Question
A parent inquires that their baby, who is one month and twenty days old, vigorously shakes their head when about to fall asleep, while also waving their arms and kicking their legs. After a pause, the baby will close their eyes and sleep for a while before waking up again to repeat the same actions until they finally fall asleep. The baby also plays like this when awake, but with less force, and will play with their tongue. The baby’s feeding and mental state are good, drinking 100 milliliters of milk every three hours. The parent is worried that these symptoms might be a sign of epilepsy, as they have observed the baby frequently blinking recently, but this has decreased in the past few days.
Answer
Experts point out that there could be two reasons for the baby’s head shaking: one is due to itching of the scalp caused by sweating, which can be improved with cleaning; the other is that the baby’s nervous system has not yet fully developed, and these behaviors might be normal. Additionally, a lack of calcium may also cause similar symptoms. It is recommended that parents take the baby to a local hospital for a check-up and to test for trace elements, such as checking for calcium deficiency, in which case calcium supplementation should be timely.