Toddler Headbutting the Floor

[calebsmum]

...or the wall, radiator, my shoulder ect. It's when he's upset or frustrated, his poor little head is permanently red and bruised. He's 19mths, did anyone elses toddler do this, and when did they grow out of it??

Also when did the terrible twos end??!!!?

I'm of no help at all, but my 13 month old deliberately bangs his head on the radiators & walls too. He looks at me for a reaction - his dr said it's perfectly normal & to ignore it, which I try to do. It's hard though as he sometimes really hurts himself

The 16 month old that I look after does the same thing and hits his head so hard he cries. He usually does it when he's tired.

If I keep both boys busy with other things, they tend not to headbang! I would love to know when this phase ends...

Terrible two's become the terrible threes/fours etc. However, the children listen and can appreciate more what you are explaining to them. Don't get disheartened. My ds2 did this althought the one time he headbutted concrete was sufficient to stop him. I actually ignored him after a while, because the more I said stop don't do that the more he did it. Try to distract him with something the moment he starts and something easy and fun. I found too was frustration that made my ds2 do that. I had bought a little wind up Fimbles radio and that once switched on worked a treat. In fact he still loves it even now aged 3.

I used to bang my head on the floor when I was small , it explains a lot

My mum was advised to ignore me and I did stop, it was attention seeking behaviour, but I feel it would be difficult to ignore my children if they did this.

Tracey Hogg Baby Whisperer puts the child on a beanbag where they can thrash about with no harm to themselves but learn how to calm themselves down.

Obviously frustration is a perfectly normal emotion they just need a positive way to vent it!

When Ds2 came along, Ds1 did this for a week or two - which doesn't sound long but it felt like an eternity! He would pick the hardest floor in the house and bash away. We ignored it and ignored it but it continued and continued so in the end, we used a combination of a jolly good telling off and me bursting into tears and saying 'please don't do that, it hurts mummy!!' and it stopped!
Hope your little headbanger stops soon!

Calebsmum, I hat to tell you but terribe twos are replaced by troublesome three's and so I;ve been told (as we've only just got to three, Fearsome fours etc etc

I also saw the episode of the baby whisperer where she got a beanbag for a little chap who had the same habit as yours, and everytime he started to bang his head she put him on the beanbag.

At the end of the programme the mum said that whenever he felt a tantrum coming on after then he would actually take himself off to the beanbag.

Worth a try?? Good Luck

Thanks for the tips, am off to buy a beanbag! At least he's not the only one