point.

The biggest issue I have these days is if I go out to eat with several others, because I always have to be conscious of where I sit, so I don't bump elbows with a rightie or the wall. As @Denis Hard mentioned, I think it would be nice to have something designed specifically for lefties, but it would have to be something I hadn't learned to accommodate with my right hand, otherwise there'd be a big learning curve. I played golf a few times years ago, and that is one thing (as well as bowling) that I would do with my left hand, so if I were to take up the sport, I'd definitely need left-handed clubs. If you do decide to purchase something left-handed for him, it might be best for it to be something new to him, so he could start fresh, rather than trying to re-orient his brain to the new handedness.

 

I consider myself accident prone @MrsJones, and I'm sure some of it has to do with being left-handed in a right-handed world. I can do some things well, but others I really struggle with, and I know with some tasks/equipment, I've had to mentally turn things around, which could slow me down and cause injuries. I would definitely prefer to pay someone to do tasks that involve potential injury, but right now I don't have that luxury, unfortunately. I think it's a good idea for him to do that. I'm sure one accident like that was enough for him, and understandably so.