My Child Is Hitting Himself!

IS he hitting himself when he gets mad or upset?? When one of mine was a toddler, he started banging his head on the ground when he got mad. He would have bruises over bruises on his forehead. When he got a little older he was diagnosed with adhd and bipolar. BUT, when he was a toddler, we even took him to the doctor and he said that he would not hurt himself, and that he would grow out of it. Well, he really didn't ever grow out of it. I mean, he started hurting himself in other ways. Well, now he is much better, he is 14, but when he was little, we had so much trouble out of him.

I guess my advise would be, if he continues it, ask your pediatritian on your next visit. Get his advice. Maybe he will grow out of it. I know that he won't hurt himself, he will stop before he hurts himself. That might be of some relief.

C.,

My 2 1/2 yo daughter also hit herself when she was about 14 months old. This was not learned behavior, as she had no older siblings. I started hugging her and saying "hugs not hits". I talked to her Pedi and he said it was normal developemental behavior. He said as long as she was not "hurting" herself that I should ignore the behavior and it would eventually stop. He was right.It did stop within a couple of months. I now have 14 month old boy/girl twins and guess what! The boy has started hitting himself. I am not going to start the "hugs not hits" this time. Thinking I was doing the right thing, I was basically "rewarding" my daughter with a hug-which may have encouraged her to continue the behavior a little longer. This too, shall pass.
HTH

Hi I'd take him to the drs. I have a grandson that was doing the same thing.He had reaccuring ear infections and needed tubes put in his ears. This was 4 months ago.......he is doing much better now, he can hear, no ear infections,and no more pain. I'm sure there could be many reasons But it's always best to have the dr check him. Best of luck

My 11 month old hits himself in the head sometimes, he checks to see if anyone is watching so they can laugh with him and if not, he laughs to himself about it. I mentioned at an appointment earlier this month and our doctor assured me it was normal.

If you're worried, take him in just for peace of mind if nothing else.

All children need sensory input, and some children need it more then others. Sensory input helps the neurons in our brains connect and if they don't connect properly our brains can't interpret signals correctly. This is why autistic children are known for banging their heads, spinning, and the like. It's to get more sensory input.

I didn't know that my oldest daughter had sensory problems and she cried all the time as a baby (really, ALL the time, especially at night when it was time to go to sleep, and when we were in stores.) She didn't like swings and sudden movements and sounds scared her. As she got older she started banging her head (I'm sure she would have done so sooner if she had the motor skill ability.)

A book that helped me understand what she was going through is The Out of Sync Child. It explains why everyone needs a good sensory diet and how to tell if you have a child that needs extra help in the sensory areas and how to tell what they are. There's a companion book of activities to do to help your child regulate his brain.

If he DOES have sensory problems, it COULD indicate other problems such as ADD/ADHD or autism. Many parents don't notice autism in their children until around 13---15 months and it's been questioned wither the vaccines given may be triggering the autism symptoms or making previously unoticed autism worse (such as loss of speech.)

Don'd be afraid of the word autism though! A lot of children have sensory problems that are not autistic. And therapies and diets can help autistic children tremendously. My oldest has Asperger Syndrome, a form of autism that does not have language delay. My next two have classic autism (didn't notice any traits until after their 1 year vaccines.) But the gluten free diet and sensory activities have made a huge difference in their development.

DO get the book, your library may have it or be able to get it from an interlibrary loan. If you notice other concerning traits talk to your doctor. You can also contact ECI for an evaluation. The ECI in my area has an occupational therapist that evaluated my daughter for sensory integration dysfunction and then showed me things to do to help her. Evaluation is always free and therapy is free to cheap depending on your income level.

Feel free to write to me. :)

S., mom to 5!

It's possible he may have a headache. My oldest hits his head himself or on something when his head hurts.

hi C.,,,,
i get him to a DR A.S.A.P.
L.

My son is 14 months old and he hits himself too!
It is mainly when I am rocking him to sleep and I just figured it was because he was trying to keep himself from falling asleep. Any other time we have seen him do it and laughed at him for doing something so silly he would just keep doing it for the attention.