Hi,

My friends two year old bangs his head on the floor, wall, cement, cot etc. To start off with, it seemed related to teething. I thought it was a form of tantrum because he never does it on his Nan and he soon stopped it when with me (I don't stand for it).He would get angry, his mouth was aching and banging his head was just relieving his frustration. He stopped it for a while but then last week he started it again, waking from 1.00am and banging over and over again until 3.00am. My friend is very patient, she just goes in and offers a drink, a cuddle, and an extra blanket. He speaks very well and doesn't go berserk about pain during these turns, he kicks the blankets off and screams out cold so if he was in identifiable pain he would say, ie sore head,mouth, ears. My friend is at her wits end after a week of 4 hours sleep at night and a baby with his head covered in bruises. Has anyone got a suggestion as to why he may be doing this? And how to stop it?

Ideas and thoughts welcome :)

Kris

My daughter does it on the couch while
watching tv.
But now that I think about it,I can almost guess he has fluid behind his ears.it cant be seen with the reg tool doc.s use to fing ear infections
she should take him to an ent ear nose and throat doc.my son used to hit him self with a fist in the back of the head.good luck (I think it was called mastoiditis)

i have heard of children with autism behaving like this.....i would have her mention it to the doctor......it could be harmless, or there could be a medical reason for it.

It can be a soothing mechanism for a child. I did it for years, albeit on my pillow as I was going to sleep. I didn't have a favourite teddy or blanket, nor a pacifier. Mine began as soon as I could lift my head. The doctor's told my parents that this would go away at about age 4. It didn't and continued on. To this day I wake up to myself doing it. I broke the habit many years ago while going to sleep but if I'm having a restless night or a nightmare you can be sure I'll be doing it in my sleep.
Some researchers believe if it goes on for more than a few years, it may be a sign of emotional problems.
And yes, a lot of autistic children do it as well.

My concern for this child is that he's doing it on very hard surfaces and can injure himself.
I'd definitely get a second opinion and even though it sounds silly, he may have to wear a helmet to protect himself.

THis is just my experience though. I'm sure there are a multiple of reasons for head banging. (As a child, I named them "bumpies"!!)

Good luck and let me know if you find the answer. I'd be very interested in hearing about it.

Meg

I hope your friend has talked to his dr about his head banging....At 2, one cannot totally express aches and pains....He may have an ear infection ,as one has mentioned, or a sinus headache....It is not normal for a child this age to bang his head on a hard surface without a cause, which is probably medical vs emotional....Hope she takes him to the dr.............good luck

also ear infections usually manifest themselves at night

Thank you for your replies guys. Mother and son trotted off to the doctor and it seems he did have an ear infection. My friend told him how the child describes when he is hurt and the doctor said it is like a tooth ache, the pain moves around causing pain in different areas so a two year old can't understand where the pain is and how to put it into words.

Thank you Again.

Well, I'm so happy that you got the problem solved!
I'm sure you're quite relieved and happy.
Good luck,
Meg