Head Banging - Nashville,TN

I know a lot of people said that head banging is normal... and it can be normal. I just want to alert you that sometimes it is not. Just watch carefully for other behaviors and developmental delays!!! My son banged his head at 10 1/2 months. One day, he banged it on a hard concrete floor and that was the end of it.
However, on the opposite end, my daughter is almost 2. She still bangs her head. In addition to this, she also scratches her eyes, pulls her eyelashes out, bites herself and scratches herself. We recently learned that she is on the autism spectrum. She has developmental delays and receives OT, Speech and PT.
Just watch him! If head banging is it, the phase will end and you can worry about something else. lol

Head banging is usually a "self-regulating" behavior. This means your child is unlikely to hit his head hard enough to seriously injure himself. He knows his threshold for pain and will pull back on the throttle a bit if the banging hurts. So don't worry.

When I did home daycare I had a child that would bang his head whenever he didn't get his way or was frustrated. I got a BIG pillow, the kind you could use to sit on the floor with, and everytime he started banging his head on the wall or floor, I'd pick him up and tell him, this is the only place you are allowed to do this. Then I'd tell him, I understand you are upset but banging your head is not safe.

You will have to pick him up and move him to this pillow for a while but eventually he'd go to the pillow by himself. And a while later, say a month or so, he'd go to the pillow to throw his tantrum but no longer banged his head. When he left my daycare cause they moved, I gave his Mom the pillow. :)

He was 2 years old and though your child is not 1 yet, he will catch on if you are consistent and move him to a pillow every time he does this.

Here are some possible reasons a toddler bangs his head;

Possible reasons your toddler may bang his head:
• Self-comfort. As strange as it may sound, most toddlers who indulge in this behavior do it to relax. They bang their head rhythmically as they're falling asleep, when they wake up in the middle of the night, or even while they're sleeping. Some rock on all fours as well. Developmental experts believe that the rhythmic motion, like rocking in a chair, may help your toddler soothe himself.

• Pain relief. Your toddler may also bang his head if he's in pain — from teething or an ear infection, for example. Head banging seems to help kids feel better, perhaps by distracting them from the discomfort in their mouth or ear.

• Frustration. If your toddler bangs his head during temper tantrums, he's probably trying to vent some strong emotions. He hasn't yet learned to express his feelings adequately through words, so he's using physical actions. And again, he may be comforting himself during this very stressful event.

• A need for attention. Ongoing head banging may also be a way for your toddler to get attention. Understandably, you may tend to become solicitous when you see your child doing something that appears self-destructive. And since he likes it when you fuss over his behavior, he may continue the head banging in order to get the attention he wants.

• A developmental problem. Head banging can be associated with autism and other developmental disorders — but in most of these cases, it's just one of many behavioral red flags. Rarely does head banging alone signal a serious problem.

Good luck!

Yes, it's normal for some kids. Our pediatrician had heard about it, and my kids were nice enough to show her! He'll stop doing it eventually.

Hi T.,
My son was also a "headbanger". I had read a bit about it (mostly things that are in Lillian's response)and I decided it was a comfort thing. Whether it was when he was tired and he'd bang his head to try to stay awake (now he likes to hit himself on the forehead, sometimes hard and sometimes just little pats). Sometimes he would do it during a tantrum, but lately he's decided throwing things, rather than banging his head, is more productive. I tell you, the cycles are endless. Just when you find relief that the child is not doing this anymore, he starts doing something different! This sounds like a stage that he will eventually give up for something new. Just make sure to keep an eye on him and if it becomes really disturbing or agitated, then you can talk to your doctor about it. Welcome to the "joys of motherhood"! ;)

totally normal my son does it when he's frustrated or tired

it is complately normal. for children it is a coping mechanism since they do not yet have the language skills to express anger, frustration, boredom, etc. it's not going to hurt him. very rarely will they bang hard enough to injure themselves and if they do feel a twinge of pain they will stop, at least for a little bit. my little girl doesn't do it often, but to show off, she thinks it's funny to fling herself backwards and hit her head on the hardwood floor. if you do not acknowledge the behavior it will usually stop, it's an attention getter, and if you don't give in to the attention seeking, then there is no reason to keep doing it.

my son went through this phase before he was talking. i think boys are more physical than verbal sometimes and i wouldn't be alarmed about it at this age. he should grow out of it soon and move on to the next embarrasing phase.

I was just reading about this the other day in "What to Expect the First Year". My son (who is also 10 1/2 months) will sit up against the wall or a door and throw his head back into them repeatedly. Sounds like to me it would really hurt, but he usually doesn't seem to even notice. What I was reading though was that it is perfectly normal. My son doesn't seem to do it out of anger though. He seems to do it when he is in his own little world. He'll sit there and yabber and carry on and do the head thing.