My 15-month-old is purposely banging his head: Advice?

My Son is 15 months old, but he keeps purposely banging his head? And sometimes he hits it hard to the point a bruise or bump comes up instantly but he doesn’t cry it don’t seem to hurt him, so he goes back and does it again I don’t know what to do I’m scared in case he damages himself how can you stop a baby from banging there head?? I’ve tried telling him no, I’ve tried staying by his side constantly to the point I take him to the toilet with me, but he still manages to do… do you think I should take him doctors to see if he has anything wrong with him? He’s a normal, boisterous little boy very energetic on point with all milestones but it’s just this banging his head thing that has me worried… xx

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It’s a developmental stage, I’ve seen most littles do this at one point or another. I’d double check with your pediatrician if you’re concerned, though.

Does he have any words ? Sometimes they lash out that way because they are having a hard time communicating

I had a friend who’s son did this. Her doctor told her to walk out of the room and not to acknowledge it.
Every time they do it. Walk out of the room and leave them alone until they quit. It worked for her son almost immediately.

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Visit the pediatrician. It may be from tooth or ear pain - causing his head to hurt. He may be trying to relieve the pressure.

My 11 year old did this when he was younger i voiced my concerns to his pediatrician and he said it’s a sensory thing. No need to be to worried he will grow out of it and will only head bang until it hurts. He lived with a small bruise in the middle of his forehead for about 2 years. He’s fine. The Dr also said the more you say stop or no the more he will do it as well. No need to worry mommas they will outgrow. It’s more common than people think.

Yes take him you…i the doctor and have hin checked.

I would take him in and try Tylenol when he does this could be a headache
They also have helmets for babies

my oldest did it. do NOT pay any attention to it. they want attention because they cannot express themselves thru words yet. they need to learn that is not the way to get it. she’s 8 years old now and just fine

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My daughter did this till she was 3. Whenever she got mad. Dr said it was just a stage that they will grow out of.

They will grow out of it. I always thought it was really dangerous I think every child goes through that phase. When my child was doing that, the doctor said I know it’s scary but just dont give him any attention or he will keep doing it and unless hes crying and bleeding or looks seriously hurt than theres nothing to worry about. My son still does it every once in a while but he grew up just fine. So you dont have to take my advice but that’s what I know…

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My son used to do it all the the time! It was like a nervous tick, our pediatrician said one day he will do it too hard and hurt himself and he will stop. Well that happened and he stopped doing that immediately. It’s been like 8 years so those may not have been her exact words. I think it’s how he expressed himself. He will grow out of it.

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Its a phase. If you are that worried you can get cute little soft helmets for babies. I never did it with mine but here is a picture for reference

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My daughter used to do the same thing when she was about 15 months. Lol We would correct her or tell her no and she would take off running screaming and crying and go into the kitchen and bang her head on the fridge repeatedly! She grew out of it quick though lmao

Bottle that squirts water , squirt them every time they do it :+1::+1::+1: doesn’t work use shock collar

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My son did this ALL THE TIME when he was teething. Pediatrician said it’s normal when they are in pain

My youngest daughter did that also. Her father encouraged her to do it and would laugh when she did… He had her thinking it was funny so she would do it trying to make people laugh. Finally I got her to realize that it WASN’T funny AND she realized that sometimes it would hurt so she stopped.

U as hes mother should always take trip to the pedi if u are concerned…

They make these soft helmets for this stage, lots of kids go through it.

I agree with what everyone is saying. I taught my little one sign language to help her communicate better. Maybe try that too?

My eldest is almost 3, he did this briefly when he was about 13-17mo and thought it was funny, stopped after a few months. My youngest is 18 months old and also sometimes does it, as well finds it funny. I just ignore it and let them be :woman_shrugging:t3:
It can be a stim for them, like rocking, or being upside down, can be a phase could be something else. I’d just let them be and if you are concerned, consult your paediatrician :blush:
My youngest is almost 18 months (adj of 16 months) he can say some words but they are non functional

Kids do such scary things sometimes. Honestly I would put a thick hat on him or even a bike helmet. My daughter used to pull her hair out and have clumps of her hair in her hands. It was horrible but she grew out of it. There was just no way to stop her from getting to it. She is older now and her hair grew in lol. I wish you luck with your little one.

