Kicking legs and swinging arms at night while sleeping

One of my twins, who turn seven months old on the 28th, picks his legs up at night and slams them down on the crib mattress. He also swings his arms up and down. His eyes are closed the majority of the time he is doing this. Sometimes he makes moaning noises. If I let him continue this for a period of time, he wakes up and does not want to go back to sleep. When he first starting doing this, all I had to do was give him his pacifier and cover him back up and he would go back to sleep. Now I have to pick him up and hold him for a couple minutes and then he stops (but only for maybe an hour) and then it starts all over again. I started putting him in his swing when he does this and he seems to sleep fine there. Last night I laid him down in his crib at 8:30 and he started this behavior at 9:00. When I went to check on him, he was awake. I just bought a rock and play sleeper and laid him in it to sleep at 9:00. He slept there until around 4:00 A.M. before he starting stirring and then I moved him to his swing. When I brought the twins home, they slept in a little bassinet on the floor before moving them to their bouncer to sleep. I tried to transition them to their crib about two months ago (I think). The other twin sleeps in his crib fine (unless he turns over and gets uncomfortable, but that is another topic).
 
My main concern is that he won't be able to sleep in his swing or the rock and play forever. He will have to start sleeping in his crib sooner or later. I have no idea what is going on and why he does this every night. I was thinking maybe I need to read up on sleep training him. Anyone ever had their LO do this? Any suggestions or comments? Please help!!!!!

 

Unfortunately, I don't have much advice. But I can relate. My singleton, who is 6 months old, does this too! He doesn't swing his arms much, but the leg thumping is crazy. He does it when he wakes up from nap, but then he's generally laughing and cooing and happy. At night, sometimes he's awake and sometimes he's not. I'm just now able to sometimes put his pacifier in his mouth and have that calm him down, but typically I have to hold him for just a minute. And then he'll settle back down for a while. 
 
What advice I can offer is that he will eventually sleep better and in his swing. One thing I learned from my older twins is that most everything is a phase and try not to stress too much. I know it sucks to have so much broken sleep, but this too shall pass. I joke that I know they'll all move out one day! 
 
I really do think it'll get better on it's own when all the big physical milestones are met. DS2 is just starting to want to pull up and just started today getting into a sitting position on his own. So I think once some of these skills get mastered, he'll sleep better. 

 

Thank you for replying to my post and letting me know that I am not alone in this venture!
 
Funny you mentioned the phrase "This too shall pass!" In the first few months, my mother kept telling me, "It will get better!" I got so tired of hearing that. One day I told her to shush it - LOL!
 
Since posting this, HP has been doing better at night. Not sure if this is fluke or not, but I will take it! I do not know if the cooler weather has been helping out, but he has been sleeping in his crib from 8 PM to 2 PM and then I have been putting him in his rock and play to sleep the remainder of the morning. He slept until 7 AM yesterday morning and this morning was still sleeping when I left for work at 8 AM.
 
It is just frustrating to have a couple of good nights sleep in a row without them waking up MULTIPLE times a night, knowing the good nights will not last long - LOL!
 
Meanwhile, it was BA's turn last night to be the twin who would not cooperate with sleeping. The majority of time, if he wakes up it is because he has turned over onto his stomach and does not know how to get back on his back. He used to cry out loudly and would not stop until you turn him over onto his side or back. However, lately his cries have been very short. He cries out once and then stops. I am guessing he is starting to figure out how to make himself more comfortable. Hopefully, when he is able to move around more freely, this will pass too.
 
Last night however, he was up at 2:00, 2:35 then 2:45 before I got fed up and put him in his swing to sleep. Usually, he goes back to sleep and I don't hear him again, but last night I heard him off and on until I got up at 4:15 to rock him back to sleep. I think his gums are bothering him. He is drooling like crazy and everything goes into his mouth, but I am not feeling anything under his gums yet. I fear that he is going to have a hard time cutting his teeth. Meanwhile, HP cut his first two teeth about 3 weeks ago.
 
Anyways, just wanted to say thanks for the post and encouraging words. It definitely helps knowing other moms are going through the same types of things that I am going through.
 
Take care!