Head-Banging

Jake & Josh have started to do this. Both do it to the point that it hurts them. At first Jake will do it and laugh, but the harder he bangs his head, the more it hurts. I spent this afternoon dealing with constant crying because they both do it to the point of causing pain. I read that it's common and that you should not react when they do it, which is hard to do.

Anyone else dealing with this?

 

Head banging like rockers or banging their heads against a wall?

 

QUOTE(aimeethomp @ Mar 26 2009, 05:28 PM) [snapback]1246217[/snapback]
Head banging like rockers or banging their heads against a wall?

My girls did both of these! I chose to just ignore it, and thankfully it has all but gone away. It is rather unsettling to see your child bang their heads against a wall, but this too shall pass. Good Luck!!

 

All the time. I even asked my pedi at our appointment last week and she said it was a phase. They hit their heads on the floor, on toys, on each other and then they slap themselves in the head hard. Crazy. I have tried to ignore it too- but it bothers me....

 

YES! I think we are FINALLY moving out of this stage! It started about 4 months or so ago, at like about a year old, they started head banging, when upset, frustrated and really just in general. On the floor, on each other, on the wall and on me, and REALLY hard. Seriously, I have been head butted in the nose and mouth SO hard that I thought I saw stars and I was scared my teeth were going to fall out! Jack used to do it when I'd put him down for a nap in the crib. He got So upset he would bang his head so hard on the side rail that I could hear the thump from downstairs. He had the scariest most embasressing bruise on his forehead that lasted for a week.
I Really hated this stage, thankfully they are doing it much less but of course when they are super frustrated or mad with each other they will still head butt each other. Ugh....one of the worst things ever. I totally know what you are going through!
I googled it as well and found it's very normal. They really find it hard to express themselves and sometimes this is the only way. Also, I read they do it sometimes when teething to alleviate the pain. Hmmm...interesting...

 

My son has done this, probably a month ago when he was doing it more often. It is a phase that thankfully passes. We would just try to ignore it as much as we could but man, it was so hard to see him do it

 

Yep both boys do it. Drives me crazy! When they are in their high chairs doing it, the meal is over at that point. They bang their heads so hard on the back of the high chair seats it will move the chairs. The bang their heads on the walls, on the heater things under the windows(think they like the noise it makes). I have noticed them doing it a little less lately, so keeping fingers crossed the phase is passing.

Dianna

 

Ryan has been doing it for almost 8 months. Jake has done it on occasion, but Ryan only does it now during temper tantrums. He used to walk around the house and bang his head on the wall until I pulled him away. We have textured walls so it would get scratched too. Thank goodness he doesn't do that anymore!

 

I've never seen one of mine do that! Mine have thrown a tantrum, purposely hitting their head to the floor but the floor is ceramic tile so they stopped doing that real quick!

 

I posted about this on another twin website and apparently we are not alone by any means. A bunch of ppl there all said their kids did/do the same thing. Rose did the head banging thing for about 2 weeks and it went away. Daniel started about a week ago and now that I think about it he hasn't done it in a day or two. I yell NO and then they stop. I don't want them to harm themselves.

 

mine do it against walls sometimes...... i know it's normal behavior, but it's so unsettling!

i just try to ignore it, though, as pp's have said.

gl!, jl

 

They both did it, but one more than the other. I hadn't really realized it, but I think it's been a couple of weeks since I've seen it. Hopefully we are past that phase. I did just ignore it. Sometimes I would tell them to stop, or say Ouch, but I never physically made them stop. If we really are done, it lasted from about 13-15 months of age for us.

 

Mine do it too. I never react to it (though it upsets me!) and just let them sort it out. I figure it will pass.

My DD started doing it when she was frustrated and one day DS decided to do it too. He was crying and so he whacked his head really hard on the floor, looked up at me with this "Holy #$%@! That hurts!" look on his face and cried harder. I realized that DD was pulling back before she made contact with the floor, so she wasn't hitting her head as hard as it looked. It took him a while to figure that one out...

 

One of my DDs did this and I just tried to ignore it. She still does it occassionally when she is really frustrated, and now I try to give her words for how she is feeling. So yes, its normal and weird and annoying, but you are definitely not alone. :hug:

 

Both of mine used to do it in the high chair -- they'd bang their heads against the back of the chair, not out of frustration, but because they thought it was funny. And when one started, the other would copy. It drove me crazy, but the phase is over now, thank goodness.

Karina has never banged her head on the floor out of frustration, but she stamps her feet and kicks and has a general hissy. Kevan gets down on the floor, makes sure we're looking, and then bangs his head once, very lightly. :lol:

Kevan also likes to bang his head like a rocker, just out of excitement. And yeah, he hurts himself -- or us! -- all the time.

I have some video -- this clip is from about a year ago, of the chair head-banging:

http://www.vimeo.com/968556

And this is of Kevan on the couch about 7 months ago, giving himself a bloody nose:

http://www.vimeo.com/1496733

 

Mine banged heads for amusement, during tantrums, and occasionally when falling asleep. I found it to be the most unsettling thing ever... until the self-induced vomiting phase started. Kids are weird. I tried to ignore the behavior because giving it attention (even negative attention) only seemed to make it worse. Not to worry, they both grew out of it!