Head banging

[HappyMumsy]

Hi All,

My 10 month old has just started to bang her head on the floorboards, or her high chair or her cot, whatever is available when she is either tired or angry that I took her spoon from her, or has a poohy nappy or someother reason that she is upset.

Does anyone elses babies do this?

I feel this is the start of tantrums - I'm not ready for tandtrums yet!!!!

Any hints or tips of what to do?

At the moment she gets picked up and cuddled, especially as she often hurts herself in the process.

Thanks in advance

[Zada]

my dd used to do this when she was about 1. i used to just tell her firmly NO. i know its not nice to see them hurt themselves but you just have to get her to understand if she hurts herself on purpose that she cant expect you to cuddle her. i did this and my dd stopped after a while.
i think youve got a bit more time before the tantrums kick in wait till the terible 2's ;)

[devlin's mom]

Hi,

This is an excerpt from What To Expect The First Year:

Head banging is a rhythmic movement, and rhythmic movements, especially of their own making, are fascinating to babies. Though most infant rock 'n' rollers rock when they hear music during waking hours, there seems to be more to such pursuits than simple fun. It's suspected that some of these children may be trying to reproduce the feeling of being rocked by mummy or daddy. Or that teething infants may be trying to cope with the pain - in which case rocking continues only as long as the teething, unless by that time it has become a habit. For those who bang, rock or roll at naptime, bedtime, and when they awaken in the middle of the night, these activities appear to be an aid to sleep, and perhaps may be a way of releasing tensions built up during the day. The behaviour is sometimes triggered, or increased, by stress (weaning, learning to walk, getting a new baby-sitter, and so on) in a child's life.

Though it may be hard to believe, rocking, rolling, and even head-banging are not ordinarily hazardous to your baby's health. Neither are they, in a normally developing child, associated with neurological or psychological disorders. If your baby seems otherwise happy, isn't banging her head in anger, and isn't constantly bruising herself, there is nothing to worry about. But if these activities are taking up a good deal of your baby's time, if she seems to display other unusual behaviour, is developing slowly, or seems unhappy most of the time, do talk to the doctor about the problem.

The following tips may make it easier for both you and your baby to live with the habit and to eventually ease her out of it:

1. give your baby extra love, attention, cuddling, and rocking during the day and at bedtime.
2. if your baby does most of the head banging in the cot, don't put her down until he's sleepy.
3. place bumper pads in the cot and a mat on the floor where she likes to bang if it isn't already carpeted - but the odds are good she won't be satisfied with the cushioned blows and will make her way to a harder surface.


I hope this is of use to you.

[OJandMe]

My twins did this. I Used to give them cuddles and fuss too and it was just getting beyond a joke. So one day, I just let them do it... and when they hit their head and it hurt and they cried and looked to me for comfort i just said " Oh.. that was a pretty silly thing to do wasn't it?" and then I just walked off and started doing something else 'fun' like playing blocks, or looking at their pircture books, or something which I knew would grab their attention. They stopped in one day. Now they still throw tantrums but when they go to throw themselves on the floor they sit down and lower themselves back... it's actually very funny to watch.

[motherlylove]

yes been there experienced that Alirah started at a young age and now she chucks tantrums throws herself back. I think most babies experince head banging

[V8]

Yep, it's been happening in this house too! Tantrums at absolutely everything!! He head butts the tiles and kicks his legs and screams and screams!! He's having a good tantrum right now!!

I don't know what to do i have given him cuddles, i have told him no, i have ignored him, it just gets worse, what am i supposed to do??

[Mum&bubs]

Yep Summer went through this stage. She would rock back & forth and bang the back of her head into the wall really hard too! We tried ignoring it, telling her no but nothing seemed to work and she just seemed to get over it after a while. I think alot of babies go through this stage but it will pass I'm sure of it. Good luck :thumbsup:

[subaruforestermum]

my dd used to do this when she was about 1. i used to just tell her firmly NO. i know its not nice to see them hurt themselves but you just have to get her to understand if she hurts herself on purpose that she cant expect you to cuddle her. i did this and my dd stopped after a while.
i think youve got a bit more time before the tantrums kick in wait till the terible 2's ;)


LOL...not sure of that, my son is 16months old and has been throwing tantrums for quiet a while.........

Yes my son done this, but I would just tell him that it was being silly cos he will end up hurting himself...etc..... and saying "oh well" if it hurt...

I know it seems insensitive, but I always made sure he wasnt seriously hurt first.....he learnt somewhat, occasionally he still does it, but its a learning process........

[nnaagg]

My boy used to do it all the time and all i would say is "well thats silly isnt it" and walk away. He has realised that it does hurt and gets no reaction and doesnt do it anymore. I think try to ignore it the best you can. If they do hurt themselves REALLY bad cose sometimes in the moment they do hit VERY hard i would walk away then stop and crouch down and give him a little hug and say "sweetie if it hurts dont do it"......

[panojosh]

I have a 12mth old boy and have recently had problems with head banging, temper tantrums, he was very clingy and always wanted to be held. He went from being a very happy little boy to the complete opposite and I was very worried. I did some research and found certain food additives/colours/preservitives can have these effects in children. I looked at some of the foods I had been giving my son and was amazed and horrified and how many things had these in them- even yogurt!
I decided I would try cutting these foods out since other countries have flat out band anything with these additives and the change in my child was phenominal. Within 2 days he went back to being a sweet little boy again! No more screaming no more head banging and hes happy again.
I strongly suggest to any parents having these problems to do some research and find out if your child is eating these additives. You dont need to fret and worry and watch helplessly as your child hurts himself, when its so easy to stop it. Some of the colour additives my boy reacts to are: 102, 104, 110, 122, 124, 129, 160b

http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/article/40800/health/school-says-preservatives

http://www.fedupwithfoodadditives.info/factsheets/Factheadbang.htm

[Luna Lovegood]

My DD does this, and my mother commented that she has only seen special needs babies do that. :rolleyes:
Yes, she IS a b*tch, and I did want to slap her. Vent over.

Anyway...I get worried when DD does this in her highchair/pram/floor. Glad to know we're are not the only ones going through this.

[Luna Lovegood]

The info on aditives is great thanks!!!