Sounds like a tantrum. Stop him from doing it.

My son used to do this. Mostly when he was mad. He had huge bruises on his forehead all the time. I brought him to the doctor to talk to them about it and his ped said that he wouldn’t be able to use enough force to damage his skull or brain and that it was just a phase he would grow out of. He doesn’t do it anymore, but he does have a little dent in his forehead now. Talked to the doctor about that too, but he’s totally fine developmentally and it’s not painful and doesn’t cause any issues so they aren’t worried about it. They said it would likely fix itself.

Helmets should go home from day of birth for boys

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My son did this so badly. He would hit so hard he would get goose eggs or split the skin. We went to a behavior doctor and he wore a helmet for about 9 months. It helped sooo much.

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My baby does this as well especially when fighting her sleep or doesn’t get her way .If he is just randomly doing it I would mention it to his pediatrician

Why would you NOT take him to a doctor??? You are his protector! Find out why he’s doing it, and get help! That requires a doctor! Maybe his head hurts and he thinks slamming it will help!

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My son did this and was later on diagnosed with autism. He got sensory overload in his forehead with emotions and would head bang to deal with it. He also smooshed his head really hard into our faces when he was all lovey. It was so cute but painful lol. Hes since stopped that but i remember racing over to put my hand under his forehead so he didnt hurt himself while he tried to de sensitise himself.

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My son is 15 months and at this stage as well. He thinks it’s funny when he does it. I have a feeling its because his back teeth (molars) are still coming in causing his ears to hurt.

Redirect and focus his attention elsewhere

Please PLEASE those saying its normal, its not always normal, we arent there seeing why he is doing it, or what is triggering it, Yes it could be a stage but it could also be more. PLEASE NEVER tell a mother something like this is normal because there is every chance its not if they are having meltdowns over non serious things to you but it will be to them. Autism is one of the diagnosis that can come from it. So PLEASE be aware of this when telling another parent “its normal”.

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II use to be a head banger, this was when I felt frustrated. Yeah little kids have that feeling too

My son did the same thing an when his pediatrician seen him he said when it hurts he will quit. Best suggestion, as hard as it is, ignore him when he is doing it.

Def a dr visit is in order . Also try using tactics to get him to do something else , “hey .lets dance, lets color, lets play trucks , blocks ect” until you can get appt. Good luck & God Bless

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Sounds like a sensory issue. Could be something he’s doing to get your attention. Talk to your primary about all the options.

Get him to the doctor asap,this is not normal.He could really hurt him self.

My son did this too.

Its also a sign of autism

Take him to your Dorter

My 2 year old has always done the head banging thing too (starting around at least 6 months if I remember right) but since probably 18months he doesn’t do it anywhere near as much. It could be totally normal and just a phase that your little one will grow out of, but I would recommend bringing it up to the pediatrician either way so they know about it for medical records.

My son thinks it is funny to bounce his head off of hard & soft surfaces. I just tell him no-no baby you’ll hurt your precious noggin and try to catch his head before he trys to do it again. Considered getting him a helmet. But never did. He has slowed down from doing it. He is 20 months old has been doing it off and on for months now. He thinks he is a super baby some days and got to tell him to slow down daily or your going to get hurt. Very clumsy when he is tired. And he just got stitches for the first time ever on his nose.:cry: Ever since that has happened he has been a little extra careful. And ive realized since that happened, no matter how much you try for them to not get hurt or to hurt themselves in the matter of a split second they can get hurt weather if your right there or not. I also try to show him is booboo’s when he gets one in the mirror to remind him, you gotta be careful.

