# leg thrusting/ trance-like weird behavior



## bellagrace (Nov 10, 2005)

My 19mo daughter does this strange behavior while sitting in the car-seat, high-chair, grocery cart and stroller. She thrusts her legs out repeatedly and her breathing seems to slow, she opens her mouth and looks as if she is going into a trance state. Her eyes are open and she will respond to me and make eye contact but she doesn't always stop. Often she shoves her fingers into anything that will give them resistance like the buckles on the car seat straps. This behavior stresses me to no end. Her fingers can be dented and red and she doesn't seem to care. If I pull them out she just shoves them right back in. She will shove her hands under the grocery cart leg openings and strain. When I try to take her out of the car seat she doesn't help me, often because she still doing her thing with the legs. It's hard to get her buckled in because she starts thrusting right away.
In the high chair she doesn't even eat sometimes because she is doing this. If I move her to the cushy seat she doesn't do it.
She does this in the stroller so much I don't even bother using it unless I absoltely have to. She arches her back completely off the back of the stoller while thrusting her legs. She doesn't make any noises while doing this. She doesn't cry either, it sometimes seems she holding her breath a little. She will pull her hat over her face while doing this too.
Her pediatrition told me I'll never be able to figure this out.
It's driving me insane.
Any suggestions??????


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## Meg_s (Apr 13, 2006)

My best friend found out when she was 19 or so that she had been having seizures for her entire life but was not aware of it. They were discreet enough that no one really noticed (finally a live in boyfriend noticed something odd), she didn't even notice!!! There were short periods of time that she couldnt' account for but it did not worry her and I spent a *lot* of time with her in highschool and did not notice!! They're not full seizures, just partial ones and she spaces out a little bit. Just offering a suggestion... it's worrying you but not all parents are as observant as you are I am sure and mini seizures could easily slip by if nothing dramatic was happening.


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## alexsam (May 10, 2005)

I was also thinking seizures. I was also thinking you should get a second oppinion from another pediatrician. Maybe nothing is wrong (toddlers can be quirky!







) but it sounds pretty upsetting.


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## bellagrace (Nov 10, 2005)

I did think seizures too and the pediatrition and I discussed it. He asked a bunch of questions and seemed to rule it out. I'm going to video tape her while doing it and show it to him and then see what he says. She only does this when sitting and that is key, I think. Sometimes when I pick her up she will hold my neck and pull her legs up but she has none of the other behaviors. Thanks


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## NamastePlatypus (Jan 22, 2007)

ds is having a sleep eeg to rule it out since he has night terrors with seizure like symptoms. I would ask for that.


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## riverscout (Dec 22, 2006)

I know a lot of pps have mentioned seizures, but I agree with your doctor here. It doesn't sound like seizures to me because it is happening in very specific places, the car seat, high chair, grocery cart, and stroller. It seems seizures would be more random. A seizure wouldn't stop just because you moved your dd from her high chair to a cushy seat.

IMO, it just sounds like maybe she doesn't like these places and is really frustrated. Not all kids scream and cry and throw fits when they don't like something. She probably just doesn't like being strapped in anywhere, which I think is pretty normal at this age. You could just try letting her eat somewhere else other than the high chair and let her walk instead of using the stroller or the shopping cart and see how things go. My dd walks through the grocery store all the time. It takes a little bit bit longer, but not by much at all really. The car seat obviously is not negotiable, but you could try some things to distract her and make her less anxious...maybe get some special toys that are just for the car and play her favorite music.

My dd does weird stuff too. I think toddlers are just generally weird...funny, amazing, and interesting, but weird.


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## cdahlgrd (Sep 4, 2002)

It may not be seizures, but I thought it sounded like it too. Or some kind of panic attack? It wouldn't be hard to see if it is a seizure, simply get an eeg with her in the stroller. It is a non invasive test that is annoying but not too difficult.


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## 4Marmalade (May 4, 2004)

OK, I'll go out on a limb here and tell you what my dd does. From around 12 months she has done something sort of similar. It started when she was in her carseat, highchair, etc... She would sort of thrust her legs out, bend them again, etc... She would sometimes get a little red in the face and her breathing might slow a bit. Both dh and I agree (and a few other people who have seen her) that it is a "feel good" behaviour. Now that she is 23 months she no longer does it in the carseat but has progressed to lying sideways on the floor in a fetal position and kind of "flexing" (it's so hard to describe







). She will also do it on the stairs. She can get a little trance-like but for her it is a conscious effort and I am fairly confident that they are not seizures. I can usually distract her and get her to move on to other things. My ds was an early starter to the feeling good behaviour too but he is not so easy to distract once he gets started







.

Just something else to consider.


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## apple_dumpling (Oct 20, 2004)

I just wanted to chime in and say that my dd does this too, and has done it since she was quite small. It's not really *that* often that she does it, and she doesn't make any noise when she does it either, but to me it looks like she is doing it because she is agitated.

