Does your child ever bang his/her head?

[chinahopes]

I have a two and a half year old. When she gets mad, she will sometimes bang her head. It used to be much worse, and she'd bang it on the coffee table or the hardwood floor... sometimes on the handle of the cart in a store. She has gotten better (because I think she's learned how much it hurts and how little it accomplishes.)

I've read that 5% of kids just do this... I'm wondering, did your child do this? If so, what did you do about it?

[illinirdhd]

There was just something about this in my baby newsletter a week or so ago...

Here's what babycenter.com has to say. Hope it helps!

Head banging

Like rocking, head banging is a common self-comforting behavior in babies. Strangely enough, your baby may bang his head to distract himself from pain — if he's teething or has an ear infection, for example.

Up to 20 percent of babies and toddlers bang their head on purpose. Boys are three times more likely to do it than girls.

Head banging often starts in the second half of the first year and peaks between 18 and 24 months of age. Your baby's head-banging habit may last for several months or even years, but most children outgrow it by age 3.

In the meantime, tighten the screws and bolts on his crib regularly. Resist the temptation to put pillows or blankets in the crib to cushion the blows — even though most SIDS cases occur before 6 months of age, it's best to play it safe.

Head banging in babies is rarely a sign of a developmental or emotional problem, but go ahead and mention it to your baby's doctor. In rare instances — especially if your baby has developmental delays — it could be a signal that something's wrong.

[Aslan]

My sister did this when she was a toddler. She stopped doing it on a regular basis when she was 4, but occasionally she did it in her 5th year because she enjoyed the reactions she received. So just redirect/distract your toddler and don't make a big deal out of it.

[alij78]

My little boy did this around 12-14 months old, when we realised he was just doing it for attention so we would all make a fuss, we stopped paying attention and he just stopped doing it - it is horrible to watch though!!! I hated it, but thankfully it just was a phase

[luvsbags&shoes]

My son bangs is head on the back of the couch. He does it for fun b/c he laughs while he does it. But he doesn't do it all the time. My 2 older daughters did that as well.

[INSOMNIAC 1]

My son would do this when he was tired and would just fall asleep.

[ms p]

my girl (1.5 years old) will hit her forehead with her hand when she gets upsets.