Mumsnet Talk

DS (14mo) is very weird about his head! Always has been. When he was very young he would do this kind of Indian Head Wobble thing on his playmat, rubbing the back of his head from side to side, and he still sometimes does that in a high chair. The hair on the back of his head is permanently matted!

When he is frustrated or angry or the sky is blue he bangs his head back in his high chair, and sometimes right down onto the sides (ouch!). He used to headbang in his cot too, onto the front of his head/forehead.

He like having his temperature taken with an in-ear thermometer but won't countenance using an inhaler when he had bronchiolitus.

It's all very odd and I've never seen another baby do anything like it. I think he also has some sensory oddities with food (will pull some textures out of his mouth, including things that he liked previously (a week, day, 5 seconds previously...). He was 10 weeks prem and the consultant said it's not uncommon, but his twin sister isn't like it at all.

Has anyone had a baby anything like my little wierdo this? Am wondering if cranial osteopathy might help.

id go discuss with GP and a paediatrician
dont let any quack manipulate your sons skull. its got no clinical basis ,its costly
and chances are he will hate it. i hope you get some answer and good luck

I did mention the head banging to his paediatrician - he is still under consultant care due to being prem. She said it was a behavioural issue and not to worry because apparently they've done studies and babies won't properly hurt themselves, even if they bruise their heads! She was also the doctor who mentioned that textures in food can be an issue for prem babies. She seemed utterly unconcerned.

But I think he must have some discomfort in his head - when he was ill recently he napped during the day on our bed and was noticeably more comfy with a squishy pillow (I daren't let him have one when alone or at night). Just not sure how we can help him.

i appreciate youre mum and you love him,its good paed was reassuring
dont waste your money on some expensive mumbo jumbo
youd be better spending some money having a v lovely day you and son

Ok, well has anyone else got a skull-banging, head-wobbling baby who goes all quiet and zen-like-calm when you wiggle a finger in his ear?

Nope. Just me then.

bumpity bump

Hmmm...

He napped on your squishy pillow and was apparently comfy. This should tell you he won't like his head being squished firmly between someone's fingers. How about a super soft mattress for him? Can you get Tempur style mattresses for his cot/bed?

Suggest stay very away from unsubstantiated 'remedies'. It could so easily do more harm than good.

Interested in the negative responses to CO, not what I was expecting from MN. I do take your point Blissful, but then he also enjoys cracking it against wooden cot bars and having a thermometer firmly pressed into his ear, so there's no telling what he'd like !

I think I want him to see someone along the lines of my amazing chiropractor. I went as a sceptic, and ended up pain free. Not too 'woo'...

Would be very reassured though if someone else were to come along and say 'yes, my LO did that head wiggle thing as well...'

Well, I used a Cranial Osteopath for ds, and it did work a miracle, however, I'm well aware it doesn't work for everyone. For us it turned a fractious non-sleeper into am amazing sleeper. Ds continued to have sessions until he was 6yo and could talk about how it made him feel, I know adults who have been treated by the same osteopath we used and they too have said it calmed them and reduced anxiety...

I'm generally very cynical of alternative treatments, but for us, this was a last resort and it worked. The initial 5 sessions which ds started at 8mo were a life-changing experience for us. It was, without a doubt, the best £100 (£20 a session) we ever spent.

Find an osteopath through one of the regulatory bodies (I went through The Sutherland Society at cranial.org.uk) and try a session. See if it helps.

why would you assume mn would endorse alternative therapies
anyone with a modicum of science and common sense would reject such woo hoo

Well my two were head wobblers when tired, and dd2 used to bang her head when she got cross. And both loved having their earlobes stroked and think the ear thermometer is a hoot. Both pretty standard issue kids I think.
Key is though that you seem to think something is wrong. So I would raise it again with a paed. I'm with Scottishmummy on the craniel osto-woo.
If you think something is wrong, press the issue with a medical practitioner.

Thank you Rancer, that is helpful.

I can't make up my mind if I think something is wrong or not! Good to know it's not necessarily odd - other people have commented on the wobbling before now and that was probably making me paranoid.

I think your GP/paed should be your first port of call. Even if you did use a CO, they would probably ask you if you've taken your ds to see them anyway.

The CO we see always states that he cannot give medical advice.

My first two were born by venteuse delivery and had slightly misshaped heads. I had cranial osteopathy on both of them. The first and most obvious result was that they slept beautifully. I noticed as they continued to grow that their heads were growing into round, symetrical shapes instead of the slightly lopsided way they'd been growing before the treatment. They are now respectively 13 and 11. Personally I would strongly recommend the therapy.

There is another thread on here from a while ago with positive Cranial Osteopathy stories which might be worth searching for.

If I were you, I would see one. Find one who has had paediatric training and also specialises in sensory integration.

Didn't read all of the posts so excuse me if I'm covering old ground. But, I have a crazy head child too she's 8 months.

She rocks back & forth, shakes her head from side to side when lying in her cot before she goes off to sleep. She went through a stage of throwing her head back and looking upwards at one point for no apparent reason... Now she does this head to the side little tick thing when she's tired. I don't know for sure but I think it's normal. The head is the first thing babies have control over.

I googled the shaking thing from side to side & realised it's very common & since then I've just not worried x

Oh & yes, she goes very still & quiet everytime I go near her ears too... Sometimes I wipe the inside of her ear to make her stop crying as it has such an instant effect!