One twin started banging head against stuff and self-biting during temper tantrum

One of our twins started some weird behavior this weekend which has me pretty much freaked out. When upset and not easily consolable (usually when very tired) he started hitting his head against things- the side of the crib, the tray on his high chair. This started (as far as I know) on Saturday.

Saturday when he was getting tired and was resisting napping so tried feeding(banged head on high-chair tray)

Sunday,he seemed really tired, crying hysterically and bit his own arm and finger (fell asleep shortly after)

Last night, woke up crying, when I got there he was banging his head against the crib while crying (he calmed down once I picked him up and soothed him)

He has also recently had a few tantrums where he is not easily consolable. I don't know, but I think all of them were when he was tired or when we forgot to give him heartburn medication before sleep, or gassy.

I did call a friend who works with special needs kids (she's not a doctor) and she told me if it is a case of children that have serious self injury, etc. it is noticeable from birth, the only exception would be if a kid got into poison or had serious brain injury or something. She also said a lot of toddlers do this that are fine.

Hpwever, I can't get the concern out of my mind. And of course, when she said this, I remember that he fell and hit his head a week ago...

I emailed their Dr., but I was wondering if anyone else's kids did this, what do you do when they do this? What are we supposed to do? Is there anything we can do to help discourage the behavior?

 

Neither of my twins have done this, but it sounds like he's tired and frustrated when he's doing it. It's good you called the ped to run it by him, but to me, it seems like he's doing it because he's tired and frustrated and doesn't know how to deal with those feelings. I'd probably try to prevent him from getting that tired or frustrated by keeping a relatively strict sleeping and eating schedule for awhile. If you see him starting to go down that route, intervene and help him calm down. It happens again, I would offer him comfort and soothing and try my best to calm him down.

 

I've had 1 who really liked to bang his head and my other 2 have done it occasionally - I always pretty much ignored it. Of course, if they were crawling on the tile floor and decided to bang their hands, I'd move them to the carpet and let them bang their heads there instead. It was always when they were frustrated and sometimes overly tired. they have also, during their toddler years, tried hitting themselves and biting themselves. They never bite themselves hard - and really, they tried it once or twice for a reaction and when they didn't get it, they stopped. Same with the hitting - it isn't like they are giving themselves bruises, so I just ignore it. I think it is a combination of frustration and attention-seeking behavior.

 

What you're describing is a totally normal toddler behavior. It's even listed on the sheet of "what to expect in the next year" my pedi gave out at the girls 18 month appointment. It's not a risk factor or a warning sign, just a typical reaction to stress in a little kid who can't fully communicate. Just love him and comfort him and help him get through the stress... that's all you need to do.

 

Both of mine did something similar. One more than the other. She would hit herself in the head and pinch her arms when she was upset. It was her way of dealing. I agree that it is completely normal. My best friend's daughter would bang her head on her crib until she fell asleep each night.

 

I don't know how old your child is, but I will say that two of my three did this. It always made me cringe, but for the most part I tried to give them no attention while they were doing this. It did end on its own.

 

I accidentally posted it here, I meant to post in the 2nd year forum... sorry everyone!

Is this normal behavior for a 15 month old?

 

I went ahead and moved this to the 2nd year forum...
My son banged his head when he was frustrated, angry, sad...probably during 14-17 months. I found that once he could communicate & cope better, his headbanging stopped. I tried not to act alarmed (even though on the inside, I was totally alarmed) and made sure he was safe and okay. I think the behavior is normal for a child his age. Doesn't decrease the worry in Mom and Dad though :hug:

 

One of mine (15 months also) bangs his head on the floor when he is mad or we tell him "No" He actually has a bruise on the center of his forehead about 50 % of the time. Hope it's normal!

 

Nate went throught a phase of this when he was about that age. It was the worst on days when he didn't get sufficient sleep; if one little thing didn't go his way, he'd turn into a complete psycho-toddler, flinging himself on the ground and banging his head repeatedly on the floor. :gah: Trying to soothe him made it even worse. If he was on a hard floor, I'd move him to the carpet and let him work it out. Thankfully that phase didn't last long, and he never seriously hurt himself.

Hope this helps!

 

as i understand it this type of behaviour is called "self-regulating". basically meaning that as dramatic as it looks to us, they won't actually do any serious damage to themselves. if it really, really hurt, they would stop. i know it isn't fun to see but i think PPs suggestions of moving him to slightly softer surroundings & letting himself work it out are good ones.

 

Yep! Mine are almost 14 months. The other day, I told them each no for the same thing. They didn't see each other do this, but they had the exact same reaction: they threw themself down on the floor, screamed, and leaned over and bit their own foot. Both of them! Now, they know that the kitchen floor is louder, so if they really want to howl, they will throw themselves on the floor, and flop like a fish over to the kitchen floor and scream face down for effect. It is a daily occurance in our house.

If I know it is because they are tired and/or hungry, I just comfort them and gently tell them to calm down. If they are being willful, I tell them no, and put them in their cribs until they calm down (trying not to reward the behavior OR give it attention).

Hope they start talking soon!!!