Headbanging in a 12 month old

[kando]

DD3, who's just turned one, keeps banging her head on the floor/door/hard surface. She mainly does it when she's tired or when she wants attention. Does anyone have any experience of this - I don't recall my other 2 dds doing this! Hopefully it's a phase she'll grow out of, but I can't help worrying something's not right ...

My son did this from about 12 months to maybe 2ish. I found it very distressing. He would headbang his forehead until it was too painful and then turn his head to bash the sides. Gave himself bruises and was more or less undistractable. My health visitor came and watched him do it all one beautiful sunny afternoon. She said it was frustration and when he learned to talk he would stop. She was right, he did.
DS (now 14 and perfectly okay) says he can remember doing it and it 'felt nice'. Certainly did not feel nice to me at the time but it did pass.

Thanks slowreader. She's got bruises on her forehead from doing it - sometimes it's a little line of bruises next to each other, sometimes its only one or two. It's not nice to see her doing it, but short of strapping her into her highchair or pushchair (or carrying her everywhere!), there's not much else I can do. I hope it passes quickly!

DS1 did this for about 6 months from the same age - when he was 14ish months I called my HV who suggested that when he started doing it (he mainly used to do it right next to me) - to pick him up without saying anything and put him in the travel cot. There are no hard edges in there so they can't hurt themselves. I would ignore him for as long as the banging/crying lasted and then as soon as he stopped go over and smile and say something like 'mummy likes it when [DS] is happy' and give him a cuddle and lift him out.

I have to confess it took me another month to try out what she'd sadi as I wasn't sure it was the best way but once I'd done it it took around a week for the behaviour to reduce and within a few weeks he'd stopped doing it.

It's definitely normal though and definitely just a phase so don't worry that it means something's not right.

We have a den thing which I considered putting her into when she started doing this but as it's got metal bars I thought she may be able to do herself even more damage! I will look out the travel cot and try this - thanks liquidclocks.