My son was 9 months old yeasterday. He has been doing this weird movement for a while now when we feed him. When he is in his high chair he will tilt this head to his left shoulder and last night we were at the mall and we stoped to eat dinner so I was feeding him in his stroller and he did it but this time he tilted his head to his shoulder and raised his left arm in the air like he was raising his hand to ask a question. It just seems like an odd movement not sure if I should worry about it or not. I really only notice it when he is eating.
Thank you all so much for you advise. He had his 9 month check up on Friday. His ears are fine so it is not that. His doctor was not to concerned about this and neither was the NP student that was in the room with him. I will keep an eye on it. Thank you all again for all your thoughts.
sounds like an ear infection. I think they notice it more when they eat...That has been my experience.
A. mommy to Noah (almost 2yo)
My son did the head-tilt thing too when he was eating, a few months ago. I always wondered what it was. He's almost a year now and doesn't do it anymore, so I'm thinking it was probably just a phase. :)
Not sure, but I think head-tilting and head-jerking can be a sign of Autism. When did he have his last vaccinations? Visit www.safeminds.org for more on the dangers of vaccinations, mercury and autism.
http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/index.htm (GFCF Diet - Gluten Free and Casein Free Diet)
http://www.autismweb.com/diet.htm
It may be nothing... but better check it out now rather than later.
Hello!
At about that age is when my son would do things like that too. And it always seemed to happen when he was eating or drinking. He would raise his hand...like he had a question, or he would move his head around. I didn't worry about it. He still does wierd things when he's eating like moves in his seat, but it just seems like he's happy to be eating and enjoying himself.
I guess I don't really have any advice but I had the same situation.
Have his ears checked. The chewing motion could be enhancing a mild pain in his ears or sinus cavities. Thats probably why he raises his hand it releives the pain.
Don't be alarmed. But do get information on Autism and watch for other "signs" or symptoms. My twins are 6 1/2 and as we are learning more and more we are realizing that Autism has been there all along. The sooner you question it the sooner you can get the assistance you and your child will need to understand what you are dealing with. Please be sure you find a good doctor that knows about Autism and doesn't just say " yah sure" and laugh you off. That is what we dealt with and it wasn't fun.
May not be. Do just watch for other things first. All signs of Autism can be something else. Take care
Have you lifted his arm when he choked on something? It could be he associated it with the eating rather then the choking. My son use to do this when he was being silly during his meals. I think he got a laugh the first time and went for that desired response. He is 26 now and still going for the laughs. My youngest son use to hum while eating. He did this until he was like 8 years old. I noticed his daughter did this when she started on solids also. Just a quiet "mmmmm". We just figured that they really like their food. My granddaughter didn't do for as long as her dad did though.
Your son will probably stop this when he starts feeding himself.
My youngest does stuff like that too - throwing his head all the way back like he wants to belly laugh, then just smiling and hanging that way. I think kids are so uninhibited that as they are discovering what their little bodies can do, they end up contorted in all kinds of weird positions. We adults have a much more "traditional" (inhibited?) understanding of body movement that leads us to wonder what's "wrong" when, in fact, nothing is wrong. Movements that indicate pain, discomfort, incessant repetition, etc. would be things to discuss with your pediatrician.
SAHM of seven, bio/adopted/special needs
Sounds like it could be an ear infection. I would have doctor check-he might not be cranky because different kind of pain in every toddler-but I'd check. If it is a sign of something else like autism, asphbergh syndrome, add, adhd--and all the other tons of things out there-there is tons of information to help you learn to adapt and help your child succeed. Keep notes of alarming things and dates and all things around it. Seems weird-but hopefully you find that all helpful.
Hi, C.! I have twin sons, aged 10 months, and they tend to do weird things in their highchair when they are eating, too! Maybe it's about being strapped in, but it tends to bring out some strange movements. My son Andrew will lie his head on his tray sometimes when eating, and try to eat from this position (I make him sit up before I feed him a bite). Nathan props his chin on his hand, and looks like a very pensive baby while he is eating. Both boys rock sometimes in their highchairs, or bang their heads against the back of their seats. Andrew has done this so hard before that I was worried he was going to hurt himself! When Nathan is excited for a bite, he bounces up and down in his chair. They do all sorts of weird things in their highchair, but those are a few examples. I am not at all worried about my babies and these highchair behaviors. There are no indications that they are not developing normally, and since both of them do it, I just chalk it up to typical baby behavior in the highchair. I'll be interested in what other moms have to say. C.
My baby is currently doing this too! He does it all the time, not just when eating. He's 8 months old. His hand raising has actually turned into both hands. So we say "ta-da!" and clap when he does it. He thinks it's the funniest thing. I think it really is just a discovery of new movement. Isn't it crazy how with their very different personalities, our babies tend to so many of the same things. ie- is your's fascinated with tags? I always thought it was a little weird when I saw a baby playing with tags on toys (rather than the toy), then mine did it too! The simplest things amuse them....
Not to worry, but I also question vaccine damage/autism? there are many, many different grades and symptoms. This website talks about how to give vaccines more safely- staggering, not giving after antibiotics etc... a good resource.
http://www.generationrescue.org
I think all the other points of experimenting with motions/sensations/expressions or ear infection are quite valid. If not an ear infection, I think playing with him while he does it so not to make him feel ashamed or different or like you are concerned or worrying, may help him.
Does he do it the whole time he eats, or just during it?
My son did something similar to this to signal that he was done eating or didn't want what we were trying to put in his mouth.
Maybe he is starting to push up some back teeth and he only notices it when he is chewing? My daughter does the same thing, I thought it was her ears bugging her, but she didn't have an infection and the ped said she could be starting to get teeth towards the back. Anyhow, that's a thought! (She never cried, just kind of ducked her head to the side, it looks funny, but pretty cute!) :)
could be something as simple as an ear infection.
or it could be nothing and he's just being silly.
Take him to his doc. and have them check his ears.
sometimes this is how they will let you know that their little ears hurt.
good luck
From the other responses, it's probably nothing, but if it does turn out to be an ear infection, consider taking him to a chiropractor rather than an MD. I did so a month ago with my son (who is now 8.5 mos old) when he had an ear infection. I took him to Dr. Carla Breunig in St Paul. She also can diagnose ear infections.
This is just a wild guess that came to me out of nowhere, but maybe his left ear tickles when he swallows?
Our niece did a similar thing when she was about 7 months old and our daughter who is almost 9 months does a similar thing sometimes too. My brother and sister-in-law had their daughter evaluated by a nuerologist because they were afraid it was some kind of a seizure. All of the tests came back fine and they were told this is actually quite common. I also recently read that it can be a reflex related to happiness. It wouldn't hurt to mention it to your pediatrician and to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get worse.
Hi there,
My son is 11-months-old, and he too does similiar movements. Sometimes, when he's playing on the floor, he will look at me, tilt his head, and just smile at me. I asked my pediatrician about it, and she said that infants love to experiment with different sensations as they bobble, tilt, bang, etc. their heads around. She said to be concerned if the behaviors start to interfere with his everyday well-being or if the behaviors seem to take up huge amounts of his day. Hope this helps.
Maybe his ear hurts or itches and he feels it more when he swallows.