There can be a lot of different reasons he may be doing this, it can be his molars coming in causing him ear pain and that could be why he doesn’t seem bothered because it takes away from that or it could be something unseen going on with him. It’s not always normal but it also doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with your son, my best opinion and advise would be to just bring him to his doctor and ask what may be going on, and if they seem concerned ask about what certain tests could be done if they don’t seem concerned just ask about certain tactics, ideas you can use to help distract him from doing so. Your son will be okay and so will you, stay strong momma.

My son did that as well. His head would be so bruised and the fact he was so little really worried me. We took him to a children’s hospital and seen a neurologist. Nothing was wrong with him. Doctor said he was fine and some babies just do it :woman_shrugging:t3:. He’s 8 years old now and completely normal. He’s not autistic, he has no brain tumor/damage. He’s actually a very bright kid and excels in all subjects at school. He was just a crazy little baby I suppose :sweat_smile::heart:

My mom did this when she was a toddler. Mostly when she was told no or got in trouble. It was her way of trying to get what she wanted. Back then the doc told my grandma to put a bike helmet on her & ignore the behavior. I would talk to a doc about it because I don’t know if that’s the best course of action nowadays but it only took a couple of days of the bike helmet to break the behavior.

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My daughter used to do this all the time. We took her to the pediatrician and he said to completely ignore her. She won’t hurt herself besides a bruise and if we react, we are feeding her temper tantrum. He was right. She grew out of it with no lasting damage. You can see the bruise on her forehead. She had it for 6-8 months.

I’m going to be the infamous black sheep here… I highly suggest a doctors visit to address this and make sure there’s no underlying cause. My oldest was a headbanger. It was triggers by vaccines, causing some inflammation and headaches. Not at all saying that’s what it is, just trying to point out that there could be an underlying cause.

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My son did this when he was smaller. Constantly scared the shit out of me and its a miracle he hasn’t been badly injured or broke any bones. He was diagnosed at age 8 with ADHD. He is 12 now and isn’t as careless but definitely doesn’t have a normal since of fear. I know its overwhelming but he will learn. I feel for ya cuz I felt like I was gonna pull my hair out trying to keep him safe lol

My little brother did that when he was a baby. The doctors thought he was mentally handicapped at first. Come to find out he was growing in all his molars in at one time…

Go take him to a doctor.
Possible first signs of autism or emotional stress

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Honestly you should bring him to the doctor. & I think you should get him a helmet.

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I would take him in to be on the safe side.Could be something hurting him an since he can’t communicate what hurts that’s how hes trying to draw your attention to it.My 4 yr old use to do it whenever she had a ear infection until one day she managed to give herself a concussion from it.

my mother told me I used to do that A LOT as a baby as well… she had to just keep extra eyes on me. Got to the point where she ended up putting foam pads everywhere til I was done banging my head for whatever reason. But look at me… I turned out normal :woman_shrugging:t4: I mean, I’m kinda bipolar now but whatever.

Ask your pediatrician and get him a helmet.

It could be sensory. Does he do it when he thinks you can’t see? If you can catch it, block. I know it’s hard bc it’s fast but put your hand between his head and the wall/floor/object and don’t react or acknowledge the behavior otherwise. If he’s doing it for attention eventually he’ll quit. If he’s doing it for sensory input he’ll find another way to get it. I believe it’s a normal thing toddlers do because we react. Even a bad reaction is attention. My son did it for reaction, my daughter did/does it for sensory input.

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I used to tell my " did it hurt then don’t do it." Come to find out my son had higher than normal pain tolerant for pain . Broke a bone every year for awhile in the spring. Doctor even run bone density test. He was fine .Grown man now and a little smarter

My son is 2 and a half and he used to find the hardest/sharpest spot he could, like the corner of a table, and slam his head into it
I couldnt get him to stop for the life of me
Luckily he grew out of it without any lasting damage

Definitely take him to see his doctor. I owned a daycare for over 25 years and while we’d see some ‘littles’ do this periodically the ones that did it consistently did have some underlying issues

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My son did exactly this
And I asked his pediatrician
She said it’s quite normal for little boys actually
And as weird as it sounds it can be soothing to them
Also helps them get extra energy out
Helps with tooth ache pain also ear ache pain
She also said they cant inflict head trauma to themselves.
She said they can’t hit themselves hard enough.
I just had this conversation two weeks ago.

