Daughter, gets stiff and rocks

[Mother6]

Hello, I have a 3 year old daughter and for the past year or so I have noticed that she crosses her ankles and her legs get stiff and she then begins to rock (move her pelvis) she usually hols onto the support that she is sitting on like the seat of a chair or edge of the couch. i took her to see the Dr and he said it is a way of self soothing and that it will eventually go away. I have looked into things online and some things say it could be Autism and some say it is a way of masterbation called self gratification. Self gratification can happen even in babies I guess.
Has anyone ever experiance this type of behaviour with their own child or does anyone have any information they would like to share with me? I asked her is it hurts and she says know. I have told her not to do it cause I dont know why she is doing it.

[Question_Everything1111]

My guess is she needs more blood circulation and oxygen to red blood cells.  Try dramatically increasing beef in diet.

[Ning14]

My baby was 2 months okd when she started doing this. She crossed her legs and tensed it. She's like having a seizure thats why we were referred to a neurologist and made an EEG test. The result is normal and the doctor said that it is some kind of her posture. Now she is 9 months and still doing it. I don't know how to stope her. It is really frustrating seeing my little one doing this kind of stuff.

[Reb2000]

Hello Annwarke,
I have a 4 months girl. She was 2.5 months first we saw she is doing this. Took her to three doctors didnt know the reason and said possibly part of the development! I didn't know what it could be till I read this post a couple of days ago. I did cry for some hours and couldn't believe that first. Now we are really worry and trying to find a solution to stop her. Just wondering how are you going with your granddaughter, have you seen signs of improvement? What else did you try?
Many thanks

[RedsJMG]

Really at such a young age, you shouldn't try to stop her from doing this altogether. It is actually more beneficial to simply distract the baby with a favored toy or game. A 4 month old baby does not have the cognitive ability to understand you want the activity stopped all together, so it is truly not good to focus on completely stopping this behavior. Truthfully, this is a normal part of body exploration and development. When you and your baby are alone you can just ignore this and let her continue for a minute or so, then just direct her attention elsewhere. If it happens in public, just use distraction as soon as she starts. After awhile most babies stop doing until a couple years later. Then in the toddler stage, they will explore their genitals again. By this time though, the child is more cognitively developed and you can start to explain to them why you don't touch your genitals in public. As I already stated keep in mind that this is normal development even though it makes you uncomfortable. to an infant/toddler it is the same as having fun playing with their toes or ears.

[Ning14]

Hi Reb2000
May I ask how's your little one doing now? Did she gets better? I have a same situation like yours.

[specialmom]

No, vaccines are not to blame in any way.  that has been disproven over and over many times.  good luck

[TreeOLife]

I've often wondered if this odd behavior is related to vaccines.  Once I stopped vaccinating my dd she stopped this odd behavior.  Pay attention to the timing when this occurs vs when the child is vaccinated... Or just stop the vaccinations altogether and see if it goes away.  Of course if the damage is irreversible then you may not see any difference regardless.  I stopped vaccinating her at around two yrs of age.

[RedsJMG]

No. This does not have anything to do with vaccines. Please read medical or scientific articles about vaccinations. Information from unreliable media sources should not be taken as fact.
This behavior is actually child masterbation. Most children go through a phase where they are exploring their body. When they discover their genitals they realize that they can bring them pleasure. If the child only does this occasionally it is not something to worry about. If the child frequently or obsessively engages in genital stimulation that can be evidence of anxiety or stress. If it becomes a frequent event you should talk to your child to find out why they're anxious or stressed and possibly explore new stress relief options. Do not shame your child or make them feel guilty for exploring their body because if they feel shame about their body at a young age it can carry over into adulthood. Even though the subject makes adults uncomfortable keep in mind that a child does not know what is appropriate and what is not appropriate. They do not know that it makes adults uncomfortable. Think about how you are going to discuss this with your child before you actually start to speak to them that way you don't say anything negative or that you might later regret. Also if your religion dictates that masterbation is a sin please wait until the child is old enough to fully understand your religion and why you have these beliefs before you attempt to talk with them about this. Because once again if a child is made to feel guilty or ashamed of their body these feelings of guilt and shame can carry over into their adult lives.

[TLC_acu]

My daughter does this too, last week I performed scalp acupuncture on her (I am an acupuncturist) and it completed stopped for one week then returned as suddenly as it left.  She also had a flu last week and did not eat much so I am unsure if the acupuncture made the difference or there is an undiagnosed digestive issue.  I have found another woman saying her daughter stopped the moment they put her on heart burn medication.  If a child has heart burn, the stiffening, rocking, sweating and holding breath all make sense.  I am testing out slippery elm in her food as of today to see if that makes a difference.  I'll keep you posted.

