# RLS in toddlers



## jsheter

New here, so forgive if discussed recently. My 22 month old son has had issues sleeping since soon after birth. While we know his adoptive mother denied drug use during pregnancy, we cannot know for sure. Our son kicks and flails his legs frequently when going down each night and oftentimes during the night. We co-sleep occasionally and have experienced kicks in the face, eye, head, other body parts, etc. I read low iron could be a cause of RLS in toddlers and sometimes they are mis-diagnosed when a bit older with ADHD. Any experience or advice in this area would be most appreciated!!


----------



## treehugginhippie

maybe try Epsom salts bath before bed? for the magnesium benefit


----------



## Letitia

You're right, iron deficiency can cause restless legs. I don't know diddly about it in kids, but that's definitely true in adults. Getting his iron levels checked shouldn't be a big deal, if you can get him through a blood draw.


----------



## Mamalari

*Aspartame and Aceulfame K can cause RLS*

Two common artificial sweetners Aspartame and Aceulfame Pottassium (also called Acelufame K or just Aceulfame) are known causes of RLS. He might be taking a multivitamin with these sweetners, and they are also found in many toothpastes. Jason's toothpaste is a good brand that is free of those. Sometimes multivitamins wont list the sweetner, but if they don't list it they sould carry a "contains phenaline" warning. Any other item that is "sugar-free" could possibly contain one or both. Equal and Nutrasweet are brand names for aspartame. The information can be hard to find, but if you google "Mary Stoddard Aspartame" a lot of research on the topic should come up. I am not sure what the half-life of those are, but I suspect a couple weeks time off such products might be enough to tell if that is the problem. Mamalari


----------

