7

Infant behavior before Tourette

Hi all.  I was wondering if your child had any “strange” infant /toddler behavior?  My son with TS was a C-section baby (my daughter was a C-section as well and has no symptoms) and a screamer. I say “colicky” but the doctor never labeled him with colic. Also, he spit up a lot — even from soy, so I went back to regular formula.

I tried alternating breast feeding with formula for two weeks, but had to stop since I spent most of my day not eating because I was pacing the floor as he slept — no nutrition from mom.

Even though he spit up a lot, he gained weight fine, so it really wasn’t an issue.  My son ALWAYS wanted to be held but I had to stand.  If I sat, he’d wake up screaming.  (How the heck did he know I sat?)  Fortunately for me, he did NOT want to lay in bed with us, or he’d probably still be there. :)

Yes, after the three-month mark the screaming was better.  He still spit up until a little after 14 months and a couple months after switching to milk.  He also put everything in his mouth for a really long time.  Toys,  paper,  leaves,  etc.  He was a pretty good eater back then.

Now, almost 10, he’s quite picky and doesn’t eat cooked vegetables.  Only raw!  Well, I asked about infant/toddler behavior, enough about now.  Thanks.

7 Comments

  1. my son is 11 months old. i suspect tourettes in him. any suggestions? he has ticks already. pretty happy, but eats often and little.

    • Danielle, What are the ticks that you see in your 11 Month old? My Daughter sent me a video of her 10 month old while in the high chair eating. He would put his head to the side almost looked involuntary. I noticed him doing that a couple time after that too. I’m pretty worried. Hoping its nothing

      • Hello,
        What ended up happening with your grandson? My daughter is doing exactly what you said in the high chair and I’m so worried.

  2. We were still in the hospital after my sons birth and I noticed that he “startled” a lot. He did it every few minutes when he was in the hospital cart. He didn’t eat or sleep well from the get go. He was colicky, (not diagnosed) but it was 24/7, not just in the evening. I was breast feeding so I didn’t think my milk could be a problem, but after many calls to the pediatricians office with no remedy, I tried regular formula and soy formula with no luck. After an exhausting 7 weeks I tried lactose free formula and he finally stopped crying so much. He still had sleep problems, he only slept for 30 minutes at a time, around the clock, and had to be held all the time. We couldn’t hold him up in a vertical position because he would bang his head against our chest, like he was rooting, but he did it all the time, not just when it was time to eat. I was a zombie! He never slept through the night till he was 9 years old and started taking meds. He’s 12 now and is still extremely picky about what he will eat. Other than that he’s doing pretty well.

  3. I have not seen a consistent correlation between these common infant issues and TS. All 3 of my kids have TS and each was different in these regards. That is the hard thing about TS. So many children that have it have common comorbid conditions or neurological symptoms, but it’s hard to impossible to pick apart which symptoms are likely cause by which disorder or issue. Spitting up a lot is related to a strong gag reflex, which is common with sensory integration problems, which can cause a child to be sensitive to having too much milk at once, which can mean more frequent feedings and difficult nights. Colic can happen with any baby, but sensory integration issues are commonly seen in children with TS and children who are picky eaters. Not all kids with TS have significant SI issues or have them to the same degree, though. There are probably several different neurological and physical reasons why a child may have these sensory integration problems, though. You see them in children with Autism. You see them in children with PDD. Some stuff is just common baby stuff and some are symptoms of a neurological difference (a wide range of disorders), is the way I understand it. My first did that standing thing also. We always said he was like a cat- the cats also would only let us hold them if we stood and moved around. It was exhausting.

    • Do all three of your children have tourettes or do any of them have a milder tic disorder? Comorbid conditions too? What are their symptoms? Carla

  4. Hi – My son was actually an amazingly easy baby and toddler. He slept, he was hilarious, so fun to be around. I suppose this is why the diagnosis hit me so hard. It was just so shocking and not what I expected. He is now a much much more difficult child to raise than my daughter who was a difficult baby. It’s just the way it is I guess. Thanks for posting!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *