Young parents often become like alarmists. They care about absolutely any phenomenon that occurs with their young children. For example, they often ask pediatricians the question, is it normal for a child to shake its head from side to side? Is this a pathology? Do you need specialist help in this case?
Some common causes that can be addressed
Why does a small child shake its head from side to side? In total, several most characteristic causes of this phenomenon can be distinguished:
- Most often, this problem is encountered by the parents of very young children - infants. Why are they doing this? The reason is simple! They feel great pleasure from it. Pictures change sharply in their eyes, which, undoubtedly, cannot but rejoice them.
- Young mothers often make the mistake of dressing their children too warm. Such constant wrapping is due to the fact that they are afraid that their baby will not catch a cold and become ill. A characteristic consequence is the appearance of sweat in the back of the head, from which the baby is trying to get rid of with a shake of the head.
- Perhaps the child is overworked and has a headache. With this gesture, he shows his parents about ailment. In addition, he will cry, his sleep will worsen and his appetite will be lost.
- He has weakness in the muscle area, so he tries to get rid of it.
- Why does a child shake his head in a dream? Most likely, he has an uncomfortable pillow. It leads to sleep disturbance.
If such a phenomenon is observed once, then do not worry about this.
What to do in such a situation?
What to do if the child involuntarily shakes his head? First of all, you should try to independently identify a possible cause. It is necessary to touch the back of the baby's head: is there any sweat on it? It is recommended to examine the pillow in order to understand whether it is convenient for him to sleep on it. If such possible causes are identified, then it is worthwhile to immediately eliminate them.
It is worth noting that the development of a child at 2 months implies ridiculous things in his behavior. If he joyfully shakes his head and giggles at the same time, then it is necessary to distract him from this occupation with a toy. With age, he will stop doing this.
You should also check the health status of the baby, first of all, by measuring basal body temperature.
In what situation should I see a doctor?
If a child shakes his head from side to side, then this is not always the norm. Sometimes this can be due to a serious illness. You should immediately consult a doctor in the following cases:
- If such phenomena continue periodically (more than one week).
- In the case when, in addition to this, the baby is also disturbed by other ailments, for example, he cries for no reason, his chair is broken or there is vomiting.
- If the baby has an appetite or anxiety during sleep.
It is mandatory to pay attention to age. The development of a child in 2 months is carried out quite rapidly. It is worth the wait a while, perhaps the ailment will pass on its own. In other cases, it is recommended to consult a doctor. A similar phenomenon can speak of several serious diseases.
Rickets
Rickets is an age-related phenomenon that is detected in young children aged 3 to 4 months. This disease involves curvature of the limbs. Because of this, the child experiences a slight malaise in the neck and tries to eliminate it by starting to shake his head sharply.
In addition, the parent may notice a few more characteristic signs. It should seem strange to him that a baby at this age still does not know how to independently hold its head. He constantly begins to cry for no reason, asks in his arms to his beloved person and sleeps restlessly.
In this case, you need to contact a pediatrician, therapist or orthopedist. He will carefully examine the child’s health status and prescribe a characteristic treatment. If urgent measures are not taken in a timely manner, then the baby may develop scoliosis, flat feet and even noticeably worsen vision.
Neurological diseases
It should be wary if the child, falling asleep, shakes his head. This may be due to several serious diseases in the field of neurology. For example, the following can be distinguished:
- Epilepsy is the most serious ailment. The first symptom is a sharp shaking of the head from side to side. In addition, the baby may begin to suddenly lose consciousness.
- Autism. An additional symptom is the fear of being alone. The baby will always ask in the arms of the parent.
- If the child shakes his head, then most likely his reflexes are broken.
- In rare cases, almost forgotten Crabbe disease occurs. With her, the child gains weight poorly, sleeps poorly and eats almost nothing.
- If a child of 1 year shakes his head before falling asleep, he may have a disease called opticomyelitis. It is associated with the appearance of slight dizziness. It is worth paying attention to his limbs. With the disease, a slight tremor can be observed in the hands, knees and feet.
If the above symptoms occur, urgently need to see a doctor in order to avoid unpleasant consequences.
Surgical disease
This strange behavior can also be associated with a number of surgical diseases. The most common is osteochondrosis. The child throughout the whole time may experience severe discomfort, the sensation of which worsens at night. In addition, he will start tossing and turning and will sleep restlessly. If these symptoms appear, you should immediately contact a specialist.
How to help the baby?
Unfortunately, not every person has the opportunity to urgently consult a doctor. In order to alleviate the condition of the baby, you can take several independent measures:
- Bathe your baby in a warm bath with herbs. The best option is a series. It positively affects the nervous system of the baby and normalizes sleep. Do not take it for more than 20 minutes.
- It is worthwhile to postpone gadgets in the form of audio tales, baby monitors and phones. The child will feel calmer when his mother caresses him.
- It is recommended to do a light massage before bedtime, stroking the back, stomach and chest.
- Before going to bed, you should periodically do air baths so that the child feels more comfortable.
- Sometimes to solve a problem it is enough just to pay attention to your baby.
All this can be done only if the parent is sure that this behavior is associated with overexcitation of the baby. If any additional symptoms are present, then it is most likely a serious illness. Methods of treatment required to determine the pediatrician.
Preventative measures
Each parent sincerely wants his child to be sick as little as possible. There are several measures that will help to avoid problems with the nervous system, depression, their strange behavior of the baby. Among them, the most effective are the following:
- If mom needs to leave the baby for a certain time, then it’s worth maximally brightening up his leisure time, for example, hanging a mobile on the bed.
- It is recommended to observe the hygiene of the child.
- It is worth paying him as much attention as possible.
The child shakes his head from side to side - what to do in such a situation? First of all, you need to observe his behavior, if any additional symptoms are present. If any are found, then you should seek the help of an experienced specialist.