Why does my son thrash around?

[Letsallscreamatthesistene]

Whenever I put my 10 week old son down to sleep he thrashes around and wriggles with an intensity that would exhaust me. This seems to be a pre-sleep phase that he goes through. Fine, but sometimes he does it so much he'll knock his dummy out and wake himself up, and the entire process of getting him to sleep starts again.

Does anyone have any insight as to why he does this? He does it regardless of the type of swaddle we put him in, or where he's sleeping so I dont think its environment related. He seems to do it all the time.

Maybe at 10 weeks he doesn't need to be swaddled any longer?

Do you think? I always assumed he needed to be swaddled until the startle reflex had completely gone?

You have what is technically known as a fidgety baby.

Sleeping bags might help. Not cosleeping (only cos i wpuld wake baby and then baby would wake me). Otherwise maybe someone else has sone better ideas

They need to thrash to encourage growth of muscles particularly in the legs as the bones grow totally normal.

It's the swaddling I don't think some babies like it. It's like they get stressed from it so try to unravel themselves

They're just finding their limbs at that age, can't stop moving while they are awake!

I had one who energetically bashed his head on his mattress while asleep. Still does occasionally,now aged 15. Another who rolled rhythmically from side to side. Still does, now aged 11. He'll be fine.

My 4 month old does this too - thrashes his head around and then throws his legs up and down in the air. I read up on it and the head thing is apparently their way of trying to soothe themselves to sleep, it’s meant to mimic a rocking feeling. Not sure how true that is or not!

My very thrashy 9 week old can thrash just as well in a sleeping bag as out of one (he sometimes does full-on reverse sit-ups, pushing his legs up into the air and lifting his bum right off the mattress!) The sleeping bag does slightly restrict how far he can move himself around while he does it, though (not completely - on the rare occasions I get him to sleep in his cot, he inevitably ends up sideways across the middle of the thing).

He has always, from birth, much preferred sleeping on his side (he could get himself into that position right from the get-go) and he tends to settle on his side in a way he wouldn't on his back. I used to try to turn him back over but there's really no winning; he's just going to sleep how he sleeps.