Head Banging

Ever notice your toddler head banging? It has been a while that I noticed my little one banging her head especially when she tries to sleep and when she tries to get my attention. This has worried me because she might hurt herself and injure her head. But after reading an article from Baby Center about head banging, I felt reassured knowing that it is surprisingly common at her age.

There are a number of possible reasons why toddlers do this. Among them, to quote:

• Self-comfort. As strange as it may sound, most toddlers who indulge in this behavior do it to relax. They bang their head rhythmically as they're falling asleep, when they wake up in the middle of the night, or even while they're sleeping. Some rock on all fours as well. Developmental experts believe that the rhythmic motion, like rocking in a chair, may help your toddler soothe himself.

• Pain relief. Your toddler may also bang his head if he's in pain — from teething or an ear infection, for example. Head banging seems to help kids feel better, perhaps by distracting them from the discomfort in their mouth or ear.

• Frustration. If your toddler bangs his head during temper tantrums, he's probably trying to vent some strong emotions. He hasn't yet learned to express his feelings adequately through words, so he's using physical actions. And again, he may be comforting himself during this very stressful event.

• A need for attention. Ongoing head banging may also be a way for your toddler to get attention. Understandably, you may tend to become solicitous when you see your child doing something that appears self-destructive. And since he likes it when you fuss over his behavior, he may continue the head banging in order to get the attention he wants.

• A developmental problem. Head banging can be associated with autism and other developmental disorders — but in most of these cases, it's just one of many behavioral red flags. Rarely does head banging alone signal a serious problem.

What should we do then to minimize the banging?
Experts suggest fostering the child's love for rhythm through music. What I usually do is I try to give her enough attention when she is not banging her head and I give her lots of physical activities: running around the house, dancing, playing ball, playing hide and seek. We also do rhythmic dances and claps while listening to her nursery rhymes and songs. Sam also loves to drum her hands on any surface and I encourage her to create some rhythm while doing so. And with all these, and the experts' suggestion, I noticed that she is not banging her head as much during the night.

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