2 Year Old with Restless Leg Syndrome

I have RLS and have just learned to deal with it on my own, without medication. I've found that if I go to sleep before I get too tired, it doesn't act up as much. I know it's hard enough to get a 2 year old to go to sleep, but it might help if he can get to sleep earlier.

I'm glad to hear someone else has a child with this symptom because I was thinking my 5 year old was just complaining because she didn't want to go to bed and this was her way of getting more attention. We have been on "Hexagonal water" for the past 3 weeks and I have not heard her complain once now that I'm reading your plea for help. We have been getting all kinds of great results with this water that I bet we haven't noticed 1/2 of the benefits of it. If you are interested in learning more about hexangonal kangen water go to our website, www.myhexagonalwater.com. I hope this helps.

I have restless leg syndrome too and it can be frustrating. One thing my doctor told me can be a contributing factor is iron deficiency. I would make sure that your son is checked for that as well. When my iron level is up my symptoms are greatly reduced. Good luck!

I have been dealing with restless leg syndrome for years; my mother has as well and rarely gets a good nights sleep. There are medications but for me one thing that helps is making sure I don't go to bed very late- the later I go to bed, the worse the RLS is. So I would try out the other suggestions people have recommended (which I will be trying too!) but make sure your little one has a strict bedtime every night.

Restless leg syndrom is really a lack of v-B in the diet. you might try foods high in V-B and see if it helps. Before giving him a v-B supliment though I would check with the doc. C.

C.,

I have restless leg syndrome, and it can be very frustrating not being able to sleep through the night. What helps me the most is when I get enough activity through the day. If I sit or lay down too much (especially a few hours before bed), it will cause (what I call) an episode. It is hard to describe the feeling. It isn't quite pain, but discomfort isn't a strong enough word. I have this "pain" through my legs and feet. I feel creepy crawly sensations on my legs, and sometimes my legs will jerk suddenly. I've had this since I was a kid, but it wasn't diagnosed until I was 22 or 23. I've this with this disorder for nearly 10 years now. There are medications available, but I have chosen not to go that way for now. The best thing I can do for myself is to get plenty of activity/exercise. Stretching in the morning and before bed helps alot, and when it is really bad I will have my husband massage my lower back, legs and feet until I feel I can fall asleep. He's been a real help with the problem. Massage is very important in overcoming RLS episodes. One other thing I have found that works is to have a distraction. If I can find something that will completely absorb my mind, then I can ignore the episode until it calms down. Sometimes I'll even get so desperate as to play a video game because it will take the focus off of the "pain." Please let me know if I can be of anymore help, and I hope that some of these things help your son.

C.-married 5 years, in the process of adopting.

Hi Cystal,

I do not have children with restless leg syndrome but I have it and have had it only for my adult life not as a child. From my experience, it is not a pain but more of a tingling sensation and spasm in the foot-for me usually only in one at a time. Getting up and walking it off usually helps.

Now with a 2 year old it is hard for him to verbalize what it actually feels like. Does he complain of foot pain when also sitting for extended period of times (ie. car rides), does he fidget more than normal? (I move my feet a lot even when sitting otherwise I will get the restless leg syndrome).

Do his feet hurt to the touch? Have they done any tests? Is all this occuring only at bedtime? If he gets out of bed and walks around does the pain go away?

I hope some of that helps to figure this out as it sounds upsetting for him not to be able to sleep.

K.

I don't know if this will help, but I have fybromyalgia, and one of the symptoms that go with it is restless leg syndrome. I often have a very hard time sleeping through the night as well. Over the last few years I have noticed patterns that either help me to sleep and feel better, or that make everything worse, i.e. make it harder to sleep. The biggest things for me are my diet, and good exercise. If I eat right, and cut way down on the sugar, I feel a lot better. This is especially true right before I go to sleep. If I eat too much dessert or sweets before I go to bed - there is no chance that I will sleep through the night. Usually I don't eat for a while before I go to sleep and I do alright, and sometimes I've noticed if I eat a good meal right before going to bed I sleep great! (I'm not sure yet if this is the case all the time.) I don't know if any of this will help, since all he has is restless leg syndrome, but I would suggest watching his diet, and maybe through trial and error you can find a routine that works...and be able to avoid medications and other expensive remedies.

