Head Banging Baby

My 17 month old does this too! I totally thought i was alone! thanks so much for asking this question.

Okay so I know this is going to sound bizzare, but this weekend at Royal Gorge I overheard a mom telling her grown son that he used to do that. She said her doctor told her to throw cold water on him. I was shocked. She said it totally worked because he was so shocked he never did it again.

I don't know if I would ever use this method but I thought I would share it with you for shock value.

Good Luck.

Our son has done this as well, mostly against the floor. Besides doing it to soothe himself when he's mad/frustrated, I'm pretty sure it has coordinated with his teeth coming in or at least when they're bothering him. I usually just pick him up and move him to a safe spot and encourage a positive activity/toy, label what he might be feeling, or just ignore him. It has lessened with time as he's now able to communicate better (he's 27 months). I hope things get better for your little guy.

My son is 2 1/2 and still does it every once in awhile. When I spoke with his PEd he told me that one of his colleagues kids used to head butt his crib clear across the room and went to Stanford. lol He said that they can't hurt themselves and that it just may be a sign of intelligence. My son is ridiculously smart it is scary. so good luck and you probably have a smart kid on your hands!

I don't really have any advice, but I've been haveing problems with my 22 month old son and this same issue. I guess i never really posted anything because I thought that it was just a phase after my sons Dr. told me it was at his 10 month check up.
My son is 22 months old and has been doing the same thing since he was 10 months old. If he's not near a wall or something to bang his head against, he will use a toy or his fist. My husband and I have been trying to get him to stop, but he just continues. Now he screams really high pitched and then smacks himself in the head. We keep telling him No don't do that, but nothing seems to work.
If you wouldn't mind, I could really use some advice as well if you receive any. Once again I want to appologize for not having any advice. But at least you know your not the only one haveing a hard time with this issue.
Good luck!
D.

either distract him, or show him a better way to release his feelings

Wow. My one year old does the same thing. She started when she was about 9 months old. It is scary. Whenever I see her do this I hold her head and calmly tell her "No". I give her a toy instead and try to soothe her. She has stopped doing it as often or as much.

I am interested in what responses you get or have gotten. I am not sure why she does this. The first time I saw her bang her forehead so hard on the side of her crib that it was red for 2 hours.

I read in a baby magazine that about 1 in 10 kids does this. I guess if he does it too hard you should put him in a helmet until he stops. Other than that, no worries.

I had a head banger as well, with the same concerns. My pediatrician assured me that they can't do permanent damage, although they sure can beat themselves up pretty good! The dr. suggested keeping him in a helmet if it bothered us, but didn't think it was really necessary. We just rode it out -- he stopped as soon as he was able to talk, so we think it was just because he was frustrated with his communication skills. Good luck!

I wouldn't worry about it to much, my 21 month old has been banging his head since he could. The doctor told us that it doesn't hurt or he wouldn't be doing it. I have noticed that lately he will show that it hurts a little and because of that, he doesn't do it as much.

Good luck

Oh, sounds just like my son! I was really concerned, especially when he'd give himself goose-eggs on his forehead! My doctor told me not to worry and that he'd grow out of it, and that it's mostly for attention. I couldn't stand to watch him hurt himself, so I would stick my hand between his head and floor if I was close and knew he was going to bang. But I didn't pick him up and comfort him, and other than letting him bang my hand (which, by the way, i didn't put on the floor, so my hand absorbed the impact), I didn't even acknowledge what he did. He really did stop doing it fairly quickly after that. It tapered off within a month or two.
I was worried that it was a sign of autism or something but the doctor wasn't worried at all!
Good luck!

well a few things, first the worst..autistic children often do those things when they are frustrated or mad..(i dont want to upset you, but wanted to say something, but i know i dont know the whole story..so sorry if that upsets you I promise its in good intentions).. second try to find what upsets him the most and eliminate that...third try using a small pillow as a frustration devise..that he can use when he gets mad...maybe scream into it or something like that..many times they cant verbally tell the whole story..so another option would be to use pictures to help him tell why he is angry and what he would like to do. hope this helps
ang

My oldest did this. I found the best way to deal with it, was to ignore it (of course, keep him safe) He did it everywhere and the best I could do was ignore it. It's hard but as long as you keep your hand on their head while they are banging it. If you are consistant, soon enough they learn it hurts. Good luck!!!

Hi ther J.,
here is a thought... Could it be an ear infection?? And or acid reflux??
We have a now three year old who also used to do this and found out that he had ear and reflux problems. He stopped doing the head banging. But i know how you feel. I also think that you should have a consequence for banging his head. For example putting him in a super tight bear hug so he can't bang, but has a time out restraint to think and talk . He could strt to use words to tell you why he is upset. Just communicate that what he is doing is not ok and you will not let him behave like that. Good luck and god bless

J.,
My baby sister did this when she was about your son's age. she eventually grew out of it. I at the time had braces and she would pound her head against my head when she got angry, and I think it was more painful for me than her! She is now 14 and one of the most amazing teenage girls I have ever met. So, no permanant damage. If you are really concerned, you can buy him a saftey helment, I think saftey first sells them.

My son did that for about 3 months. It was totally a defiant move whenever I would say "no" to him. After he did it a few times hard on the floor, I think he just realized that it hurt too much and he stopped doing it. I wouldn't necessarily rule out a medical cause but I also wouldn't jump to any conclusions.

Get your son to a cranio sacral therapist. Head bangers often have pressure in their head and bang their head to alleviate the problem. When they get mad they tend to increase blood flow to the brain and the increase in pressure hurts. These therapists can relieve the head pressure through very gentle manipulation of the skeletal bones. It worked for us.

Ignore him; do not give any attention to him for this behavior! My friends child did this and she seeked help with therapist and peditrician and that is what they said. Good luck!!!!!!!!

My 15 month old just started this last week doing this. Then it makes him cry. The only suggestions I have heard so far is to ignore it. He sometimes does it to me or my hubby. When he does that I scold him, since it is hurting someone else. I look forward to reading all the responces. Good luck!!