FWIW, I mentioned it to her ped several times, and he has always poo-poo'ed the seizure idea for her as well. She's two now and it has slacked off quite a bit now that she is a little more verbal - though I"m not sure it's related to that at all.

I'm just kind of keeping an eye on it. I mentioned having her do an eeg or something similar to rule out seizures, but the ped didn't want to do it, and ever since I mentioned it she has hardly done it anymore. Right now I"m just kind of keeping my eye out before I go in there and push for it.


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## MadisMilkMaid (Aug 25, 2006)

I agree with Mama to Ones post and say that it sounds like a feel good behavior. My DD (almost 2) has been doing this for months now, and does it every time she gets in her car seat. She also does it in the stroller, high chair, anywhere that has a bar/strap that goes between the legs. She thrust her legs, flexes them, curls toes, holds her breath, looks like she is in a trance. When I see her doing this I just smile at her, but I don't tell her no or try to make her do something else. I would hate to put any bad feelings or shame along with what she is doing. It really sounds like this is what your DD is doing. I think it is really the age and that it will go away. I am so glad you posted this though because I was afraid I was the only one!


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## cdahlgrd (Sep 4, 2002)

Ah, I am a mother of boys, that didn't even occur to me.


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## SamuraiEarthMama (Dec 3, 2002)

I was going to suggest the "feel-good" concept, too.

My boys never did it (3 of 'em) but the girl did. The boys were not at all mysterious about it, nor trance-like... they just grab-n-go!


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## BelgianSheepDog (Mar 31, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *riverscout* 
I know a lot of pps have mentioned seizures, but I agree with your doctor here. It doesn't sound like seizures to me because it is happening in very specific places, the car seat, high chair, grocery cart, and stroller. It seems seizures would be more random. A seizure wouldn't stop just because you moved your dd from her high chair to a cushy seat.

IMO, it just sounds like maybe she doesn't like these places and is really frustrated. Not all kids scream and cry and throw fits when they don't like something. She probably just doesn't like being strapped in anywhere, which I think is pretty normal at this age. You could just try letting her eat somewhere else other than the high chair and let her walk instead of using the stroller or the shopping cart and see how things go. My dd walks through the grocery store all the time. It takes a little bit bit longer, but not by much at all really. The car seat obviously is not negotiable, but you could try some things to distract her and make her less anxious...maybe get some special toys that are just for the car and play her favorite music.

My dd does weird stuff too. I think toddlers are just generally weird...funny, amazing, and interesting, but weird.









: I read the description like four times, trying to picture it. It sounds like she's trying to escape!







FWIW I have absence seizures and they look nothing like that. When I was a kid, I'd black out and just fall over. As an older kid and adult, I'll just go blank for a minute and stare into space. Barely noticeable. And a grand mal seizure normally would be a lot more dramatic and a lot more random than you're describing.


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## Meg_s (Apr 13, 2006)

LOL!!!!! "feel good" behaviour. I'm the mother of a boy... yes it makes sense. I should have remembered from various little girls I've babysat.


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## 4Marmalade (May 4, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MadisMilkMaid* 
When I see her doing this I just smile at her, but I don't tell her no or try to make her do something else. I would hate to put any bad feelings or shame along with what she is doing.

I just wanted to agree with this. I know I put in my post that I can usually distract dd (which I can) but I don't do it in a shaming way. She does it veeeeery often so we need to sometimes get her to move on to something else in order to have our day continue. I can put on her shoes, turn my back to grab a bag to go out the door and she's started again. So, at that point I just ask her to get up and walk out to the car. She will, so that's how I know she is making a conscious effort and is not having a seizure. Most times we just leave her be. Just wanted to clear that up







. Ds is 4-1/2 and we're still working on the "it's private" thing which is how I know he can't be distracted - once he starts he's not moving







.


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## bellagrace (Nov 10, 2005)

thank you!!!! I did originally think it was a feel good behavior but because she looks so "strange" I didn't think that she could possibly be "feeling good" but I'm pretty sure it's not seizures because I can get her to talk to me while she is doing it.
Thanks so much!!!


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## teacup (Nov 12, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bellagrace* 
...I did originally think it was a feel good behavior but because she looks so "strange" I didn't think that she could possibly be "feeling good" ...

Consider what your partner (or you) might look like in the moment. It ain't pretty!







:


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## O.monse (5 mo ago)

I know this thread is old... but did your Daughter ever grow out of it? Mine is doing this and we are concerned. Thank you


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## elopez1138 (4 mo ago)

O.monse said:


> I know this thread is old... but did your Daughter ever grow out of it? Mine is doing this and we are concerned. Thank you


 Omg I want to know too!! My daughter is 14 months and has been doing the same since very little. More so when she feels confined (Highchair, car seat, supermarket cart etc.) and we’ve caught her just normally sitting down sometimes. Her pediatrician isn’t too concerned about it but i am. The episodes don’t last long or sometimes she stops and then starts again after a while if she’s still “confined”. This is such an issue. It’s a battle to feed her.


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## ramsimens (4 mo ago)

Really interesting situation.


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