Son Hitting His Head

J.,
My son also did that around that age and older. He's two now, but I really remember when he was 12-20 month old when he would get really mad he started to pull out his hair, and didn't cry. I was told because they don't have language skills yet, this is there way of letting you know they are mad, and to start labeling it as mad. He still won't say mad, but he has stopped doing that for the most part. If he doesn't really cry, don't worry either, he may just have a high tolerance to pain... I know mine does...

my son stsrted doing the same thing at about 1 year old. he still does this and he is 9yrs old now. I thought he would out grow it. I was a single parent until this past june I remarried again. They get along great. MY son sees a doctor he seems to do this head thing when he is upset about something. He was giving lots of test. I know he has ADHD and is taking medication for it which slowed down the head banging some. Maybe you should consult a doctor on his behavior. There may not be anything wrong with him but checking it out maybe would put your mind at ease. Hope things go well for you. I will say prayers that he stops.

J.,

I have a daughter that is now 2 years old. She started doing the same thing around that time of age. I was told by several people and her pediatrician that it is just a faze they go through. Basically for attention or frustration. They do this to get your attention or because they are frustrating and don't know any other way to let it out. You can either ignore it, and it will eventually go away or you can catch him right as he is doing it and talk to him about why he is frustrated and hitting himself and that is not the behavior that is acceptable. Now I have a 19 month old that I take care of and he does the same thing. But he does it when he gets in trouble and has to go on the naughty mat. So I am assuming it is because he is frustrated. So I am now working on him. He is a little bit older to talk to and for him to understand. You son is still not understanding what is acceptable or not. Good Luck and just know that this is totally normal!

Take Care! Bless you and your family!

Both of my boys would bang their heads on things for no reason. They would be playing and then just stop and bang their head on the walls or coffee table. Not too hard just a soft bang, when they were about 6 months to a year old. I mentioned it to other moms and the response I got was that at some point their boys did something similiar like that too. Maybe it's a boy thing? They are 6 and 3 now. They have tough noggins but they are normal. Busy, but normal. Hopefully it's nothing to worry about. Let me know if you find differently.

My daughter started lightly banging her head against the wall and furniture when she was 10 months also. I was told by family that she may have a headache or teething pain. Her pediatrician told me she was "self soothing" and that she wouldn't keep doing it if it hurt her. She quit doing it around 11 1/2 months and does not seem to have any problems at this point. I would check with your son's pediatrician just to be sure, but I also wouldn't get too worried.

I am nursing student specializing in pediatrics and just learned yesterday that head banging outside of temper tantrums can be a sign of hypertension. These poor little kiddos get headaches with hypertension and dont know how to make them stop. Another sign to look for is waking up in the middle of the night screaming because our blood pressure is at its highest in the evening.

If you want ot get it checked out . . . take him to your pediatrician and get his blood pressure measured on THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS . . . I know that sounds like a pain but it is done twice to diagnose it in adults and kiddos are even more difficult because doctor offices often make them nervous and that alone can raise their blood pressure. Makre sure they take the blood pressure at the same place each time (ex: left leg, left arm, etc) and I would write them down myself . . .note time of day, where the blood pressure was taken and the result.

I am not sure about behavioral issues or if there have been any major changes in your family but it was fresh in my mind from our cardiology review so I thought I would post . . . feel free to email me if you have any additional concerns.

Good luck J.!

R.

Contact your local Early Childhood Intervention office now. The sooner kids get help, the better off they are. My son started out this way too, and has sensory integration disorder.

I think it's just something he has learned he can do. My daughter started bumping her head on the wall on purpose around that time. She still does it occasionally and she is 16 mos. She doesn't do it repeatedly, but there are times she will do it just to see what it feels like again. There are many odd things they start and do for a while then quit. As long as he isn't really hurting himself, then just let it be. It will go away when he discovers something else.

Sometimes if their mouth/jaw is irritated because of teething they will do that. Mine has done this and will also do if he has a headache and sometimes just for fun if he is nursing.

Have you had his hearing checked?
V. B.

My mom said I used to do that at that age when I was angry or frustrated. She said I quit after hitting my head on the concrete ground when I was angry. It's just a coping mechanism that babies usually grow out of when they learn to communicate better- or when they learn it hurts!

My 10 month old son started doing this and he has a double ear infection. I asked the doctor about the behavior, and she said it was definitely related to the ear infection. It would be worth it to me to have it checked. Good luck!

My son did that too....he still does every once in a while. I know he started doing it a lot when he did it once and someone laughed at him. Maybe he did it at day care or something and someone laughed so he thinks its funny.

My niece did something similar when she was teething. The pediatrician said it was just her way of reacting to the pain of teething.

My son just turned 10 months old a week ago and has been doing the same thing. He does it more often when I am trying to get him to sleep and occasionally he will hit me, and I don't know if this is by accident or on purpose.
I am hoping this is just a phase they go through but it worries me to see him hitting himself (he has been doing it since he was 8 1/2 months old but it has become more frequent lately.
I thought it might be because of tension at home for him because his father and I are seperated right now and his father is planning to file for divorce.
Just wanted to let you know your little one isn't the only one doing this strange behavior.