I have a 2yr old son who has been rolling his eyes back in his head. He rolls them so far back all you see is the whites of his eyes. I'ts kinda scary. Not sure if he is doing it for experiment, or if something is wrong. He only seems to do it when someone is looking. Some days it's 4-6 times a day.
If there are no other symptoms, and since he does this when someone is watching, I'll bet it's just normal experimentation. Physical: How does my body work? Social: How can I get a response from other people? Be casual about it, and I'll bet it will get old fast. Maybe he'll go on to some other, even more endearing experiment, completely normal for his age.
I would put in a call to his doctor. He likely is just experimenting with moving his eyes and getting a reaction from you. However this also could be a sign of a seizure or some eye muscle issue that needs medical attention. Regardless of the outcome you will likely feel better knowing that doctor has checked it out. good luck!
You have received some great advice so far! I would like to add that I have worked with toddlers, specifically two-year-olds for many years now, and they really do notice if they do something that gets a strong reaction and tend to repeat that action as long as it gets the desired response. They are completely fascinated with cause and effect. Causing their mother to "freak out" might not seem like a cause and effect experiment to an adult, but to a toddler it is great fun! God bless you, you are going through this with two at once! Soon enough they will settle down a bit more, but don't forget to enjoy the two-year-old curiosity while they are in this stage. My children are 19, 18, 15, and 13, and when they do things to "freak out Mom" at these ages it's not quite the same... :) Blessings to you and yours! :)
Attention getting mechanism.
Boy does every body look at him.
And gasp, laugh, etc. Center of attention!
You could ask everybody to ignore him when he does it. No laughing, gasping, look away, etc. and eventually it will go away. But eventually it will go away any way.
It is strengthening his muscles.
If you are concerned, talk to your doctor, but an eye can only go so far back!
hello, i have a cousin who did something like this. they found out he was having very small seizures. your son is probably fine, however i would check with dr just to make sure. good luck!
Oh my gosh! I thought my daughter was the only one who did that! She is 4 1/2 now, but when she was 2 she did the same thing. I called the Dr. and he said it was just her experimenting and also for attention getting. As soon as I quit freaking out about it, she stopped doing it a couple days later. Kids do weird things don't they?!? God Bless!
My 8yo granddaughter does this along with other facial distortions to get laughs. I think I've seen babies doing this too but I'm not sure.
I'm not sure if it's normal, unless you know he does it on purpose, at age 2 because of the rate of growth of muscle control. I would call your pediatrician, optometrist, or county clinic and ask them. There would be no charge.
My first reaction is that this is a phase. Try not to react to is too much - but if he keeps doing it. I would get him in to the doctor. I had a friend that his cousin kept crossing her eyes..I want to say she was about 6 or 8 years old. Well, it turned out to be a tumor in the brain. So, I would just watch it, but don't react to it. I hope that it is a phase of curiousity.
My 3 yr old does this too, he always has. He does it to get a laugh.
I have a friend who is in her mid twenties who still rolls her eyes like a teenager during conversation. It irritates me! Anyways, I was just wondering if you or anyone else might also do this in conversation at all, because if you do, your son may be simply modeling that behavior:)
Hysterical! I can just picture it!
Your toddler is doing what most toddlers do best--he's found a "game" to play with you. You don't say what your reaction is, but even if it's just a minor "Please don't do that" or any other concerned comment, it's most certainly getting your attention. He isn't doing this maliciously and shouldn't be scolded, instead, if you want him to eventually stop, just let it go. When he rolls his eyes back, don't even acknowledge it. (It's not a health issue, right?, just something he's doing for his own entertainment, so don't worry about not being responsive in this case.) Treat this action of his as you would if he were doing something mundane like waving his hand or tapping his toe. Just ignore it. And get dad on board. Your son will eventually find something else to do to freak you out!:) That's what toddlers do!
Good luck!