(she had no other signs of autism)

[annwarke]

I am a mother of 4 Adult children and a grandmother to 3 little darlings, My granddaughter, apparently started to self gratify at 6 months old she is now nearly 4 and still but not as often does the wiggily worm are pet name for it, My daughter has worried herself sick over the last couple of years not really able to understand the concept of a baby small child self gratifying and if im honest i have a problem with it myself, We have gone down every route you can think of, I just wonder if there was a problem like this 20 or 30 years ago when there was no disposable nappies and only terry nappies on offer My granddaughter is very sensitive to soaps, washing powders, baby wipes, she comes out in a rash, and she still wears nappies for bed, my daughter is now going to stop using them all together, and i have a suspicion that when she does that will be the time the wiggily worm stops also, The amount of bleach and other chemicals that go into disposable nappys i suspect is the cause of the irritation in our children which gets diagnosed as self gratification.

[aba_therapist]

I've been researching this issue as my niece is portraying this behavior and I am worried about her.  She is now 3 but it is clear when she stiffens her legs & trembles she is doing so to self gratify herself.  My sister-in-law said she has been doing this since she was an infant and thinks it is "normal" and is especially noticeable when she is sleepy.  However, my husband and I and my 2 children (ages 2-1/2 & 5) were at a festival when my niece, sitting in the stroller next to my daughter, repeatedly exhibited this behavior throughout the entire day - to a point that was NOT normal.  I am a Behavior Therapist and work with children with a variety of developmental disabilities and delays, most attributed to Autism Spectrum Disorder.  I believe in early intervention in all aspects of behavior modification.  The best bit of advice I can give (although still not knowing the cause of this need for self gratifying behavior in young children) is that your child needs to know it is not ok to do in public. As infants exhibiting this behavior you obviously cannot control this.  But as a child gets older they need to know that performing self gratification in public is unacceptable.  Otherwise they will get older - 3, 4, 5 years old and eventually become ostracized for their "weird" behavior among their peers.  I am not saying make a child feel degraded or embarrassed, but if your child/grandchild/niece/nephew is doing this - they need to be spoken to about performing this internal "need" in private.  All I can say is after 1 day with my niece I was so disturbed that the day has not left my mind for 3 weeks.  My kids want to know why their cousin "sticks out her legs like that all the time" and I don't want to have to explain or lie to them every time they see her.  If you are having difficulty getting your toddler or older child to stop I suggest talking to your pediatrician.  You are doing them a disservice if you don't!

[chrissymissy]

I did this myself as a child.  I also saw numerous doctors and had numerous tests done and my parents were never given any answers.  I don't really remember doing it but I also feel that it is a self soothing/gratification thing.  I grew into a healthy, happy, intelligent individual with lots of friends, if this makes you feel any better!

[Mother6]

Thank You for the information. I have read about self soothing and it possibly being a way of masterbation and I read that it can happen as early as 3 months old.
Im sure this is what is going on with my child and I will find a way to talk to her about doing it privetly. At this point she is 3 years old and might not understand what I mean but I will try and go from there.

Thanks Again

[nola0805]

I was speaking to Mother 6 not about your daughter but they are both a form of self soothing/masturbation and yes, it can start that young.  If your daughter has social anxiety and toe walking, then those might also point to a larger developmental issue and I am glad that you are talking to doctors about this.  But Mother 6's daughter only talked about the repetitive self soothing behavior.  I am a child psychologist and autism specialist who works at a major medical center in a neurodevelopmental center - I work with a team of neurologist, psychiatrist, pediatricians, occupations therapists and speech therapists, and we see children with this behavior.  Remember, that I said that this behavior can be seen in children with Autism or broader developmental issues but it alone does not necessarily mean that there is a broader developmental problem.  It can happen in otherwise typical children.  I hope this helps to clarify and I hope that you are able to get some answers about your daughter.  I would suggest having your daughter r seen by a developmental pediatrician or psychologist that specializes in Autism.  If she is younger than 3, your local Early Intervention group will also do an evaluation.  I know how stressful not having answers about your child can be.  Again, good luck.    

[crysandjeff]

Masterbation? at six months? along with social anxiety and neurological toe walking I think not.

[nola0805]

This is a form of masturbation and it is actually much more common in young girls than most people think.  It is not a sign of Autism, so don't worry, but some children with Autism engage in this behavior (as well as many other repetitively motor behavior and self-stimulatory behaviors).  It is very soothing for children to do this, but they can learn to do it in "private time" such as when in their rooms.  I would not discourage it or make them feel bad about it but would matter of factly suggest that this behavior be done in private time.

[Mother6]

I really thought it was autism too.
My daughter doesnt seat  or hold her breath but just looks dazed and says it doesnt hurt when I ask her.
I have read about autism and the toe walking and social issues sound like it.
Does she have any other symptoms like Autism?
I wish I could figure out why my daughter is doing this..it worries me and a DR saying it is just a way to self sooth like sucking your thumb or needing your favorite teddy bear..I find it really hard to believe.

[crysandjeff]

OMG my daughter does this too except she holds her breath, sweats and looks very uncomfortable.I have taken her to numerous doctors and nobody  knows why she does this. I have been told that it is soothing for her. She started this at age 6months. She is also a toe walker and has some social issues. I have always wondered about autism spectrum for her but none of the doctors seem to say anything.

[Mother6]

Im sorry correction to the above I have NOT told her not to do it ..because I dont know why she is doing it.