My boy stopped banging his head when he cut his last two teeth
I didn’t make this connection while he was banging his head though.
And I was totally freaked out

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The best thing to do is ignore him when he does it. It’s a phase that he will grow out of.

Just ignore it don’t react
It’s a learning thing.

I’m going to start off by saying one childs behavior may not mean the same for other children. Tempers, vaccines, autism are some possibilities. My daughter is 19 she use to head bang and rock back and forth. At age 5 she hung herself and had to be hospitalized, and now she has more diagnosis than I can list. It wouldn’t hurt to take your child to the doctor if at all anything it would bring you peace of mind.

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My daughter would get upset and fold down like an accordion and bang her head. She was throwing a tantrum. Dr confirmed no issues, definitely make sure first before listening here. She stopped around 3.

Take him to the doctor, it is early signs of slight autism.

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My son did this at 18 months. I had him evaluated 3 times… as he got older I just realized something was going on that was different. He got diagnosed with severe adhd and a sensory processing disorder. I’d be on the safe side. Rule things out love! Better to know it’s NOT something then to regret not getting early intervention. It could be nothing it could be something. If you are truly worried take him to the doctor. Good luck :heart: my son is almost 8 and they are about to evaluate him for autism. Things take time to become obvious that are more than a “tantrum.”

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Baby helmet until he can be evaluated. Don’t think evaluation can be done at 15 months but I don’t know for sure. My son did this but in his crib. I just kept pulling him back from the head of the bed. . Other Mama’s suggested the baby helmets. Worth a try.

It’s a weird stage they go through. All my kids have done it… all the kids I’ve babysat done it. It’s like they are testing their skull strength or something… lol… it’s a stage. He will out grow it in a few weeks maybe even days…

If you are ever worried about your child, ask their doctor. That’s what doctors are there for. It could be nothing, it could be something, asking your doctor is the first step to getting your answer. There are a ton of theories, and experience from others, but your doctor can rule out what’s not causing the head banging and give you the best answer.

My son did that. Would cut his skin, leave bumps n bruises but as soon as he could communicate better I found it just went away xx

My son did as well. He is now 24. Just grew to be a very stubborn kid!

My two older kiddos did that, my son at 2 and daughter at 1, they thought it was funny, I ignored it and it only last about a month. No damage done. If you’re worried I’ve seen some parents put helmets on their kids, or you could try a padded bandana, although not all kids like things on their heads.

My 5yr old boy did that quite a lot, he seemed to have a hug pain tolerance as he barely cried at getting hurt. He still does it now and again, quite hard that I know if I did it I’d end up with a headache, doesn’t bother him. He’s on the spectrum asd/adhd for him it’s sensory and a way to help with his emotions as strange as that may sound. It could be many things really, hard to say 1 possible reason for it so maybe just a trip to Dr or a health visitor etc that’ll be the best option. My o ly advice I can give really is if you notice what could possibly trigger him to do it then you’ll know when to try distract him and get his attention on something else before he does it,.

No idea. But if you figure it out let me know. My 11 month old does that too.

My brother did this all the time when he was a kid. My mom found out he did it in response to ear infection pain. Might be worth making sure he isn’t in pain from something else.

Take him to the doctor. Not to scare you, but this could be a sign of possible autism autistic tendencies

Could be anything from simply acting out for attention to expressing frustrations/pain due to an ear infection to a sensory/autistic disorder. I would talk with the pediatrician about it. Since bumbs and bruises aren’t a deterrent, I would get a helmet. If he’s just being a little turkey and acting out, the helmet may be enough of a deterrent. Regardless, his head needs to be protected. Definitely go see the doc.

