Why Do Babies Hit Their Heads on Things
So You've Got a Little Headbanger
Some babies and toddlers bump their heads on purpose. Here's why and what to do about it.
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A lot of parenting questions boil down to: Is this a thing, or is something wrong? We're doing an occasional series explaining why certain things seem to happen to your kid (or to your body or to your relationships) as your child grows. This week, we're talking about baby head banging. Read previous "Is this a thing?" newsletters here . If you have a question for a future "Is this a thing?" email us .
Q: My 11-month-old LIKES to hit his head on things. He does it accidentally plenty often, too, but sometimes he purposefully bumps his head on a window, for example, until we stop him. Is this a thing?
—Josie Curtis, Portland, Ore.
A: Though your son's habit of repeatedly bonking his tiny head against a window may seem pretty bizarre (and possibly alarming), it is a common behavior for babies and little kids, according to the pediatricians and psychologist I spoke to for this piece.
According to Patricia Kurtz, Ph.D., the director of neurobehavioral outpatient services at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, "about 15 percent of young children may bang their heads at some point prior to age 2," if they're developing typically. The behavior may start as early as 6 months and continue into early childhood, said Nia Heard-Garris, M.D., an attending physician at the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Dr. Heard-Garris and Dr. Kurtz both said the behavior is more common in boys than in girls.
So why are they doing it? There are a few reasons.
To get your attention. Particularly for kids who don't have language yet, whacking their heads against something is a great way to get mom or dad to come scurrying over. In typical motor development, kids may occasionally bang their heads randomly, Dr. Kurtz said. But if they realize head banging gets you to pay attention, they may make it into a game. What started out as a random accident "can develop into a learned behavior," Dr. Kurtz said. (I never had a headbanger, but I recognized the parent-toddler feedback loop Dr. Kurtz described: One of my kids figured out that licking foreign surfaces reliably got our attention, so she licked everything, including a window at Southwest Florida International Airport, looking positively delighted with herself. We're just lucky she didn't get botulism.)
To discourage the behavior, move the child away from whatever surface she's banging her head against; say, "no head banging;" and distract her with a song or a game, said Hugh Bases, M.D., a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at N.Y.U. School of Medicine.
To self-soothe. Some children will bang their heads around naptime or bedtime, Dr. Heard-Garris said, as a way to calm their bodies down. "That repetition, that movement, that calms down their brain and tells them its time to go to sleep," she said. Hearing the rhythmic thump-thump-thump of your kid's head hitting the mattress for 10 minutes might be upsetting, Dr. Heard-Garris said. But do not install bumpers or put stuffed animals into the crib to interrupt your headbanger, she cautioned, as the safest sleep environment for babies is an empty crib with a flat mattress (more on safe sleep guidelines here).
And don't go into the baby's room every time you hear the banging — he will have a very difficult time sleeping if you interrupt his soothing rituals. If you're concerned, you can watch him on a video monitor, Dr. Heard-Garris said.
To express frustration. Before children can convey their feelings in words, they may bang their heads if they are frustrated with a task. In that case, Dr. Bases said, observe the child's behavior. If you can recognize the signs of your child's frustration, you can help her before she starts head banging, Dr. Bases said.
When to worry. If your child is regularly head banging to the point of bruising, swelling or self-injury, you should call your pediatrician, Dr. Kurtz said. Same goes for if the frequency or intensity of the head banging picks up. It may be a sign of an ear infection or gastroesophageal reflux in preverbal kids, because they can't express the pain they're feeling, so a medical workup may be in order.
If the head banging is accompanied by missed milestones, and delayed speech or motor skills, it's also something to mention to your pediatrician. According to Dr. Kurtz, if your child has already been diagnosed with a developmental delay or other disorder or disability, make sure to inform the pediatrician about the head banging, as it may develop into a more serious problem. Dr. Kurtz suggested closely observing the behavior, noting what tends to inspire the head banging and even taking videos of your child's head banging, as it may be useful for a pediatrician or other specialist to watch your little headbanger in action.
Want More on Baby and Toddler Behavior?
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Has your kid ever stuck a pebble or other foreign object up his nose? We're here to help.
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You may have heard the cliché that little kids soak up new languages like sponges. That's what Lindsay Patterson thought would happen when she moved her 3-year-old to Barcelona, but the reality — and the science — turned out to be a bit more complicated.
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Apparently I don't have the only lil' licker out there: The Oregon City Public Library has a "lick bucket," where you can put objects that your child has defiled (presumably for the librarian to disinfect later).
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Why Do Babies Hit Their Heads on Things
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/16/parenting/so-youve-got-a-little-headbanger.html
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