# Toddler collapsing and laying perfectly still **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 21, 2012, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152 "2012-08-21T09:20:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/1 "2012-08-21T09:20:15Z")
My son since he could stand and walk would when angry or frustrated or scared go limp and then be perfectly still on the floor. He has continued doing this to age two, we basically ignore it at home but that hasn’t stopped it and he doesn’t do it much anymore. The worst is when a stranger or unfamiliar person to him tries to talk to or interact with him in public, he drops and goes still.:smack: Even if holding my hand or even sitting on my shoulders which obviously can be dangerous so I have to catch him, the person doesn’t even need to be threatening. The only way to deal with it other than picking him up is to loudly announce I am leaving the area and then do it, often that will rouse him and have him desperately trying to stay with me. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/2 "2012-08-21T10:34:27Z")
I’ve heard of kids doing this, but never worked with one. I’m sure it’ll pass eventually. Just keep ignoring him when he does that, and make sure that you are always having fun. Literally having fun, not demonstratively having super-duper-fun on purpose. Just carry on with whatever you were doing, you will have more fun than he is having and eventually he’ll work it out. Kids are just fascinating, aren’t they? I’m sure when he begins to realise that the behaviour is no fun he will eventually begin to try other ways of dealing. You might like those even less though…hahaha! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/3 "2012-08-21T16:15:24Z")
Your son is a [fainting goat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we9_CdNPuJg)! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/4 "2012-08-21T17:29:10Z")
Dear Mrs. Possum: This is so much better than hissing loudly. TSS ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/5 "2012-08-21T18:00:30Z")
Gus to Shawn on Psyche: “Don’t go boneless on me now!” ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/6 "2012-08-21T18:45:21Z")
Are you sure it isn’t a [atonic seizure](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atonic_seizure)? ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/7 "2012-08-21T21:51:20Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Are you sure it isn’t a [atonic seizure](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atonic_seizure)? I doubt it, he clearly can control the collapsing part because once he did it on concrete and went down hard before I could catch him and his face got scraped up. Ever since he goes down much easier. It looks like a typical toddler tantrum, but instead of kicking and screaming once he is on the ground he lays still. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/8 "2012-08-21T22:06:37Z")
You are the luckiest parent EVER! ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/9 "2012-08-21T22:14:29Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > You are the luckiest parent EVER! Pffft! Not only does the person who caused him to go down freak out, apparently random strangers see it as their moment to shine in parenting by proxy by shouting out “pick him up hurry!” “the floor is filthty!” “you’re just leaving him there!” etc. I’ve become convinced peeps think parents are callous monsters, and they are just waiting for their moment to shine.:rolleyes: If someone walks away from a tantrum that is not callousness. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/10 "2012-08-21T22:26:48Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Your son is a [fainting goat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we9_CdNPuJg)! this was my thought as well! ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/11 "2012-08-22T12:55:42Z")
> [@grude](#): > > It looks like a typical toddler tantrum, but instead of kicking and screaming once he is on the ground he lays still. You’re probably right, but I’d recommend running it by a pedi doc all the same, if you haven’t already. If nothing else, it may provide some reassurance. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/12 "2012-08-22T14:12:24Z")
Announcing you’re leaving now, and expect him to come, then doing so, is a different thing entirely than, ‘We’re just going to leave you here then!’. Please resist the urge, to use the threat of abandonment, against your child because you find his behaviour embarrassing. His behaviour is supposed to embarrass you, that’s why he’s doing it! 😃 And certainly ignoring it and carrying on it absolutely correct, I would say. And because you say he’s going down softer now, I’d say you’re winning. Stay the course. Just wave off all interfering parents and take care, with the threatening thing, is my only advice. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/13 "2012-08-22T14:36:16Z")
I’m moving this to IMHO; seems like a good place as a lot of parenting advice is apt to be swapped. From MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/14 "2012-08-22T18:28:22Z")
Speaking as an uncle and not a father, my response would be to tickle him. ---
**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/15 "2012-08-22T18:29:59Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Speaking as an uncle and not a father, my response would be to tickle him. That’s positive re-inforcement though. ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/16 "2012-08-22T18:32:31Z")
We called that the Limp Noodle, ours would do it as a toddler. We named it, told him it was bad (made it a behavior goal “no limp noodles today”) and at some point he stopped doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/17 "2012-08-22T19:03:50Z")
I think your best bet is to keep on ignoring the behavior. It’s so hard when strangers interfere. My best friend has a son who, when he was younger, would absolutely scream bloody murder any time he barely scraped his knee or bumped into something. Even after she checked out his owie and made the proper mom noises at him, he would go on sobbing and whimpering. It was awful and it was an attention getting device on his part. It was really hard for her to ignore his wailings knowing that people were looking at her like she was the coldest mom ever. Sometimes other parents would try to go comfort and coddle him and she had to tell them to back off. Eventually he stopped. Don’t know if he learned his lesson or just grew out of it. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/18 "2012-08-22T19:10:10Z")
Yeah, sounds like typical toddler stuff. It’ll slow down (maybe not cease completely) over the next couple years. And you have my permission to tell any strangers who tell you how to parent your kids to fuck off. (Because I’d love to do that myself but am too chicken-livered.) –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/19 "2012-08-25T17:35:44Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > That’s positive re-inforcement though. That depends on the child and the type of tickle. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152/20 "2012-08-25T19:47:30Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > That depends on the child and the type of tickle. People have found that out the hard way when they try to tickle me, as my reflexes cause me to start kicking. I once knocked a friends glasses off of her face. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddler-collapsing-and-laying-perfectly-still/632152.md?page=2)