18 Month Old Hit Head on Floor

Updated on August 30, 2007
B.D. asks from Oklahoma City, OK
7 answers

I have an 18 month old who when is frustrated will bang his forehead on the floor until it hurts him and he starts crying! It's awful and i don't know what to do to get him to stop!! Has anyone experienced this and is it something to worry about?

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R.P.

answers from Wichita on

hi B., i myself have experienced this before. when i saw yours on here i just kind of laughed to myself because it brought back memories when my oldest did it. its nothing to worry about. i will tell you about mine. my 6yr old used to do this all the time. we would go to the stores and the malls and other places and he would get mad at us. he would bang his head on cement floors just because he wanted to. i dont know if it felt good to him or what but he started doing it just because he wanted to. at home we had a wooden rocker with cushions, he would bang his head on the cushions and if it didnt hurt him the first time he would move the cushions out of the way and start banging his head on the wood until it hurt. he wouldnt cry but maybe a minute or two and then he would proceed to do it again. i was in your shoes once. asking myself and my mom why is he doing this and we could never figure it out. i believe he did it for about a year or two. he finally grew out of it. maybe he got bored with it. we dont know. anyway, i hope this helps. your not the only one out there who has a child who does this. if you need to talk, feel free to talk to me anytime. god bless, R.

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B.K.

answers from Tulsa on

my grandson did that too for a few months. he finally stopped. i found that if you ignore his tantrums, they don't last long because they are not getting the attention they want. give lots of attention to his positives and play down the negative

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S.H.

answers from Topeka on

I agree with everyone else. As long as there is nothing on the floor that can seriously harm him, walk away. Be sure not to give any attention to it because then he will learn to keep doing it to get to you or get his own way. So be sure to just ignore it! My son is about to turn two and he started doing the same thing when he was about your son's age and I just let him do it and didn't pay any attention to it. I guess he figured that it won't get him anywhere and he has now stopped. Good luck and God bless!!

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R.T.

answers from Oklahoma City on

I did this as a child! My mother finally just (VERY VERY GENTLY) lifted my head and tapped it on the floor - it got my attention and I never did it again!

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A.M.

answers from Lawton on

It is normal for the age. I would not make a big deal about it. If he's angry he didn't get what he wants or frustrated that something's not working, then give him words to help him. Other than that, just accept it as normal and it will pass too. I know it's hard to see them banging their heads but they're experimenting with all the things they can do and learning cause and effect.

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S.K.

answers from Albuquerque on

I think this is fairly normal of this age. My son has done it from time to time in the past. When I asked my doctor about it, asked me if my son looks up at me too see if I'm watching him do it. Sometimes he did. The doctor told me when he is having these tantrums to look the other way or leave the room. It seems to have worked! Good luck!

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E.P.

answers from Oklahoma City on

My little brother used to do this same thing and the pediatrician told my mom to just let him be and he will stop. He told her not to pay attention to him or let him know that you are watching him because it will only make it worse. He will eventually stop on his own when he realizes there are other ways to let his anger/frustrations out. My little girl hits herself on the head when she gets in trouble and she is only 13months old. My pediatrician said the same thing. She will stop on her own it is only a faze.

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