Nine Month Old Banging His Head

Some babies head bang because of teething and some do it out of frustration, you may be right when you say he wants to tell you something. Perhaps you should try sign language with him - there are lots of books and dvds with simple baby signs; studies show fewer tantrums in children who use signs to communicate their needs. I suggest 'signing time', its really cute and little ones pick up signs quickly - you will too!

My son did it around that age and the doctor told me it was because he was teething, apparently a nerve in the side of the head and face can get agitated when teeth are coming down. He said babies will hit their face or pull their ears rather violently sometimes.

Dear C.,

I have an 18-month old and when he was nine months he used to the same thing. My son went as far as banging his head on the floor when he was mad and frustrated. It used to freak me out because I didn't think it was normal for him to bang his head with his hand and he would also do it above his ear. I asked other moms and they told me that their children did the same so I stopped worrying about it. I think it is because they can't communicate yet and it is their way of trying to say something or show anger and frustration. He is much better now that he can communicate and tell me what he wants but he still occasionally bangs his head on the floor when he throws a tantrum. It will get better as soon as he can communicate better. Don't worry, your child is perfectly normal. Good luck!

My son is currently 14 months and has been banging his head on objects such as the floor, couch or anything he can. He will also hit himself w/ both hands on his head. My daughter who is 3.5 now never did anything like that, so it caught me off guard. He has been doing this since at least 9 mos. of age. I spoke with his doctor about this and he said that since my son is meeting his developmental milestones, then there really isn't much to worry about. He seems to do it a little less now. I wouldn't worry too much, but it's worth talking about with your dr. again if you're really worried.

Hope that helps a little.

Hi C.,

I have a 1 year old boy.... and when he was 3 months old, he used to shake his head sideways at sleep time. It worried me alot, but it just turned to be a comforting behavior... this evolutioned to smacking his hand to one side of his head at around 6 or 7 months....(like your son is doing now).... It was hard for me to deal with it, he appears to do it at different situations.... but finaly we figured it out that he did it when tired, bored, or mad,... again, to comfort himself. Now he is 1, and hardly do this... but he now know how the tantrums works.... As soon as you become a parent will allways worried about something... this is good, means you are doing your job, you care... but this behavior will go away as soon as he finds better ways to communicate with his around...

Maybe my answer is not that helpful, but sometimes make you feel better to know that you are not the only one going through this.

S.

Make sure there isn't an ear infection going on. Did the doctor check his ears?

I STRONGLY encourage learning and using signs with your children. The sign for finish is to wave both hands (twisting at the wrists, not flapping as in bye-byeing), so the modified baby sign is arms up (as in pick me up) along with the hands rotating back and forth. Gosh, it's hard to describe visual things in words!! Easy for your little one to tell you s/he's finished and wants up/out of the highchair (or crib or exersaucer or whatever).
Eat/food/hungry is putting your fingertips (closed and touching the thumb as if you're holding a sheet of paper, without the paper) to your mouth a few times. As in putting food in your mouth.

Just a few examples of how simple and easy it is to use sign language with your pre-verbal baby and how much frustration it can cut out of the daily routine!

My son didn't throw tantrums until he was in his 3's when he wanted to do something I wouldnt let a 3 year old do. No terrible two's tantrums when he couldn't let me know what he wanted.

But back to the head-smacking... My mom said I did that when I was young (1-2's) and it continued after I'd had some medication for an ear infection. Basically it continued for maybe 9 months. My mom thought I was just quirky (thanks mom! LOL) but later I was sick again and she took me in to the dr and found "another" ear infection. This time my mom was clearly instructed to continue the medication till it was all gone, not just until I seemed better. I then stopped and never hit my head again. So in retrospect it was clear I'd had an ear infection all along, my ear must have been tickling and I was hitting my head to stop it or something like that.

my daughter did this too. she stopped eventually. i thought it was because she was frustrated. but, she did it even when she was smiling and happy. i think maybe she was just doing it because she could.

Have you tried signing with your baby? If he does know what he wants, this can be a great way to communicate before he can speak (and it doesn't delay language development). Just learning a few basic signs can be enough - there are planty of books out there if you don't have time to go to a class. Good luck!

Hi C.,
My son is also a few days shy of turning 10 months old, and ever since he was around 9 months, he's been doing similiar things. When he's tired or soothing right before he goes to sleep, he rubs/hits either side of his head..right near his ears. He also sticks his finger in his ears while taking his bottle before he sleeps. A new thing he does is he gently hits his head against anything that's behind him, whether it be the couch, wall, crib. I think it's just a new thing for him to feel something hitting his head like that. I worked as a nurse in a pediatric office, and I know lots of moms would call concerned about this. Although, sometimes with an ear infection, babies will tug at their ear or hit the side of their head b/c it hurts. But if there are no signs of him being ill, then I wouldn't worry about it at this point. But if it persists for a long time or your gut just tells you something's wrong, it wouldn't hurt to see your pediatrician. Hope this helps!

I think my son does the same thing that you are talking about, and I have come to think that he has having referred pain from teething. The jaw muscles go up along the temple and also around the ear. It seems to happen when he is having pain from his teeth moving.

I have an eleven month old and a few months back he also went through a phase of smacking himself in the side of the head. I admit, it was a bit disturbing, but he has since stopped doing it, and I'm sure your son will, too. I think it's just another one of those things they do because they discover that they can, and eventually they get bored with it or learn something else. It's probably best, though, not to react too much to it or he may just start doing it for attention. Good luck!

My son used to do that and pull on his ears and hair, he's 14 months now and still does it occasionally. My doctor said it was ok too, and he was just bored and testing out his hands. I think he wouldn't do it if it hurt, so try not to worry about it.

Try to not worry about this. My cousin did this and now he's a normal grown man who is very bright and well educated. As parents its easy to worry. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Hang in there, you're doing fine.

My son did this with ear ache, blocked ears and ear infections. I would ask your doctor to check his ears again. Also my son was allergic to cow's milk and when I stopped giving him cow's milk the ear infections etc stopped.

Always follow your instincts. You know your child better than anyone. Get it checked out!

I am the mother of twins, who are very different. Be alert to your children and to their behaviors. Problems are more easily solved the younger the children are.

Hi C. -

There is nothing quite as disconcerting as to see your lovely child smacking his head against something, and not being able to stop him. I sympathize!

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say that while lots of kids may do this, it isn't normal for a child to want to inflict pain on himself. I would override the pediatrician and ask for a referral to a good pediatric Ear-Nose-Throat specialist and/or a pediatric audiologist. My guess is that there is something going on with your son's ears that's driving him a bit wild, and while 'normal' it must be uncomfortable. The fact that he seems frustrated points to this needing to be resolved.

Also know that head-banging can be a harbinger of autism. If this isn't cleared up by a trip to the ENT (which I'm pretty sure it will be), keep an eye for other behaviors which may indicate the need for screening for autistic spectrum disorders. You can contact me if you need a referral at www.evolibri.com.

Best of luck!

J.

Dr. is most likely right. This is just one of those silly phases they go through. My son used to bang his head on the crib. It may last for about 6 months or so.

C.,
I totally relate to what your saying, My son did this as well and I thought OK this isnt' normal, but then I was in a store and saw another child around my sons age doing the same thing. It was a few times he did that, I said to him oh that is going to hurt honey don't do that...
He finally stopped doing that and he does still rub his ear when he is about to fall asleep and his doctor did say it's a comfort thing as well.
Hope that helps.....

Good Luck

S.