Tantrums and Headbutting!

[youngmummy17]

DS is 18 months old, he throws big tantrums at least 5 times a day, but when he does he head butts the floor? It's usually on the carpet/rugs couple of times on the tile floor, today for the first time it was outside on the pavement i try my best to pick him up before but it's difficult and i don't know how to stop it, he hjas a big bruise and lump on his forehead and i don't know what i can do i'm terrified his going to cause damage to his head, any advice/help?

My DD used to do this at 18 months too. She would regularly head butt walls, doors, floor both inside and out the house! It was only a short phase. Lasted about a month I think. She's 2.6 now and completely fine. Although she has her 2 yr check later so the HV could disagree

But seriously, in my experience it was just a phase that she grew out of. I just used to let her get on with it and then engage with her once she'd calmed down. It's not a nice thing to watch I know but take deep breaths...and just say to yourself that it will pass.

It's just so frustrating! I'm so worried he'll hurt his little head, i don't get where he even gets it from! I hope it's just a phase and the tantrums.

Going through that right now and most of our house is hard floors

Can you try to pre-empt the tantrums as much as possible (not always possible, I know)? What triggers his frustration, maybe distract him with something else before he starts tantrumming? For example, if he tends to throw himself on the floor of the kitchen when you need to spend a few minutes in there, give him a wooden spoon and plastic bowl, or a whisk, or something new to play with? Or a baby wipe and ask him to "clean" the floor?

I have a 16 months old who has just started to tantrum, but I find a lot of his tantrums are predictable. He isn't headbutting yet, but only yesterday I was speaking with his CM, who said a lot of children do it, and it's perfectly normal, although of course not to be encouraged. It's very unlikely he will actually harm himself seriously, try to keep a straight face when he's doing it, and distract, distract, distract. I am known to shout "look. DOGGIE!!!" when out and about with DS and he starts getting frustrated.

I'm glad I'm not the only one whose 18mo old can do some pretty good tantrums - and there was me 'naively' thinking it didn't happen until the 'terrible two's!'..

Certainly my friends with older children laugh about the assortment of yellow's, blues and purples their little ones foreheads have been at various times so I am assured it's perfectly normal.

We too have slate and wooden floors but we now have a number of rugs and a sheepskin and when I do think she's going to start I at least try and make sure she's wailing and flapping around on one of them.. however, she is known to start banging her head in the high chair too which is a wierd rocking one that can freak me out a bit. Though actually thinking about it seems to have stopped recently so our firm but gentle 'no's' to this must have worked.

Distractions are good too - I have to try not to laugh when dd's in the midst of a wail or a whinge or hurling herself around fit and you ask her something you know the answer is yes too - invariably food related as in 'do you want a biscuit' (probably not the correct way to deal with it) and she suddenly snaps right out of it and suddenly manages a feeble but totally audible almost cheery 'ok!'

Think she has calmed recently as her vocab increase and she is being understood and able to communicate more clearly.. I also try and keep positive and calm about it and patient is to think that its showing good signs of normal development and understanding and asserting oneself! (I could of course be kidding myself there, but it helps me!)

My 18 month DS started doing this a few weeks ago - its embarrassing! He did it all the way round tesco one day, he's done on concrete, wooden floors....he has stopped headbutting and moved on to chest butting stuff, ie running into doors at full throttle chest firstbut I'm sure he'll get over it soon, I'm sure it's because he has no other way of communicating his frustrations as he's not talking yet.....this too will pass....this too will pass