Son Making Some Odd Movements

I agree with Steve's advice, it could be something as simple as that. I would try that before I tried anything else.

Mine does the same thing. I was worried about it but he'll do it for a couple of days and then stop for a few weeks. He's almost 11 months old. I think they just like to be silly if you ask me. :)

My daughter did this too. I don't know if its because she realizes she can or that it looks different at that angle. Now she's older and does it when shes being silly- with a big grin on her face. I would say that if it was something that you are really worrried about you should take him to the Dr.

Oh goodness Moms-
Epileptic???
Let's relax a bit and not try to scare.
sometimes they will do that when they have something as simple as an ear infection- I would check it out with your pediatritican. Sometimes babies will do strange movements because they don't have the skills to verbally communicate yet. Let's not always jump to the worse possible conclusion. It's stressful enough being a Mommy.
Good job for noticing the difference in his behavior.

My son did things like that--little tics. It is pretty common amongst young children. I ran it by my pediatrician just to be sure and he wasn't worried about it, but told me what to watch for if it did turn into something worrisome. It might not hurt to run it by your pediatrician, but it's probably nothing. My son continues to have them periodically, but they change and they are very minor. For awhile he was doing double eye blinking and didn't even know he was doing it.

Get him in to his pediatrician asap, cause what your describing does sound like a tic I hate to say. But it also could be nothing to wory about. Most times you dont see developments like that until age 3-4 I was told. So Im hoping Im very wrong. Best of luck to you and your family

A neice with harding of the spine from a break of the neck and shoulder was misdignoised and now will face many surgeries does this at times.
Some do it as a habit.
Some have muscle tighting,bone spurs,ADD,AHD or mental disabilties does it.
Ask a dr.
D.

A.,

Both my girls did this for a month or two at the same age. It is a little nerve wracking. I have seen other moms post the same question about their babies who were the same age. If it doesn't go away by the 12 month check up, I would bring it up with the pediatrician. Babies are amazing at always giving their moms something new to worry about. :)

Good luck,
S.

Hi A.,
I suggest you call your pediatrician. I don't want to alarm you, but something it could be a sign of something else and catching it early can be the key. I think you would feel better if you spoke with your son's pediatrician.
S.

Hi A.,

I'm a mom of 3 boys, 36, 21 & 16, also 3 grandchildren, 2 girls, 9 & 13 and our little man, who's 4. The first thing I thought of was an ear infection. Not sure where you live but have noticed that not many young parents are too consciencious about keeping ears covered when outside. We live in Minnesota and I pretty much kept their ears covered all but about 3 months out of the year. If you've noticed any crabbiness, that you cannot attribute to teething, diaper rash, colic, etc. and if he's rubbing that ear, or like trying to itch it, might be something to check out. Good luck and treasure these early moments with your boy, it goes oh so fast!

I'd go have him looked at by a Dr. You never know.

L.

You need to take him to a neorologist and make sure he is not epileptic.

My son is also 8 months and doing the same thing. Usually it's when he's sitting in his highchair. He's also a healthy, solid baby. I wondered if it was tied to a cold (congestion) that he's getting over now because I haven't seen him do it lately. I'm anxious to hear what anyone others have to say...

I would try to record it and bring it with you to the Dr. and let them decide what to do. It could be nothing but it could be a seizure too. Don't get too worried yet though. As the mother of a special needs child I've learned that you really have to wait until you find out for sure before becoming a wreck about something. 90% of the time it's nothing but you still have to get it checked because sometimes it is something.
Best Wishes,
J.
Mom to 4 and soon one more through another adoption.

My son did the same thing at 7 months. I took him to the CHIROPRACTOR and it stopped immediately.

I love my pediatrician, but regular doctors don't always see the same things, and I am TIRED of hearing "they will outgrow it" or "it's just normal." Sometimes specialists are needed in order to get to the root of the problem.

(Hopkins Health and Wellness Center has a Chiropractor on staff who specializes in children. I think she also works out of Edan Prairie.)

Kids should not have to live with a nervous tick or a pinched nerve. We wouldn't accept it for ourselves as adults. Why would we allow it to continue in our children?

Visit www.safeminds.org for more information. I would recommend taking your son to a neurologist to make sure there is nothing major going on. Look into the possibility that immunizations may cause long-term neurological effects. Ask yourselves these questions: When did the "tic" begin? When did he receive his last vaccinations? Could there be a correlation between the two dates? If this is the case... you may look into a gluten & casein free diet.

You may want to take him to the doctor to see if he has an ear infection.

My son did the same thing, kind of tilting his head and raising his one shoulder. Sometimes he would even bring his other arm up at the same time like he was doing some sort of weird salute.

I checked with his doc and he said it was normal. I was worried about some odd disorder or autism or something, but so far he's fine.

