Baby hitting himself

[Bex107]

My 8-month old DS has started hitting his head repeatedly as he's going off to sleep at night. He really thumps himself pretty hard, and I tend to just block his hand so he's hitting my hand not his head.

Is this normal? I'm assuming it's similar to head banging/rocking to self-soothe? Does anyone have any tips to stop it, or should I just let it happen?

Can you give him an alternate comfort mechanism?

Maybe put a soft toy / blankie in his hand and let him wave that around.

Avoid over-tiredness too. Tiredness signs like this are usually a sign of being over-tired and exhausted, not just tired. The ideal would be to anticipate when baby needs a sleep and have him asleep half an hour before he outwardly shows tired signs.

Thanks @FATEdestiny - he does have a little teddy/blanket thing but he's not that bothered with it at night. We are struggling with sleeping in general at the mo, he's taking ages to settle so although I think we're starting his bedtime routine early enough, he's overtired as he can't get himself to sleep for a while.

We are awaiting an appt at the allergy clinic as he is chronically windy, and I think tummy pain keeps him awake (and certainly wakes him regularly throughout the night). But until then, will keep trying with his teddy (he has a dummy as well).