Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

Original poster

AIBU if I tie his legs down?! (please help me fix this problem!)

18 replies

DoubleCarrick · 29/05/2017 04:59

I wasn't sure where to post but am getting desperate. I feel like I've hardly slept all night!

Ds is 4 months old and I'm pretty fortunate that generally he's a good sleeper if we ignore the blip of three very rough weeks we've just gotten out of however I can't make the most of this as he's so awful at night!

He's currently sleeping, every time I look at him he's sleeping but he repeatedly lifts his legs and slams them down with such force that you can hear it anywhere in the house. I think it's between every sleep cycle but he can do it for hours. I've given up with sleep now and am browsing on MN.

Staying at mums this week and I know it's waking them as I've heard them chatting at random hours and mum came in to my room yesterday morning to check on us as it had been going on for so long.

Dream feeds don't seem to fix it. Ditching his sleeping bags and blankets has helped but not much.

Please help and please don't tell me what do I expect with a 4mo! I will get up and happily feed him as many times as needed but he doesn't seem to want me at all during the leg banging times

OP posts:

Idratherbeaunicorn · 29/05/2017 05:07

Nothing to say that will help I'm afraid, op, but my dd is 5 months and does the same thing, she's recently 'found her feet' so I think it's just part of that. Exploring their bodies, learning that if I do this, that moves etc. Also at 4 months they have a sleep regression, so they're more likely to wake during the lighter parts of their sleep cycle. I keep telling myself it's only temporary!!

drinkyourmilk · 29/05/2017 05:12

Again no help here at all.
My 9 week old spends most of the night trying to brain herself with her fists.
Wakes herself up all the time.

TooGood2BeFalse · 29/05/2017 05:17

Oh OP that sounds rough. I don't think there's anything you can do except wait for this to pass. Kids are so weird..and they go through so many odd (sometimes awful) phases. My 10 months old who has just learned to pull himself up on his cot bars is doing it 10 times a night even in he middle of sleep. He doesn't even cry, just pulls up then flops back down. it's really annoying, feel like I'm sleeping next to a Jack in the Box

Original poster

DoubleCarrick · 29/05/2017 05:25

Gah!! You guys aren't exactly filling me with hope!!

His sleep cycles have definitely changed. We went through a rough patch of not being able to put him down asleep so have worked on putting him down awake and holding his hand. Sometimes he wakes up, blows raspberries for a bit and then goes back to sleep. I'm hoping we've ridden out the worst of the change in sleep.

He's still now but I can't sleep as he'll likely be up for a feed and want to start his day at around sixish.

When people ask "how does he sleep?" I tell them that he's just started on and off going overnight they say it must be lovely to catch up on sleep. Except I think I'm more sleep deprived than when we had three feeds between midnight and 8am!!

He's nearer 5 months than 4 months now so I'm counting down the next 5 weeks!!

OP posts:

crazypenguinlady · 29/05/2017 05:29

I thought I was reading a post about my own son! He's 3 months old and has been doing this for weeks. He does it with sit force it even wakes DP up who could normally sleep through an earthquake

He's been doing it since 2am I just got up to make a bottle as be has one between 4-5am but seems to have fallen back to sleep while I'm now wide awake

Anyway I know exactly how you feel OP!

DoublyTroubly · 29/05/2017 05:32

My daughter used to do exactly the same! I put something soft under the sheet at that end of the cot (I think it was a folded up blanket) to help muffle the sound x

Original poster

DoubleCarrick · 29/05/2017 05:38

@crazypenguinlady at nearly five months it doesn't seem to be getting better!!

He's in the travel cot atm as we're at mums. A blanket under his sheet will probably work well. Not sure about his crib as the leg banging rattles the whole entire thing!

I'm very close to moving him into his cot and sleeping on his floor as his cot mattress is thicker. More comfortable maybe?

Dh still sleeps downstairs and I tend to ditch and make him swap at about 4am but even downstairs I have to use earplugs to block out the sound! Can't swap at the moment though because it's just me and baby at mums left dh at home decorating

OP posts:

Cheesenacho123 · 29/05/2017 05:39

It does stop. I can't remember exactly when but I'm thinking around 5 months. My son did the whole leg banging thing but did it as he was being put to bed and falling asleep. This had been going on since 3 months but then out of nowhere he stopped.

But now at nearly 7 months he likes to sleep on his front and crawl in his sleep up his cot which means I spend most of my evening moving him so he doesn't hit his head and cry. Although he's crawling in his sleep, he won't do the same thing when he's awake. He also used to throw his head side to side as if he was itching the back of his head a lot which has also recently stopped and that had happened since about 2-3 months too. My child is strange sometimes

Original poster

DoubleCarrick · 29/05/2017 05:49

I'm glad it stopped for you cheese! Mum says "you swap one set of problems for another"

I just put my phone down for half hour of sleep and now he's awake. Literally thirty seconds later! He knew!!!!

OP posts:

Blackfellpony · 29/05/2017 06:02

My DS did this and we used to put pillows under his feet

It's worse now he can stand though!!

Cheesenacho123 · 29/05/2017 06:14

Yep pretty much. Oh they always know. My son always used to wake up just as I was falling asleep so I spent the first three months of his life like a walking zombie.

I'm sure you'll get through it, try give him something to play with that he won't suffocate or choke on, I found that helped but we had those colourful links and they can be as loud as the leg banging especially on wood but I think it helped with him not doing the leg banging as he was distracted and it gave me a bit of peace here and there in between feeds. I think by the time he could roll over or at least on his side he stopped the legs

CatchIt · 29/05/2017 09:14

Img my son does this. He's 10 months now and it has nearly stopped.

He also crawls up the cot and sleeps with his head at the very top, I've given up moving him down as I just wake him up!

Fitzsimmons · 29/05/2017 09:18

My son did this. It stopped when he learned to roll over. I think he was trying to learn how to do it in his sleep.

ipswichwitch · 29/05/2017 09:27

DS2 did this. I'd forgotten all about that til reading this thread! No idea how since he used to bang his legs so loud it woke us all up on a regular basis
Thinking about it, I'm sure it stopped around 9-10 months, right about the time he started walking. I put a load of spare quilts under his cot to stop the drum effect of his legs banging on the mattress.

Notso · 29/05/2017 09:32

All of my four did this I wondered if it was a wind thing as they'd often fart after doing it a million several times.
IIRC it stopped once they could roll as they all started sleeping on their front, bum in the air.

PacificDogwod · 29/05/2017 09:45

I have nothing to add, other than this too shall pass, this too shall pass, this too shall pass, this too shall pass... it will, honest.

Serialweightwatcher · 29/05/2017 09:47

Didn't happen with mine but have googled and found a forum where someone wrote this - hope it helps a bit:

I have found that the kicking is gas related. Doing a tummy massage in circular motions down towards his legs & alternating counterclockwise to clockwise and 'peddling' range of motion exercises with his legs helps A LOT! He farts up a storm lol...

Original poster

DoubleCarrick · 02/06/2017 11:16

Last night we only had two leg bangs! He switched it in favour of blowing raspberries at 3am Thankyou all - ps, i don't think it seems to be wind

OP posts:

Flip