Head Banging - Bay Shore, NY

My daughter now three picked up head banging from a boy at her daycare. I would pick her up and put her on a rug and let her have her tantrum. She eventually stopped the behavior because she was not getting any attention. I would also tell her when that the behavior that she was doing was not nice, inappropraite (what ever word you choose)then put her on the rug and went about my business and ignored her behavior. She stopped quickly. Good luck.

I think I just read about that, try searching BabyCenter.com for that topic...I believe they said they outgrow it...due to frustration or boredom. Good luck

Hi J.:
Definitely talk to your Pedi about this behavior if you have not already. He/she may have some insights for you. One thing to consider about this age is that they are usually on the cusp of bursting forth with language... HOWEVER, the muscle coordination to form words is not as developed as their little inquisitive minds are. The "terrible two's" is often a frustrated baby trying to communicate. See what you think about the book : Baby Signs. I did signs with my kids, and am convinced that it is the reason they breezed (mostly) through this phase. Signs for: eat, drink, more, look, duck, airplane... (you get the point) help the child interact with you, and helps you figure out what they want. Just a thought... but definitely be talking with your MD... this has been going on for LONG time for such a little guy.

Hello J.. My son use to do the same thing. I thought oh my gosh I'm a horrible mom if he's doing that! Well i took him to the doctor's and they said it was normal.... I didn't think so. When my son was around two he stopped talking and started banging his head even harder... I don't know how many times he got me in the head! So i took him to another doc. They diagonsed him as Autistic. I think you should call your fam doc and see what they say about it. Please don't let what I said scare you...I'm not saying thats why your son is doing it. Good luck.

Hey J. -

We had the same problem with our little boy. He was seeing a speech therapist at the time (he was under 2 years old), and the therapist suggested I put my hand in the way. He would sit on the floor and slam his head down. I caught him getting ready to do it one day and put my hand on the floor. He didn't even let his head hit my hand. He just looked at me with this funny look and never did it again! He's going to be 9 on Christmas Eve. I still scratch my head over that one. Try it, and I hope you have the good luck I did!

Normally I'd agree with all the advice you've had so far but what catches my attention is that he's done this for so long. Are you sure there's no other time he does this and no other quirky activities? Does he ever do it when he could be around too much noise, too many people, lights that are annoying, when he's overtired or overstimulated? What does he do if he is not ready for an activity, like when he is just waking from a nap and not "energized" enough yet? Does he do anything different around strangers, especially other kids?

Just considering that it may be a sensory seeking activity. Take a look at this page: http://www.sinetwork.org/aboutspd/homeactivities.html See if anything there sounds familiar or possible. DON'T be put off by them referring to it as a disorder.... EVERYONE has sensory issues. It's just a matter of if they keep us from functioning or not. Most people learn to live with them, that's all.

Please write if I can help. My daughter has this. She's almost 3. I can tell when she's having a tantrum and when something is bothering her. It's very different once you're aware of their situation.

Hi J., My daughter was a head banger when she was little as well. My Peditrician said that there really wasn't much I could do to prevent it except when I knew it was going to happen to try and protect her or take her away for it. He did say that one day she would hit her head hard enough and that it would register that, "Ouch!" that hurts. Sure enough,
that is what happened. After that she never banged her head again.She was about 2. I had her crib rails all wrapped with cloth diapers, it looked terrible, but it did help to prevent her from hitting her head. She had a slight bruise on her head from time to time when she did hit her head. She is 26 now and is no worse for the wear. She has a little girl of her own who keep her quite busy. Check it out with your Dr. Some times it's just anger, frustration or attention. Pick him up and give him a hug. I know it's not easy Good luck. D.

generally children may bang there head due to communication gaps or frustration because it get attention, weather it be negative or positive. Its really no different than stomping their feet, hitting or even biting to get their way. evaluate how you are handling the situation. and talk to your ped. about it. He may have some valid suggestions or suggest and evaluation on his communication level. Espescially if it stopped and started again. Good Luck

hi my daughter does the same thing and she is not even 13 months yet,i don't know how to make it stop so ant inqueries will help me aswell.