Do any of you have a "rocker?"

Hi Ladies,
My DS2 is a major rocker right now. DS1 does not do this. Whenever he is in his high chair, car seat, or really sitting anywhere including on my lap, he rocks back-and-forth, back-and-forth.... Sometimes he'll rock his high chair clear across the room! I rock him during most of his bottles; more so now than I did during the first 6-8 months of his life when I used to feed him downstairs where there isn't a rocker. So, his self-rocking did seem to increase when I increased rocking him. He is completely "normal" when he is doing this; he will respond to his name, laugh, play with toys, etc. Luckily, during their 12-month well-visit he did it on my lap so the ped actually saw it and said he wasn't concerned. He said it was most likely self-soothing. When does a behavior like this become concerning? I plan to just keep an eye on it for now. Did/do any of your LOs do this? Do you think it is because you rock them and they associate it with comfort? Thank you.

 

I don't have a 'rocker' myself. However, when I was teaching, I had a student who was. He would rock himself to sleep. He would lay down on his mat and rock his body back and forth, almost like he was flipping himself from side to side. And sometimes he would sit and hug his knees and rock that was as well.

He was a perfectly happy, healthy, normal child. It was his way of comforting himself!

 

I don't have a rocker either, but I have a thumb-sucker (Jack), and your DS sounds a bit like him. Jack is very engaged, and shows no abnormal behaviors (other than wearing potholders as hats ), but he sucks his thumb at every opportunity and it's totally a self-soothing technique. If your ped isn't concerned, then I wouldn't be either.

 

Hi i wouldnt be worried my best friend is a rocker and always has been and her ds1 is also a rocker dont think she worries about it, think it is a soothing think and habit.

 

Both of mine do this. DD has been doing it for a while now and DS is the monkey do of the pair. I'm not worried about it. I think they are just testing out their systems. I try to direct them where to do it cause I'm afraid they'll hit their heads. DD has found out it is sooo much more fun on the couch or in the PNP. They bounce back better than the wall or the door.