Sounds like you already have some great feedback. Given it is a neurological disorder, if you are interested in natural approaches- try CranioSacral therapy. I have also heard that iron plays a bit part.
Best of luck

Some kids just take longer learning how to sleep through the night. I would strongly advise you to avoid looking for a medical problem especially if he is healthy in every other way. My daughter who is now almost twelve and still needs me to tuck her in every night, benefited from nightly arm and leg rubs with a nice soothing oil before bed every night. After a warm bath, dim the lights in his room, talk in a quiet, calm voice as you dress him for bed. Then sing to him quietly as you rub his feet and legs (and arms and hands if you want. Get his bedtime routine the same. As always consistency is the most important thing.

Are you a working Mom? - maybe he just wants more time with you. Do you nurse? My daughter didn't sleep well until she stopped nursing around age 2 1/2. What happens when he wakes up at night?

I really doubt that he has Restless Leg Syndrome - Dr.s seem to be so eager to give us a pill when they don't know what else to do. Patient beware.

Eventually kids learn to sleep through the night, just like they learn to use the potty and talk. I know it's rough when you are not getting to sleep all night but in the end this time of toddlerhood does not last that long. Soon he will be a teenager that you can't get out of bed!! Hang in there and don't worry - that's my advice.

D. K

I have heard of this but don't think alot about it. Is it possible that maybe he just needs to get a little more activity through out the day. With winter I know it is hard perhaps a indoor playground once or twice a week? Also limit any sugary drinks or foods after 4pm at that can stimulate restlessness.

Hope that helps.

I had something like RLS as a child, though not quite as young as 2, and the pediatrician always brushed it off as growing pains. It was extremely painful in my calfs and sides of my ankles. I would be given over the counter med's like aspirin for it but would still cry myself to sleep with my legs jumping all over the place! As an adult when I started hearing about RLS I decided myself that I must have been suffering from that as a child. I finally outgrew it, but I'm sorry to say it wasn't until my 20's. Don't want to give you discouraging news like that, though your son could be very different from what I had. Now as a 44 year-old I can easily come up with RLS symptoms just by taking an over the counter cold medicine or allergy medicine. Then I have legs jumping all over the place. As long as I stay away from otc drugs like that I am fine now. He's not on any medicine's right now is he? If so it could be a side effect. I hope you can find some relief for your son! He doesn't need to deal with something like this at his age, or any age for that matter! Keep us posted on what happens!

Hi C.,
My father-in-law also suffered from this problem for umpteen yrs. up until my sister who works at the hospital since she's in the medical field, she heard where you can put a bar of soap under your fitted sheet and that would help. So my father-in-law tried this trick and as goofy as it seems it worked. He no longer suffers from RLS.

Growing up, my sister always had "restless legs" and leg pain and knee pain and often couldn't sleep through the night because of it. My mom spent countless nights just rubbing my sister's legs. It turned out she had arthritis! It may not be something that serious with your little one, but that kind of thing does happen and it's so hard to know when we can't feel what our kids feel and they are sometimes too young to describe it. Good luck!

I don't know about children, but I did get a case of RLS with my pregnancy. There were underlying issues and accupuncture fixed me up well. I know it sounds scary, but I would consult a doctor in conjunction with an easter med doc. and find something that works for your son.

I would have your son do a sleep test. This will let a number of possibilities be ruled out. My son never slept through the night and turned out he had sleep apnea! So although it will be a little scary, a parent is supposed to go as well, it is well worth it.

I had a problem with keeping my legs still at night. I have always been a poor sleeper, even when I was really little. I would lie awake for hours. I was diagnosed with anxiety about 18 years ago and eight years ago, started on meds that help with anxiety. My restless legs stopped moving! I don't know anything about restless leg syndrome so your doctor can tell you more about it. I didn't have it just at night. I can remember the kids who sat in front of me were always complaining that I was moving their chair and bothering them. I didn't know then that I had anxiety. Now, I only shake my legs when something really bothers me. Or I have something important to do the next day. Like, a job interview. I just thought I'd throw that out there. My dad has the same thing and while he was on an anti-anxiety meds for his chronic pnuemonia his leg stopped moving as much. When he quit the meds, the legs shaking started again.

Perhaps you already saw this, and I don't have any children with this problem - my boys are both very healthy, but I am a big believer in natural remedies.

http://naturesinventory.com/night_time_leg_calm_wellness_...

I hope it helps.