Why Does My Child Hit His Head On The Floor

Laura we are having a problem with our 18 month old son hitting his head when he is frustrated or can t have what he wants.

Why does my child hit his head on the floor.

Up to 20 percent of babies and toddlers bang their head on purpose although boys are three times more likely to do it than girls. He knows his threshold for pain and will pull back on the throttle a bit if the banging hurts. Why does my preschooler purposely bang his head. Most minor bumps to the head in young children don t pose any risk of long term complications thank goodness.

This does include soft objects like a pillow or. Head banging is surprisingly common. In the upright position the head is banged against the wall or headboard repeatedly. Once he was running on the couch even though we tell him not to.

A toddler or older child with a head injury probably took a tumble ran into something or was hit by a heavy object she explains. He was about 1 year old during both times. Another time he fell back from a sitting position and hit his head on the carpeted floor but it was a hard hit. Babies and toddlers soothe themselves and want to feel the same as they did in their mother s womb.

Head banging often starts in the second half of the first year and peaks between 18 and 24 months of age. For children with autism headbanging is a way to self soothe and communicate needs as a result of some form of anxiety. My husband ran to stop him but before he could our son fell off and hit his head on the carpeted floor. Why do autistic children hit themselves.

Your child clearly likes a good steady beat so help him find other outlets for his love of rhythm. Whatever the cause of a head injury how you assess whether your child should see a doctor or go to the emergency room is the same. Body rocking is typically done with the entire body while on the hands and knees. He will head butt us or just hit us if we tell him no and he will hit his head really hard on anything around him including hard surfaces like the floor or tables etc.

Head banging typically occurs with the child lying face down banging the head down into a pillow or mattress. Help foster your child s love of rhythm in other ways. Keep in mind that even a minor head bump can cause a large swelling. This is one aspect of child rearing that some parents don t expect but some children will repeatedly hit or bang their head against objects.