Is it normal for a kid to sit up against a wall and hit the back of her head into the wall?

Question

My soon to be one year old has started hitting her head on things. She'll sit up against something and hit the back of her head against it. Not very hard. I know that some kids do this and the doctors say it's a phase. But my first daughter never did this and it worries me to see my little girl hitting her head. Did anyone else go through this with thir kids? Any advice? I'm a stay at home mom and I am with her all the time. I don't think she could be trying to get attention. She gets more than enough from all of us.

Answer 1

My daughter hits her forehead against the wall once in a while. With having worked with people with developmental and physical disabilities, I can say that your doctor is right - it is a phase.

She does it not very hard. If she had a disability, she would do it hard - it is done for stimulation in those instances. The harder they hit their head, the more pain they feel, and the more stimuli it is presenting to the individual.

More than likely, she is exploring that "Hey, when I hit my head, it sort of hurts". Some have to touch the fire to find out it will burn, while others are more than satisfied in taking someone's word for it. If she does it for hours on end, or appears to hit it harder and harder, and doesn't stop or seem phased by the "pain", then I would seek out another opinion.

Hope this helps. . .

Answer 2

It would depend on how hard she's doing it... If she's not hurting herself, then I wouldn't worry about it. I remember when I was in school I would do it occasionally (very gently) while sitting against the wall waiting for school to start. Just a light tap. Kind of like tapping your foot to pass the time.

I really think people are being too quick to jump on the "developmental disorder" thing. I see kids do it all the time in a non self-injurious way.

Answer 3

Sounds like my son. He didn't actually say his first word until 13 months, now at 17 months he says about 40 words and knows at least 2-300. He has always been a head banger. When he was a baby he would do it on the the headboard as he fell asleep and when in pain. Then for attention, Now he does it during tantrums. My doc said its pretty normal, he will decide that it hurts eventually and stop.

Answer 4

I have never seen a child do this unless they had a devlopmental or behavioral problem. I would take SIB (self injurious behavior) pretty seriously. I worked with chilrdren like that and while it may start mild, it can become a huge problem. Many children I worked iwth had to wear helmets nearly 24/7 because the SIB became so frequent and severe. I would recommend consulting a professional, such as a doctor or psychologist (particularly a behavior analyst) as soon as you can.It is better to be safe and catch any potential problem ASAP. I hope everything turns out okay.

Answer 5

I experienced something like that from my ex-husbands' daughter. She was almost a year old when her mother said she couldn't handle her anymore. My ex worked alot and her mother never came to see her or call her. She would sit and bang her head against the wall and if I put her in the playpin, she would pull her hair out by the clumps. I took her to the pediatrician and he said she is depressed. It's very sad to watch a child self mutilate themselves because they haven't a clue what is going on. I am sure your case is much different. Try to preoccupy he with other things, such as toys, games, etc. If she still continues, take her for testing. Good luck and GOD bless you.

Answer 6

I have seen this in kids and in one adult. Big people seem to forget that some kids have big people problems. Whenever my mother was in the middle of a very bad migraine she would go into her room and bang her head on the wall or pinch herself. She said any other pain took her focus off the headache. What else is going on with her when she does this? Could it be a headache? I really don't know but I've wondered. Maybe I'll get my answer thanks to you.

Answer 7

I have 4 kids, my first son, who's now 23 and just out of the Army, he used to do that. Only on sliding glass doors mostly.....and just walls in general now that I look back.
I never really made a big deal out of it, and he'd just do it every so often.A couple times I started to freak out about it, but decided against it.. Eventually he just stopped. I suppose for you, it depends on how long she's been doing it, and if she starts causing injury to herself. In this case I would consult a doctor....Otherwise just let it be, don't make a fuss and she'll probably gain interest in something new real soon.....
Good luck ! !

Answer 8

Yes, it's common.

She does it because it feels good, not to get attention.

(Serously, try it yourself sometime. The rhythmic thumping is kinda soothing, after a moment.)

She's not hitting herself hard enough to cause pain or damage. As long as the rest of her develpment is on target, she'll be fine. (Now, if she's refusing to make eye contact, losing her vocabulary, etc, you may have another issue on your hands. But I doubt this is the case or you would have mentioned it.)

A word of caution, though. Do not let her get in the habit of hitting her head against PEOPLE. That little head can be hard, and you don't want it coming back on your nose. (Or your jaw, or your collar bone... Yes, I speak from experience.)

Answer 9

my little brother used to do this as a 1-3 yr. old...it started out as a cause and effect thing...him realizing that he was doing it, and he could feel the result...then he noticed ( and thought it was funny ) to see everyone " Oh!! No! No! Honey!! Don't hit your head!!"--then he used it against Mom...whenever he got in trouble, and might get a little swat on the rump, he'd barrell head on into the nearest wall, damn near knocking himself out..gave himself black eyes..making Mom reluctant to punish him, cuz he'd go for a concussion..Now he's 25--smarter than most, and a great guy...your baby will be fine..

Answer 10

my 18 month old son does this he also kicks things i found if i distract him with something he stops as soon as she starts try to distract her, it is a phase my other son who is 7 did the same they soon grow out of this just remember if they do it too hard it will hurt and she will think twice next time