Flapping arms syndrome - will she grow out of it and when?

aussiemummy

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Latest post on 29 September 2011 - 14:12

this is called the startle reflex (although i love flapping arms syndrome!) and it is an involuntary movement. It usually takes babies about 3 - 4 months before they grow out of it. we persisted in wrapping our DD until about 4 months as she had a big startle reflex. thirteen weeks is still quite young to stop wrapping and a lot of mums don't persist as they feel if their baby is coming out of the wrap then that is what they want. I think that you just have to go with what works for you, as with most things with a baby. people will always have opinions and do things differently! also, i just felt it gave her more security (also was told that too). hope that helps.

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Latest post on 28 September 2011 - 15:44

Hee hee hee - glad you liked the syndrome joke. Ok, that all makes sense. I found with DD though that once she wakes herself up through such movement, she will end up crying. Sounds like I have to put in some hard yards like flymum!

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flymum42181

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Latest post on 28 September 2011 - 13:02

Ours did the same thing when we stopped swaddling him. Its very normal. Then we tried Shhhing him to sleep with one hand on him for 20mins whilst a story time CD played in the background (for 3 nights), then just shhhhhhed him for 20 mins for another 3 nights. He cried a bit which broke my heart at the time (and something we said we'd never do) However by Friday he was putting himself to sleep. He's slept from 7pm ever since with a 10pm feed that he sleeps through. Now he wakes after 9am and he's 5 months. He moves around in his cot playing with his feet for a while when he's getting himself to sleep to use up some energy, but I move around alot when Im trying to sleep too. He naps the same way, and has 2 over 2hr naps a day.

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Hello.Again.Kitty

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Latest post on 28 September 2011 - 12:54

LOL... flapping arm syndrome! hehe - everything's a syndrome nowadays! M - it's a perfectly natural reflex... I do it even now when I'm falling asleep (not flapping my arms, but a big uncontrolled twitch as my muscles are relaxing). It's not something to be feared or repressed... it's just natural and although it may make them stir, because it really is so close to the sleep threshold, they will go to sleep on their own very shortly afterwards. I remember having to gently hold DD's arms as she fell asleep because her arm-twitch was so marked they literally flew over her head... DS never seemed to, or rather, his, like mine, is more of a leg-twitch.

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derien

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Latest post on 28 September 2011 - 12:42

LOL... flapping arm syndrome! generally, kids get worse as they get older...... Wait till she's walking!

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Latest post on 28 September 2011 - 12:40

Hi Ladies DD has been swaddled since birth. She is 13 weeks old now and we are concious we have to stop swaddling her at some point. Plus, she is such a strong girl that she is able to get out of any form of swaddling, no matter how tight. This morning she had somehow manouvered her arm through the top of her pyjama neckline despite being tightly swaddled! So we bought one of those sleeping bags and she just cannot remain asleep in it because as soon as we put her down in her cot (after rocking her to sleep), she starts wriggling around which leads to moving her arms slightly which then further leads to her flapping her arms and waking up. I'm sure this is normal and I don't want to put any unnecessary pressure on me or DD but I am interested to know how other mummies have dealt with hyper babies and whether those babies eventually grew out of it or developed the ability to remain still! TIA!

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