Is His Thrashing Around Normal?

Updated on March 03, 2007
S.B. asks from Peoria, AZ
9 answers

I am wondering if my son's arm movements are normal. He seems at times to thrash or flale(SP?) his arms around. It seems to come out of no where and he does not seem hurt or upset. He normally moves his arms and legs, but at times he just seems to be going into overdrive. Being a first time Mom I was hoping to get some advise from the more experienced group of moms. I had someone mention to me the other day that he may have dry skin....should I look into this possibility with his doc or is there a particular lotion you would recommend?

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D.S.

answers from Phoenix on

It is totally normal. I have a 4 month old boy and he did the same thing. You might try swaddling him to help him control his arms. Also, children tend to get really spastic like that when they are overtired. You might try looking for indications that he is sleepy before he gets to this point and try and put him to sleep then. The book "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby" talks about this in detail. Good luck!

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A.H.

answers from Phoenix on

Babies often move and jerk their bodies. I would let the pediatrician know since you are concerned. My daughter has dry skin and I use Aveeno its really good but pricey! Congrats on the baby!

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C.R.

answers from Raleigh on

It is just a reflex that babies have after they're born, my daughter didn't stop doing it till she was around 4 months old, it can differ depending on the baby. Swaddling helps if your son is disterbed by it while he is sleeping, or if it scares him while he's awake. Don't worry it's normal and goes away with time. You can get more info on this from babyzone.com, ivillage.com, or babycenter.com if you are interested.

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L.R.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi!

Congratulations on your new little one!

It sounds like you are describing what they call the Moro Reflex (Startle Reflex). It is a normal reflex in newborns.

See this link for more info:

http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/newborns/a/aa061801a.htm

You are doing great! Enjoy every minute, because it goes by so very fast!! L.

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S.H.

answers from Phoenix on

It may be nothing. Daniel use to sometime straigten his arms and his fingers and tense up---like straining sort of. I use to think he was have siezures, but the Dr. saw it and said it was nothing. I think he was stretching. Just have your Dr. check him out. I have every little thing checked out. Too the very smallest thing, to the weirdest. My Dr. is very good and she puts up with alot of my worries. Good luck---Oh and it doesn't matter if it's the first child, you will worry no matter how many you have.

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C.J.

answers from Phoenix on

Hi, My opinion would be if he isn't fussing while he is doing then its just him learning to move. I have 4 kids and they all liked to move around, they werent upset or anything just I guess they liked to move around. If you are really concerned I would mention it to the ped dr. when you go for his next checkup. It is probably nothing. good luck and take care.

C.

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K.D.

answers from Phoenix on

I would ask your doc and his arms flaling I couldn't tell you much about that. but the dry skin I do know about, my three year old son has really dry skin and just recently that its gotten really bad. his feet were so dry that his heels would crack and bleed in like three or four different places and between his toes would crack. I was putting neosporn on with band aids. it helped some but they would come back if i didnt do that two or three times a day. I took him to the docter and the first time she told me to get eucerin cream and mix it will hydrocortisone 1% cream. his face would also get really dry and it felt rough. that worked but didnt heal the cracks on his feet. I took him back to the doc and she prescribed Triamcinolone which works very well. I have to put that on his feet then put aquaphor and put socks on him. poor thing i feel so bad for him. hope this helps

K.
www.kdscreations.com

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T.

answers from Phoenix on

I was told that sporatic arm movements are very normal by the ped. Babies as young as yours don't have that motor control yet. They should gradually get better and go away as he gets older.

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M.S.

answers from Tucson on

There are many possible reasons for thrashing. If he is very young he may just have a very strong "fall" reflex. My son did, and e would randomly thrash his arms and legs. Also, young babies are just learning to control their movements, so they appear very awkward. If he seems fine while he does it...don't worry about it.

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