Baby Trembles When Woken Up

Hi, my son has been doing this since he was very little. At first I thought it was because he was startled. As he got older I noticed that when he fell asleep and wet his diaper he would get cold, and when he woke up it was like it had chilled him. He will also do this if has a coat or to many layers on. Its like he got hot and sweaty and then cooled off to the point he would get a chill and shake when he woke. There seem to be a variety of factors, none which seem to be a big concern. Hope this helps.

This is years later and I don’t know if you’ll see this, but my daughter is doing the same thing. Did anything come of your situation?

My daughter will be two this week and she has done this since she was little. Mostly after naps in the afternoon and it only lasts a few seconds or a minute and then she's fine and playing happily. Our ped never worried b/c she has no other signs of a problem. I really think it's because my daughter is a "hot" sleeper and gets sweaty while she naps and this is her body regulating her temp. It has never caused any problems for her but if you're worried def. talk to your doc. Good luck!

I have my degree in early childhood and I remember learning about this because like you I found it odd. All babies have what's called the startle reflex. If their is a loud sound or they are woken up the will shake some kids will do of only for a moment and some for a few mind after it just depends how sensitive your baby is. So don't worry and enjoy your little one!

Hi J., I know everything is scary when you have a tiny one like 7 mos. It seems like I remember something like this with one of mine. My first instinct is to say that everyone has different reactions to waking up from deep sleep or different stages of REM sleep. I would try a more indirect way of waking her up (opening her door and making noise in the other room for a little while, singing in her room lightly, etc) to see if a more subtle approach makes a difference. My 7 still year still to this day does a few strange things when woken up quickly. I also agree with the doc in that it could be just her developing and trying to catch up when woken up quickly. I'm sure she's just fine!

Hi J.,

I have a 10 month old little girl who's chin trembles/quivers when she wakes up. I posted the same question a few weeks ago! Like you, I was very concerned. I made an appointment with our Ped. She asked me to try and put my hand on her chin and stop the quivering when it happened. She said if I could stop it, no worries for now, it is most likely something she will grow out of and we would re-address it at one year if she was still doing it. (She also asked me several questions about her behavior during the quivering, etc.) However, if I could not stop the quivering, she was concerned she might be having small seizures. I was able to stop her chin quivering by simply placing my hands on her and am so thankful. I have noticed it decreasing as time goes on. Definitely take a trip to your Ped. I am sure the chances are it is the same thing happening to my daughter and nothing to be really worried about. All the best!

My son did that as well. I just learned to wake him up gently while he was going through that phase. He eventually outgrew it. My husband is very similar in that if he gets woken up suddenly, he startles easily. So I learned quickly with him when we first got married. Maybe it's genetc. Who knows. I just know my son doesn't do it anymore.

It could be a call for alarm or it may not be. It is worth checking it out. I have been on both sides of the spectrum. My first daughter would have tremors as a baby and it stressed me out. Doc checked her out and said it was nothing. On the other hand, my second daughter too had tremors but hers ended up being seizures. She is now 11 and has a seizure disorder.
The best thing to do would be to make an appt with a peds neurologist and get her checked out. If it's nothing then your mind is at ease. But if it is something then you need not wait for treatment. God bless~

For sure call her doc, better to be safe than sorry.

My son did that when he was little as well. He is now 18 and I don't see any lasting effects from it. Like Eliza said, it is most likely the startle effect. We must also remember that their little nerve endings aren't fully developed so babies are going to do things that might seem odd. They are still little works in progress!
I don't think I would be that alarmed.

My baby is 9 months old, and she woke up from a long morning nap trembling as well, her arms and everything was shaking a little for about 7 seconds and then it stopped, it seemed to me she was in the process of waking up since she was really sleepy when this was happening but she did not wake up suddenly from any noise or from me, she just woke up b/c it was her time to wake up. It alarmed me a little at first but then I did not see any other unusual behavior that day so I will watch her from now on and if I see something like this again, I will call our doctor.