New parents notice quickly that babies tend to move around when they sleep. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are poor sleepers or that anything is wrong at all. Most kicking and twitching are normal for babies. If you’re concerned, talk to your pediatrician.

Why a Baby Kicking at Night Isn’t Unusual

Babies have some unusual sleep habits and patterns, but most are no reason for concern. Twitching and kicking are normal and usually unrelated to why adults move while they sleep. The nervous system of a baby isn’t fully developed, so they have less control over reflexes. Any stimulus during sleep can cause them to twitch in response.

Compared to adults, babies have shorter sleep cycles. Your baby could appear to be asleep for a while but still be in the light sleep that proceeds a deeper period. During this stage, they will twitch and move more. Babies wake up more frequently too, which means you’ll see movement on the monitor throughout the night.

Sleep Movements May Aid Development

Most sleep twitches are normal, but researchers now believe they could be an important part of neurological development. Researchers have found that nighttime twitching helps the developing brain activate circuits that control limb and muscle movement.

In other words, a baby is learning and developing muscle control while asleep. Some researchers even suggest you might see connections between daytime movement and night twitches. For instance, if your baby is just starting to crawl, they might move their arms and legs more at night.

When to Worry About Night Kicking

There are some situations in which nighttime movement is not normal and requires evaluation. If your baby makes similar movements while awake, or if they don’t stop twitching even after you wake them, it’s worth seeing your pediatrician.

Can Babies Have Restless Leg Syndrome?

For the most part, night kicking and twitching are perfectly normal and will decrease as your baby gets older. It is rare but possible for restless leg syndrome (RLS) or periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) to cause the same symptoms.

RLS is discomfort in the legs that makes you feel like you need to move them. This happens while awake but can also affect sleep. PLMD occurs at night and causes periodic and unconscious leg movements. Causes are unknown, but risk factors for both conditions include kidney disease, iron deficiency, and family history.

How to Get Baby to Stop Kicking at Night

Normal twitching and moving will lessen as your baby grows. If it doesn’t get better, see your pediatrician. Whether the kicking is normal or due to RLS or PLMD, better sleep hygiene can help your baby settle:

• Stick to regular sleep, wake, and nap schedules
• Create a relaxing bedroom environment
• Create a soothing pre-bed routine with no screen time
• Use an app like BetterSleep to provide white noise or other soothing sounds that block out disruptive environmental noises

Your baby should settle more at night as they get older. In the meantime, provide as comforting and relaxing a bedtime environment and routine as possible to encourage good sleep.