My son was the same way … what we did was constantly told him no and that he wasn’t ahold to hit his head off things and if he kept doing it we would sit him on our laps and kinda embrace him in a hug to calm him down and once he was calm we would let him down … also try to redirect him into doing some kind of activity that will grab his attention and let him focus on that … my son stopped after awhile with these things

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Put a bike helmet on him for safety reasons

Seems like he has a pain tolerance which in some ways is good but then again its not. I’d take him to the doctor if it continues or gets worse!

My daughter banged her head and left bruises when she was little (30yrs ago) I took her to dr. He said ignore her when she does it because she is looking for a response from us. So although it was hard, we more or less ignored her when she did it and within 3 days she quit and never did it again. I also might add she is not autistic. Good luck.

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Not trying to be negative but get him checked, if you haven’t already, that’s an early Autism sign.

You could take him to the pediatrician so if anything happens they can’t say you neglected or abused him and see if you can get him one of those padded helmets to protect his head

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I know this sounds odd but my son used to do this a lot up until he was about 4 my pediatrician recommended a bike helmet it worked but on the down side we did have some damage to our walls which is better than the bruises and bumps

My son used to it all the time… he’s now 12 two years ago they said he had PTSD and anger issues due to the fact he was born premie and went through a lot… I’m still in denial… BTW he stopped banging his head at around age 2… I think I’m some kids it’s normal I have a cousin who’s now about 27 she used to bang her head too I remember that even though I was around 7

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My mother told me i banged my head.she took me to the dr.and found out i was stopping a second before contact then continuing the bang.the dr. had her push my head to eliminate the stop.then i quit the banging.But see your pediatritian.the times they have been changing.

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Could be a sensory or asd issue. Best thing to do is talk to the doctor. My child is on the autism spectrum and she used to do the same thing.

Hv him tested for atusium, asburgers and others. My son did that from 2y to 5y off and on and got mad when something didnt work like he wanted it to. He also would keep self and play or tun from you. We had him tested at 5 the person said maybe but testing was new and so stayed on meds help control his head banging and all. He was 18y when we found someone to test cause he had issues all through school. Shows he had asburgers functional atusium to extent and add adhd with touch bipolar. Kid now 25 and we know signs and so his friends but he does melt down… but if kid doing it 5% could be a issue 95% being stubborn normal kiddo… talk to pediatrician see what they say. Ignore kid say u gonna hurt ur self keep up and ignore him unless self harm like knocking self out. Usually they dont hit to hard just hard enough make sound… but still talk his dr abt it

My son used to do that at that age when ever he does it I ignore him until he stop I got him check his a little artistic but I’m not saying that’s why your baby do it just pay attention to other things he does and get your baby checked

Did he have any sugar before he starts doing it? My son would do this after he had any sweets

So , I was a head banger . I am not a head banger anymore - I’m 52 . I would talk to your doctor . I remember feeling very frustrated and not having a vehicle by which to express it . I am very ADHD I have never been diagnosed autistic . My parents ignoring it or giving it attention made no difference because I wasn’t looking for attention - I needed to release stress. I finally stopped when I hit my head too hard and it hurt so I stopped . I also remember finding another way to vent my frustration - I started going outside with my dog and playing outside. Hope this helps and yes I would go to your doctor . They know a lot more than they did fifty years ago .

Talk to your doctor. He may have to be fitted for a helmet to prevent head injuries.

He will stop. He’s gonna hit hus head 1 good time and it will be the ebd od the head banging. Unless theres blood( a lot ) if you look dont let him see yoy

Lol my youngest son did that too. He eventually grew out of it. Telling him no didn’t work for him.

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My son did this, it could be a sign of being sensory.

Kids are weird and do some of the most peculiar things lol

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Probably an ear infection

It’s jactatio capitis nocturna, headbanging syndrome. Using a metronome can help but you should see a sleep specialist, preferably one also boarded in neurology.

Ear infection…it’s bothering him.