4 Month Old Dipping His Head to Side - What Is This?

Generally when a baby does this, his neck muscles are weak on that one side. It is called Torticollis, and needs physical therapy. My nephew and my son both had it, so I am familiar. But, generally babies have it before 4 months. It is worth a trip to the pediatrician and if it is torticollis, do not let the doctor convince you it will go away on it's own. Your baby deserves a physical therapist evaluation, they are the professionals in this area, not the pediatrician! I truly hope it is something simple like an ear infection, which is entirely possible because it is showing so late, but if not, then please follow through. If you need help, please message me.

I would ask the pediatrician. Your baby could have something as simple as a stiff neck though.

Call your doc and ask or ask for an appt. Could be an ear infection. My son was notorious about not giving the "classic" indicators for ear infections... but having them. Or it could be related to teething (my kids didn't fuss about that, either).
Can't hurt to have the pedi look in his ears or observe the behavior and tell you if it is a concern. You could always video it as well, in case he doesn't do it while you are at the doctor's office.

when things about your baby freak you out, the internet is the worst place to turn.

ask your pediatrician. seriously. make an appointment right now.

it's probably nothing. but 'researching' and soliciting opinions on the internet will freak you out worse. take him to the trained professional who's already familiar with him and can give you actual useful advice.
khairete
S.

I understand where Marla is coming from - my son had Torticollis. With him, he couldn't actually turn his neck to one side - the neck muscles were weak on one side and tight on the other. It wasn't exactly nodding or bobbing, but I wonder if it could be related.

In our case, our pediatrician recommended physical therapy and we were able to resolve it in a matter of about a month or so of just doing some strengthening exercises at home. Just a little bit each day to gradually increase his strength.

My son probably had it from birth but we didn't notice it right off (probably around 3 months) when he was sitting a bit more upright in his little seat and we noticed his problem.

While I hope it's something more simple, it really wasn't a huge problem for us - just something we worked on. Good luck :)

My friend's daughter did this at about the same age. Turns out, it was a vision problem and she was turning her head so she could see better. As you can see from the posts here, it could be a number of things. Please don't get yourself too upset before you know what is going on! (I know, I know- easier said than done!)

Give your pediatrician a call and let us know what happens!

A friend of mine noticed her son did that right about 4 or 5 months. The doc did check him and ruled out Torticullus. However, they decided to keep an eye on it for a month or so. He continued to do it. Turned out there was an issue with his eyes. I cannot remember what it was but I believe he was prescribed glasses.

Updated

A friend of mine noticed her son did that right about 4 or 5 months. The doc did check him and ruled out Torticullus. However, they decided to keep an eye on it for a month or so. He continued to do it. Turned out there was an issue with his eyes. I cannot remember what it was but I believe he was prescribed glasses.