Toddler Restless Legs

[jcbii]

I’ll start by saying I’ve brought it to the pediatricians attention and he seems a little flippant. I obviously would never give my daughter anything without doctor approval first but jsut looking for personal experiences.

My 2 year old (26 months) was a horrible sleeper in infancy. Her legs would move ALL night long and we were constantly like does she have restless legs?! Fast forward to now and she is a phenomenal sleeper. Goes to sleep on her own, naps well, sleeps through the night. BUT she will have periods where for a slant of 4-6 nights she is super restless. She will be awake in her crib for literally hours in the middle of the night. It’s obvious she’s tired and she will get frustrated because she is sleepy but just can’t fall asleep. When this happens her legs and feet are literally moving so much. It’s like everytime she starts dozing her legs or feet start moving and it wakes her up. Even trying to rock her it’s like overstimulating to me holding her because she will NOT stop moving her legs. It’s the oddest thing and I feel so bad for her. It’s not a typical middle of the night waking where she’s up… she’s obviously sleepy and just can’t calm her body/legs. I’m convinced she’s dealing with restless legs. It’ll happen for that week period and then she will sleep fine u til it randomly happens again.

Anyways.. does anyone have experience with this or a child that has RLS syndrome? I u sweat and she may not have it but maybe just has times of growth, etc. that she intermittently experiences this. What did you do to help?

 

[azfara]

@jcbii I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice, I’m suggesting you read up a bit on magnesium deficiency. If after doing so it seems like something worth considering your child to be checked for, ask your pediatrician about having her magnesium levels checked. For my son it’s made all the difference for his RLS with a simple supplement after discovering his magnesium level is low (very common). Do go through your doctor though. If your doctor is blowing you off, you could try to find another. Good luck!

 

[jcbii]

@azfara Yes! I LOVE magnesium. I actually asked her pediatrician about it and he said she’s too young and looked at me like I was crazy. I did an epsom salt bath with her tonight though and bought some magnesium lotion to try. I have just been hesitant to give it to her orally since she’s only 2. Wasn’t sure if it’s safe! I take it daily

 

[lucakes]

@jcbii I give my 2 year Natural Calm magnesium formula. In a small doses, whenever he is too hyped up to go to sleep. It's just a vitamin and it is supposed to be effective for restless leg.

 

[readercuthbert]

@jcbii Most doctors have no clue about health, they're only trained to diagnose illnesses, and then they know solutions to that illness, but only the solutions/treatments they're trained in medical school

Fun fact: medical schools are mostly funded and influenced by Big Pharma

(a quick Google search will give you all the info you (DO NOT) want to know)

About a lot of doctors: They sometimes see the holistic approach as a competition to them, or they feel a bit like a god, so if they don't know about something it must be BS, a lot of doctors are ignorant, or willfully ignorant, or in some, (hopefully very rare) cases, have psychopathic tendencies

Note: They call it alternative treatment, the alternative to what?!

oh... I'll tell you, the alternative to the drugs that Big Pharma wants you to take

I would suggest you find a holistic doctor (if health is what one is after),

for a short-term band-aid solution (for a major illness) a medical doctor can help,

but for a long happy and healthy life, they're NEVER your answer,

But If your only option is a conventional doctor,

then go from one the the other until you find an open-minded doctor

Good luck!

 

[jcbii]

@readercuthbert This post was from a while back and it has since resolved itself, BUT… I started writing down when it was happening and after a few months I noticed a trend of it always happening in the days leading up to and immediately following the full moon each month

 

[beptuduc]

@jcbii Did magnesium lotion help? Have you tried anything else

 

[jcbii]

@beptuduc I don’t feel like it made a noticeable difference

 

[beptuduc]

@jcbii Did anything make a difference for her rls

 

[kitcatrn]

@jcbii My sons' legs will sometimes bother them close to bedtime, but we suspect that is more growth pains than anything. However, I treat their leg pain the same way I do my own restless leg syndrome: leg stretches at bedtime and a warm compress/heating pad to sleep with. We got some microwavable heating pads for our sons so we don't have to worry as much about them sleeping with them (we don't warm them up very much) and it's just enough to provide them relief to rest. For me, a heating pad is the best treatment for my restless legs as well.

 

[fefe299]

@kitcatrn This
When it's a few nights at a time, I think it's considered growing pains more than restless legs. My son's pediatrician says it will happen for a week and to either give ibuprofen before bed (I really try not to) or to do the heat, like you. The heat really helps. She also told me to have him take it easy in the afternoon before bed to not aggravate his legs more.

I also have always wondered if he has leg problems because he's kinda knock kneed

 

[natalijaasbj]

@jcbii .

 

[jcbii]

@natalijaasbj It’s not in her sleep! She’s awake the entire time. She will lay there for hours awake and it’s like she will be trying to doze off but her legs are keeping her awake. I love magnesium and take it daily myself I just wasn’t sure if she’s old enough

 

[andyjlovatodimasallajesus]

@jcbii Pulmonary Limb Movement Disorder- basically restless legs while sleeping and can dramatically impact quality of sleep. Most common in kids. This is something you can only get diagnosed by an actually sleep specialist, usually after an overnight sleep study. There are easy ways of treating, but needs to be monitored by the sleep specialist.