2.5 Yr Old Shaking Head Back and Forth

How hard is she shaking her head? Is it more rhythmic?
My brother use to "rock" his head back and forth. He continued to do so through his toddler years. My mom asked the doctor and they never found anything that caused it... just a habit he had that apparently was self-soothing. The doctor said he would outgrow it.
I remember as a teenager, he would lie on his bed at night and do the same thing while relaxing before sleep. And when he was tired or resting, he would sit in a big comfy chair, listening to music with his eyes closed, and "rock" back and forth.. mostly just his head, but his shoulders a bit too.

Well, he is 43 now, and STILL does this. My kids even mimic him sometimes in fun. It's just a quirky thing he does to relax. Nothing more, nothing less.
Check with your doc to be sure there isn't something more going on... but I'm betting it is a self-soothing mechanism she has found.

Hi J., Don't worry too much about it....I did it as a child and did it quite late into my teens. For me it was just a method to tire myself further to sleep. No brain damage....I have a PhD! I never did it while sitting up though. Good luck but I wouldn't be too worried about it.....it will go away :) Maybe something to tire her out more before bed?

Sometimes repetitive movements can be traced back to heavy metal exposure or a toxic load in the nervous system. some times you see similar repetitive movements in autism and other nervous system disorders, but - autism has the SAME symptoms of heavy metal overload.I think many kids get mis-diagnosed with autistic symptoms when it could be trace mercury from vaccines and food. In fact, kids who get overdosed on SSRI (antidepressant) drugs can get serotonin poisoning- which causes repetitive movements due to the effects of the toxin on the central nervous system.

Research says NCD zeolite will clean out heavy metals and toxins SAFELY in any aged infant, child or adult. I have not tried it yet but I am going to order some for my 12 yr old. She has been ill for many years and I have done exaughstive research trying to find answers on what is causing her symptoms.
There are several distributors of NCD zeolite online- Look it up and do some research.
My brother used to rock himself, (and still does) later in life he got ear infections that eventally took his hearing in one ear. He is also a very slow mental processor- I have wondered if his rocking and brain fog might have been caused from metals or toxins..
I am not diagnsosing your child with an illness, just giving you something to consider and research.
Regards,
Gail

My daughter does this too. I chalked it up to self-soothing. I did read somewhere that it could be associated with fluid in the ears, which could be the case with my daughter as she has had several ear infections. However, to cause brain damage, the movement would have to involve vigorous movement and/or sudden stops (something that would push the brain into the skull). Obviously I haven't seen your daughter, but the way my daughter does the shaking I haven't been concerned about it.

You might want to check with your Pediatrician about that.

Sometimes, a baby/child will do repetitive movements... in order to lull themselves to sleep, like a soothing thing.
Also, some babies/kids do repetitive movements... in order to shut-out external stimuli... even sometimes tantrums serve that purpose as well. It is a child's way to just shut-out over stimulation.
And you notice this when she is tired...

But I would wonder if her shaking her head for 3-5 minutes... is not hurting her brain? How hard is she shaking her head?
I would ask the Pediatrician.

All the best,
Susan

To me it sounds like a natural soother for her, or a stress release. To be on the safe side, next well child check-up mention it to her doctor and see what they say.

Could be a sensory issue. It's a self-soothing method for kids with sensory issues, which can range from very mild to more severe. My brother did this as a kid, and both of my sons have had mild sensory issues. You might want to check out a book on sensory issues and watch her for other signs of sensory issues. If they become more of a concern you can have her evaluated by a pediatric occupational therapist. Both of my boys had OT for sensory issues. Don't let it alarm you--at an extreme, sensory issues are on the autism spectrum, but there are many, many people with more mild sensory issues (sensitivities to clothing, foods, light, noise, touch, etc.).

It's funny. I was just reading about this in a book called the Out of Sync Child. It is all about Sensory Processing Disorder. (My daughter has some of it and it is not a big deal--all of us have our own weird sensory things that we do--biting fingernails, twirling hair etc.). "Repeatedly, vigorously shake head" was listed under "Under-Responsive to Vestibular Sensations." I know this is a mouthful. It just means that her body might crave or enjoy movement more than other people because she is less sensitive to it. This is like my daughter who is "Sensory Seeking." She is always jumping, hanging upside down, fidgeting etc. In fact, she doesn't even get dizzy after twirling for a long time. Does your daughter sound like this? I mention it, not to freak you out, but because I think it is interesting and it makes us who we are. People who are under-responsive to movement often become "thrill seekers" later in life or great athletes, like ski racers. People who are over-responsive get carsick etc.