A concerned mom from Chicago, Illinois, has turned to the internet for answers after she discovered what her son does “multiple times a night” in his sleep.
Dana DiMatteo (@xoxdaynuhxox) posted footage from her son’s baby monitor on TikTok, sparking hundreds of responses online.
In the clip, DiMatteo’s 2-year-old is sat upright in his crib, turning his head from side to side and then falling straight back to sleep.
@xoxdaynuhxox
“The strange part is that he’s still sleeping,” the 33-year-old told Newsweek. “He’s constantly moving while he sleeps, which makes me think he can’t seem to relax even while sleeping.”
She also explained in the caption how her son is constantly overstimulated and hasn’t slept through the night in almost three years. “I feel like I’m in the newborn stage,” she shared.
According to DiMatteo, this has been happening since before her son turned one. “He’s never been the best sleeper,” she said. “We recently had his adenoids out in hopes that his sleep would get better, but it hasn’t completely fixed the problem.”
The mom, desperate for answers, asked TikTok users, “Can someone explain this?” The video quickly gained traction on the platform, amassing 331,000 views and over 900 comments.
“He needs his parents to help regulate and feel safe,” one user wrote.
“My son was like this—never slept well, always overstimulated, amongst many other signs I noticed. He was later diagnosed with autism,” another user shared.
“Please look into it. If your mommy intuition is lighting up… figure out what is keeping your baby to do this,” a third urged.
DiMatteo was shocked by some of the backlash, especially from users who questioned her parenting choices.
“So many are bashing me for not co sleeping be he’s ‘lonely and scared’ which is not the case—I do co-sleep every single night,” she told Newsweek. “He comes in my bed when he wakes up the first time and he still seems to sit up in my bed.”
However, many other fellow parents in a similar situation were able to offer DiMatteo some advice.
“Many others were able to relate to me and have suggested magnesium lotion,” she said. “And [many] told me it could be due to low iron… and also a form of sleepwalking,” she told Newsweek.
DiMatteo has been searching for answers since November 2024, and after the recommendation from doctors to remove her son’s adenoids, a sleep study referral is the next step.
“I’m hoping to get some answers so my son can get better sleep throughout the night,” she said.