Thumping Legs on Mattress

My daughter is 10 months old and still thumps her legs down. She too is not in any pain, its just a thing she does. I wouldn't worry.

She's learning. Don't be concerned, be happy. She's probably excited, and it wakes her up. You'll see plenty more of these things coming soon. Its a fun time :) (My daughter is 6 months)

Yep, I agree with the other mommies ... she's just practicing! My son did the same thing at about the same age. Just wait ... she'll start practicing all kinds of cute stuff now, like blowing raspberries, clenching and unclenching her little hands. I used to wink at my son all the time, and he even started mimmicking that around 5 or 6 months. It was really cute.
Have fun watching her!
-T

My 5 month old started doing the same thing a few weeks ago. And I actually remember my oldest daughter (who's now 4) doing the same thing. I think they are just figuring out their body movements and learning control. It is amazing how hard they can throw that leg down! Sometimes its like they have no feeling in their feet!
Don't worry - its completely normal behavior!

i think it's just a part of them figuring out they can do different things. my baby started that around 6 months and still does it from time to time in the crib. it's kind of like it's a part of his unwinding process. it is amazing how loud the thump can be!

This brings such a smile to my face! My 14 month old daughter was also a "thumper". She LOVED her bouncy chair and I believe that she was thumping in the crib with the hopes that the crib would respond like the bouncy. Even though it didn't, the movement seemed to soothe her.
Enjoy your thumper :)
J.

My son now 19 months did the same thing when he was around that age. Get ready for when she starts walking, she is going to RUN everywhere. She is building her stomach & leg muscles. My son would do that to move himself around on the mattress when he was a little older. I wouldn't worry about it. My son no longer does that & stopped doing it when he got more moble. That was really how I knew he was awake in the morning, when he would do that!

Sooo cute. My son did the same thing from ages 5-7 months. He would thump so loud I repeatedly checked the video monitor to make sure he didn't fall out of the crib - which would have be impossible but the thump was SO LOUD! For a while I wondered if he had gas but he never seemed unhappy, just playful. Enjoy this phase...many more peculiar things to come!

sounds like your child is exploring movements of the body.. must be fun!

Could it just be a game? at this age they start to realize that they can do all kinds of things with their bodies, maybe she just loves the sound and/or the sensations of doing this.

I'd check with the pediatrician to be sure, but if she shows no other sign of anything (pain, odd behavior, etc.), my gut is to say it's just a game she invented.

K.

R K,
My DS did this, and have actually a funny story to relate:

He was in his bassinet, snoozing on a warm afternoon, and I felt I had a moment I could get to email for a change, so when he woke, and didn't cry, I just kept on going.

He started thumping his legs (had wondered about this, but didn't go any further than that). He started giggling after each thump. I peeked in on him, and each time he brought his legs down, the mobile would move a little. He was giggling at the movement.

So he kept this up for a good 20 minutes, getting a little more energetic about things, until I heard this one thump, no giggle, and he started crying. I raced in to find...

...his diaper had been shot down the end of the bassinet, and he had soaked himself. Not having been wet much before, it was a new environment, and needed my approval. :) I giggled and he started giggling again. Changed him, the bed, me, and we were good to go for round two, after I nursed him. :)

Good luck,
M.

Dear RK,

Your baby is perfectly fine, she has just found out she has legs and likes using them. I have a baby in my daycare who's legs never stop. She is now 1 and has been walking for around a month she is very active. As long as she is not in pain, she is fine and doing just what she should be doing. Congratulations on your baby girl!!

Hi RK,

It could be a parasomnia (which is a sleep order that interferes with sleep, like sleep walking or night terrors). Parasomnias typically happen in children, as they are deep sleepers. Does this also happen while she is awake? If it is a parasomnia, don't worry, children out grow them. The older a child becomes, the less deep their sleep is. Good luck!

Oh my gosh... you just brought me back about 5 years.... When my daughter (who is now 5) was a baby, she did the EXACT same thing. It was her attempt to try to move around the crib. She'd lift her legs up and thump them down really loudly on the crib mattress. She'd try to wriggle around a bit by doing that. She was often successful because, even though she couldn't roll from her back to her front, at around 12 weeks old, she'd move from the middle of the crib to the corner, where she liked to sleep. After a while, I just learned that I'd save her the trip and I put her down to sleep horizontally across the crib at the end (so she was surrounded by the bumpers on 3 sides). I guess she found it cozier there.

I think it's just her way of trying to move....

My daughter (now 2) has done this since she was about 3 months old. She used to get her little bum off the mattress and just turn round and round in circles, using ONLY the thumping! I wouldn't worry about it - my daughter has the BEST abs I've ever seen on a two year old..and she loves to dance. :-)

She's fine! Just playing and practicing her new leg skills! It's so cool to realize you have legs, and that they can do cool things like thump the mattress. (Over and over.) This is going to quickly lead her to turning over, so get ready for some sleepless nights. My son would flip himself over and SCREAM, 5-10 times a night. It lasted for two weeks...ugh! Then it happens again when they sit up and/or crawl. Then again when they can stand up, but can't get back down.

The joys of growing up! Your daughter is right on track. :)

Does she have a bouncy chair? If she does, she probably thinks that kicking the mattress will provide movement like the bouncy chair and gets annoyed when it doesn't.

She's doing this because she can. At this age, babies become aware of their bodies and their surroundings and start to explore and move their arms and legs with purpose. She is doing it because she likes the fact that she can make a thump sound and it's probably fun for her.

RK,
If your dd is only doing this a little bit, then it's probably a game as the others have suggested. But if she is doing it often and it is waking her up, watch for other signs of allergies. My son has milk protein allergies and he was doing this because he was in pain. You said she does not seem to be in pain and if she doesn't have any other symptoms, than you probably have nothing to worry about!

My son, now 3 1/2 years old, did this also. Probably started doing it around the same age as you daughter and kept doing it for a while. My only concern then was when he did it in the middle of the night and slid under the blanket (way under). I had to make sure he wasn't covered in a heavy blanket from start! (Before this started I used to tuck the blanket in at the sides also...). I used "sleepy bag" of fleece on him, and then just a light blanket, so his face wouldn't get covered up heavily if he moved "down under".
Hope this helps!

U.

Very frequently babies do things "just because they can." She may have just figured out that she has control of her legs and this is her new "trick". As long as she doesn't seem to be in pain or distressed, I wouldn't worry about it too much. The good news is as babies learn new "tricks" they often forget about the old ones & the thumping will stop!