My 15 month old son head-butts or bangs his head in the floor when he is mad. I don't know what to do about it. Do I just let him do it because I know that he isn't doing it hard enough to hurt himself. Give me any advice or let me know how you tried to deal with head bangging.
Well we ignored it and it still hasn't stopped. But we are going to stay strong. We have started telling him that it doesn't hurt noone but himself when he does this, that has been more helpful in getting him to stop. He usually only does it once and then quits. Thanks for everyones help.
Hello T.,
I am having the same problem with my 15 months old grandson. Please share your solution with me. Thank you
T.,
My son did/does the same thing. He still does, its just because he can't express himself fully yet. My son just turned 2 and he still does it but not as often. Don't worry it will be okay. Its just part of little boys.
Hi T.,
My oldest son is now 4 and he was a head hitter too! I was really concerned about it, as he would do it hard enough to leave a bruise. I talked to the pediatrician at his 2yr check up and he told me that this is just something that children do to voice frustration. They have no other outlet. He actually told me that 1 out of 4 girls will do it, but 3 out of 4 boys! It is quite common, and he will eventually grow out of it when he learns to vent in other ways. Just keep an ice pack in the freezer for when he is done. Good Luck.
T.,
Please DO NOT ignore this obvious sign of frustration. My daughter did this and it only got worse when I ignored it. You need to talk to your Pediatrician about it because your little boy is having trouble getting is desires across to you and it's making him frustrated. He needs some help learning to communicate his frustration and if some help from an Occupational therapist is needed, then I beg you to please use it. It does not mean autism, but this is a sign of it. My daughter has a slight case of it and this is how it started. If your son is still not using words, please talk to your pediatrician as soon as possible because this is not normal behavior for a tantrum. Please don't think I'm trying to scare you because I'm not, but I do know that it can be a little frustrating for you. I was about ready to pull my hair out because I didn't know what to do. I hope this helps you. God Bless
My son started doing this around this time when he was mad and when he was trying to fall asleep. My pediatrician told me to just ignore it, that they generally don't do it hard enough to hurt themselves.
The head banging with anger did not last long at all. I always totally ignore him when he is having a temper tantrum. And I mean totally, I do not speak to him, except when he starts I tell him he can have a tantrum and when he is done we can talk. He doesn't have many tantrums and when he does they do not last long at all.
As far as trying to fall asleep, he still does it a few times a week. He mostly does it into a pillow or the mattress, but if he is having a really difficult time settling he will use the wall.
Good luck.
My son did that too, hard enough to end up with bruises on his forehead. Then, when he was about 18 months, we were visiting with my parents on a nice warm spring is almost here kind of day. We had the inside back door open to let in the sun. Didn't my son get upset about something and run and bang his head right into the glass of the back outside door. Fortunately when it shattered it all fell down and he had bounced back a little and did not get hurt at all, but it was terrifying for all of us.
After that, whenever I saw him get upset and start to turn for the wall, I would shout "No!" in my most stern Mommy don't you dare do that voice. I guess that was enough to remind him of the glass breaking and break him out of that mindset. He soon stopped doing it altogether and switched to the more traditional boneless screaming on the floor tantrum :-) Now he's big enough to yell and slam doors. My parents now have a plexiglass back screen door.
Ignore it, many, many boys do and even some girls, they out grow it and if you ignore it, it will go away quicker, since they're not getting a reaction from you. Just watch to make sure he's not hurting himself.
My son did this for a little while. I would just put him in a place he couldn't hurt himself (like a pack and play or a seat) and let him finish his temper tantrum there. He pulled that mess at the pediatrician's office and she asked what we do and I told her and she said to keep it up. He did eventually grow out of the head banging fits.
i agree with most of the responders. the best thing to do is to ignore. he's just having a tantrum out of frustration because of communication issues. this can evolve into hitting. as long as he's not hurting himself or anyone else, i agree that you should just isolate and ignore. responding to him shows him that his behavior gets him what he wants, your complete attention. good luck!
