Is it normal for baby boys 7 to 9 months to literally hump themselves too sleep?

Question

My sister's baby son who is now 9 months when ever he is tired has a tendacy to lay face down and grab the covers (or whatever he's lying on at the time) and began to hump/going up and down. He continues to do this until he has actually fallen asleep. It kind of disturbing but funny at the same time. He has been doing this since 7 months. He is the first boy of a family of 8 girls, so we are unsure if this is normal for baby boys or should we be concerned.

Answer 1

Hi. My son did this for a while, at about the same age.
I asked the doctor myself if it was normal for my son to rock himself to sleep. He said yes and some children even bang thier heads against the side of the cot to go to sleep. He also said that somestimes it can also be a sign that the baby is over-tired and frustrated. My son grew out of this by about 10 months. He is now 15 months old and perfectly healthy. But if your sister is still concerned, take him to the doc.

Answer 2

I don't think it is anything to be worried about. I have three girls and one is 18 months and often falls asleep by rocking in the fetal position. I know several people who have little boys who are constantly playing with themselves and have heard of the humping method of falling asleep. I have also "heard" of doctors recommending not to make a big deal out of it because it might make them do it more or cause anxiety but i don't know how much i believe that. I figure as long as it stops before puberty its just a weird habit!

Answer 3

My youngest son is 15 months, and he still does it sometimes. A baby that young doesn't know what "humping" is, so there's no reason to worry. Children soothe themselves in all kinds of ways, and that's why you only see him do it when he's trying to fall asleep. When they are laying on the stomach , this motion is just another kind of rocking-infants do not have sexual thoughts. I wouldn't worry or make a big deal about it. One boy and eight girls? Poor kid. Wait a few years and he'll REALLY start giving you guys things to laugh about!

Answer 4

Has he started crawling yet? It sounds like what they do when they are figuring out how to crawl. When they are tired, a lot of babies need to move their bodies around rhythmically, to get themselves to sleep. Some babies bang their heads gently against their cribs or thrash themselves back and forth until they fall asleep. It's any repetitive movement that feels reminiscent of being inside the womb. If he is currently working on the developmental task of learning to crawl, he may be doing that on-the-knees-rocking a lot during his waking hours - that's how my daughter got herself crawling. If he is super-tired when he goes to bed but is still wound up he's probably doing it to discharge energy and wind down. At 7 months he may be getting teeny erections but they are normal and nothing at all to worry about. I really think it is just his method of self-soothing. Hey, he's a boy what do you expect!! :-)

Answer 5

He's just rocking himself to sleep, there's nothing wrong with it. There's nothing even remotely sexual about it, since he's not aware of sexuality even slightly yet. Baby boys are not that much different than baby girls at this age, but it kinda makes me wonder if you would still have called it 'humping' if it was one of the girls.

Answer 6

My 4 year old son does the same thing and so did my 11 year old daughter. She stopped at about age 5. I think it just might be the child's own way of rocking themselves to sleep. When I expressed concern during one of my daughter's doctor visits, he said that there was nothing to worry about.

Answer 7

LOL, my son is 11 months old, and he started doing that some at 10 months.. i gave him a look, chuckled a bit, and just had a feeling that it was normal... mothers instinct i guess... from talking to 2 other sets parents with 3 kids, they all did it too at one point, some still do.. LOL my dr said it was just a natural wind down to get loose the rest of his energy...

Answer 8

i think it is nervous energy.if you are thinking sexual because of the humping description,you got it all wrong.he is a baby and how could you think such a thing.he can't walk or run so what else is he to do.i would take my son to the park and he would run off the energy.boy,do yawl women have a lot to learn.first of all,boys and girls are totally different.now yawl can see just how sweet boys are compared to girls.when my five girls went out on dates,i worried about the boy.of all my kids,the boy was by far the sweetest.4:30am,freezing cold i would start my truck to go to work,and guess who would come out in his underwear to kiss me good-by,my beautiful Son,whom now is a man with 5 kids of his own.

Answer 9

What ever puts him to sleep is what I say. I don't feel bad for the mother, I feel that the mother is blessed. My friends daughter did it when she was about 9-12months so I'm going to say yea. She's 11 now and she knows nothing of it. It's probably a form of rocking him asleep. Well good luck and happy laughing.

Answer 10

it sounds like he is rocking himself to sleep its just in a strange manner...at least its somewhat amusing..lol but i did read it is normal. my son started grabbing himself during diaper changes and getting chubbies around 9 months. i also read that girls (which i have NOW too) have tendencies to rub them selves against the crib bars for pleasure. i think its normal cuz i was wandering about my son so i read up on it. now he almost never touches himself but i did read that if you make a fuss about they will do it more i guess try to ignore it the best you can..