Head butting 1 year old

[InspectorGadget]

My 13 month old keeps headbutting us. Sometimes in anger, sometimes in frustration, often when we've told im 'no' to something. He's quite happy to headbut the wall or the floor if neither of us are within headbutting distance. Often he does it hard enough to make him cry and my hubby has gone to work with a fat lip on more than one occasion. He also throws himself backwards and bangs his head, slaps and bites us.

Is this is a phase that he'll grow out of, or are we doing something wrong? Perhaps we're not keeping him entertained enough and he's doing it out of boredom? How should we deal with it? Ignore? Tell him off? I dunno, it's quite distressing though, and also very wearing. Is it the sign of things to come? Are we in for rough toddler years?

Siiiiiigh.

DS used to headbang to the point that I would be in tears. He would headbang the sofa, the floor, the stairgate, the cot - anything...it truly is a phase and he did grow out of it

One thing we did find helped and its bloody hard, but ignore it...when they are headbanging and you rush to them to get them to stop it (understandable as you worry they are going to hurt themselves) they are getting attention - regardless of positive or negative attention, it is attention. I found it very hard to leave DS to it but when I just put him down and walked away and then watched him when he didn't think I was looking, he would look around to see if anyone was watching him and stop when he didn't have an audience! Although there were times when I did have to intervene as I was worried he would hurt himself - so its a judgement call

Another tactic is the 'go on then, do it harder - carry on' one..this used to make DS stop and be angry that we had told him to carry on!

It is hard but I promise you - it does pass

I consoled myself with fact that a headbanger, although awful, was a tad better than a child who pinches and slaps others so no mummy warfare at nursery