Just check with the doc next time you're in for something, unless he has an actual seizure or starts doing it A LOT, I'd say it would be fine to wait until your next scheduled appointment. Of course you can always call their office and ask if they want to see him for it.

Oh, and do have his ears checked for infection if there's ANY other sign that he might have one- fever, fussiness, ear pulling, etc. He may have "fluid on the ear" which isn't exactly an infection but can occur before or after one and makes their ears feel funny.

My daugther is 7mo and she does something similar. We asked the doctor about it at her 6mo check and he said it was nothing to worry about she's just learning to use her muscles. I also asked my mom (she's a nurse) and she said it was normal not to worry. If he only does it to the left side maybe he is having trouble with teething? Macy had been tugging at one ear and she cut two teeth. If it doesn't get better at his next check up ask your pediatrician and maybe suggest a hearing test. Hope this helps!

my first immediate thoughts are that it could be either an ear infection or something as simple as an itch that he is trying to scratch. I would mention it to the doctor at his next appt. If things get worse before then or if you are really concerned you can always call and speak with your doctor's nurse who will speak with the Dr and if they are concerned they will have you come in.

It could be something called spastic torticolles. I would let your pediatrician know about this and keep track of how often it occurs.

My son (who is now 10 months) started doing something similar a few weeks ago, although his "tic" was kind of like a head shaking - like he was saying no. It kind of freked me out because it seemed a little spazzy and involuntary, but he has since pretty much stopped doing it. Now lately he has been nodding his head a lot. I really think, if all else seems normal, that it is probably just that they found a new motion that is interesting to them so they do it a lot until they get bored with it. Anyway, your baby is not the only one! HTH...E.

My daughter did something similar to this for about a week when she was nine months old. It turned out that she had a terrible ear infection, which ultimately led to a stay in the hospital. You should bring your son in to a doctor as soon as possible and get him checked out. We were lucky that it was just an ear infection -

i would take him to the dr and maybe have his ears checked out!!

Our niece actually did a similar thing about the time she was almost 8 months old. It did look like some kind of a tic or a siezure. My brother and sister-in-law took her to a pediatrician and they did do an MRI. It ended up being nothing--just normal baby movements. It was something that she did when she was tired, frustrated, or trying something new. She eventually grew out of it. Our daughter is about the same age now and once in awhile she will do a little shake with her head. But, because of my niece, I've paid attention to when it happens and it seems to be the same thing--she's tired, frustrated, or trying to do something new. I'm continuing to watch her to make sure it doesn't start happening more frequently or changing in anyway. Based on our experiences, I'd say it isn't something you really need to worry about. But, that said, if it would make you feel better check with your pediatrician. I don't know how many times we've taken our daughter in for something just to get reassurance that it's actually nothing.

This may go against some's advice, but perhaps your little guy has a pinched nerve or something. When they hit new "physical" developmental steps, it changes everything. I would recommend that you have a chiropractor who frequently adjusts babies take a look at him. It may be just a minor adjustment that he needs to "unpinch" a nerve. I have 5 children and they have all been adjusted as infants. It is safe, just make sure you get a reputable doctor if you do this.
N.

Hi A.! My son who is close to 9 months now used to do something like that too. He would turn his head and put it down to his shoulders. I really don't know why he did it but he stopped doing it. I really don't think that it is anything to worry about. But I do have to admit that when he did it I was concerned too. I thought that maybe it had something to do with teething. I hope that helps!

C.

Hi, A.- what does your childs eyes do while this is happening? Are they fixed (frozen) in one spot? When I read your question, the first thing I thought of was seizures... my daughter has seizures (I am also a nurse). Are you able to redirect his attention when this happens? If you can stop him in the middle of one of these episodes, then it is not a seizure. I would talk to your pediatrician about this. Or it could be something as simple as your son is just feeling out all his muscles and learning about the way his body moves.. without seeing one of these episodes it's hard to say. But from what it sounds like, I would bring him in asap, and dont let the doctor tell you it's normal until he does some sort of testing!! THats what happened to us, all of my daughters doctors (we saw several) kept telling us she had a develpomental delay and it would pass, turns out she has cerebral palsy, is deaf, has epilepsy, and the list goes on and on. You want to catch this early so that measures can be taken to get him the help he needs to live a fulfilling and normal life. If you are not pleased with what the doctor says or if the doctor wont perform a brain scan or an EEG to test for epilepsy, do not be afraid to see someone else!! It's reassuring to hear that theres nothing wrong with your child but just remember this- you are his advocate, his only advocate and if you dont fight to make sure he gets the care he needs, no one will... Good luck!!

When my children shrugged alot or played with their ear, they always had an ear infection. They are too young to tell you so they ended up making "odd" movements. It might be worth checking out. Good luck! P.