Conference moira::parenting_v3

    I would have the pediatrician examine Michael - he may have some inner
    ear problems.
    
    				Steve

    If it isn't the result of a "physical" ailment (like ears, etc), it
    might be behavioral. I have a nephew who used to make a motor sound
    anytime he was concentrating. He did start quite young. My sister was
    more concerned that he would get to school and there would be this
    motor sound coming from the back of the room. Her pedi said it is quite
    common for kids to pick up there own "quirk" to help them concentrate.
    
    Pay attention to see if there is a pattern to the movements. This will
    help the pedi determine if it is "habit" or a physical condition.
    
    For what it's worth...
    
    Andrea

    
    Steve:
    
    Can't remember when JA started the head shaking "show" ... maybe around
    11-12 months.  Now she doesn't do it as frequently as your little tyke,
    however, she does do it for no reason at all ... or ... attention. 
    Some where along the line someone must have given her some feedback on
    "how cute it was", so now it's a "trick".
    
    She will stand up and shake her head "no" so violently that she'll get
    dizzy, lose her bearings and fall over!
    
    At 14 months, she's now put "value" to this ... so just in case you
    didn't get the message that she doesn't want any more dinner, she'll
    shake her head violently, say no-noooo-no! and then spit out dinner!
    
    So my vote is that your tyke will be expressing himself REAL SOON! ...
    and "no" is utilized about 10-12X more often than "yes"!!!
    
    Dottie

    Steve,
    My 11 month old son has been doing this for about 1 month.  We call it
    "the bop", sometimes he does it up and down, sometimes shoulder to
    shoulder, almost like he is bobbing his head to music only he can hear.
    He also adds the razzberry when concentrating on something small he is
    holding in his hands...bop, buzz, bop, buzz! 
    Last week he added the shoulder movements, forward and back, and he does
    it almost all the time when we are watching MTV (music videos).  Guess
    he's establishing his rhythm.   It never occurred to me that something
    might be wrong, I just assumed he was learning more articulated
    movements with his body, like clapping and walking (just learned last
    weekend!).  Definitely speak to your pedi to reassure yourself, maybe
    I'll call mine too???
    Sarah
    

    Re. -1   My 14 month old son does what you describe also.  I know for a
    fact that he's "dancing".  I've seen them all do it in the daycare
    center - eight little one year olds standing around bobbing up and
    down, and kind of swinging their shoulders back and forth.  Their
    teacher taught them to dance, and it's the closest they can come to
    imitating her movements.  It's quite funny to watch.
    

    
    My son did this too...it was also between the age of 12 and 24
    months.  It drove me crazy because it seemed like some sort of twitch
    or involuntary movement. He has out grown it since...
    
    Also, check his ears like .1 said and it may be related to the ears
    also if his balance is off. I could tell sometimes that my son had an
    ear infection by his balance (which was precarious anyway by nature).
    
    Good luck. It's probably nothing, but you're right to follow your first
    mind and check it out.
    
    Jeri-Elayne

    Count us in too...Steven, who just turned 1, started doing
    this a few weeks ago...finally we realized that he's dancing,
    he often does it when commercials are on (especially KAY-BEE
    stores commercial!).
    
    Linda

    My daughter is 11 months and has been doing that for several months
    now..I've always contribute it to her teething......  I assumed with
    her shaking her head no it was relieve some pain for her instead of
    tugging on her ears to relieve the pain....  now that she is 11 months
    whenever we say no that's what she does....

    My son will be one on Saturday, and about three weeks ago he started
    the head shaking show.  I've asked myself the same questions you have,
    but have come to the conclusion from reading these notes that it
    appears to be common. 
    
    I wrote it off as Brandon trying to be funny, since his brother and
    sister laugh at him everytime he does it.  He always has this huge
    smile on his face and I think he likes the breeze it creates.  I might
    add that he likes to bite on the end of his spoon and shake, now I must
    admitt when he does it I laugh at him too.
    
    Carole

    A lot of people have been saying my kid does this too, etc.  The
    basenoter mentioned that his son does it very frequently, every 2
    minutes he said.  Is that what other people are noticing too?  My son
    likes to shake his head back and forth a lot also.  I guess he likes to
    see things fly back and forth in front of his eyes.  But doesn't sound
    like this is what the basenoter was describing.  Basenoter?
    

    Yea, -1, I also felt like what is happening with .0 is more like
    the head shaking of a person with Parkinson's, not shaking no
    real fast (which my little boy used to do at around 13 months).
    Not that I'm saying I think .0's child has a disease, just that that
    is the type of shaking it is.              
    
    Donna

    re: last two
    
    I tend to agree with you.  I believe that what others have described
    (and yes, mine does it too) is *voluntary* head-shaking and not
    involuntary as this note's title suggests.  Steve, maybe it *is*
    voluntary, but he just likes to do it a lot???
    
    - Kathryn
    

    Y'all are correct.  Michael's shaking, for the most part, doesn't
    appear to be voluntary, or fast.  I can tell when he's deliberately
    doing it (I think).  
    
    This is more of a gentle, slow shudder where the head turns back and
    forth perhaps an inch to the right and left.  
    
    If we play the 'shake your head' game with him, it's obviously
    deliberate, faster shaking, and very even in rhythm.  The involuntary
    thing is not nearly as even.  
    
    I guess the key thing here is my perception of this as not appearing to
    be *deliberate*.  He's not in any pain or anything -- it's just curious
    behaviour that I'm trying to understand.
    
    Steve

    This is going to sound goofy, but it sounds like Michael is doing the
    same thing that my *mother-in-law* does (!).  Whenever she's reading
    something, or looking straight at something for a time, her head moves
    back and forth a little, as if she can't keep it still.  My husband
    once mentioned that it was something neurological (can't remember any
    details), but it wasn't a problem. 
    
    Maybe just mention it to your pedi and see what he/she says.