Head banging at night

[BobbyDazzlee]

Hello! Hope you can help!
My little one is nearly 18 months and has head banged at night from about 12 months.
It’s pretty severe, every single night, relentless banging against the cot. Sometimes she’s sat up banging her back against the bars, other times she’s lay down banging her head against the side bars.
We have another daughter and it wakes her up every night ( and me and my partner).
It usually starts when she wakes up in the night and goes on for an hour or so, sometimes more.
I have read that it can be a form of self soothing. I’ve made health visitor and doctor aware. I’ve also heard can be a sign of autism.
I was just wondering, has anyone else any experience with this?
Would you recommend I just leave her to it or should I keep going in and laying her back down to break the cycle?
Also, seriously considering getting a travel cot as read somewhere that these can help minimise the banging sound. But would these be robust enough to hold a large toddler who head bangs with great force?!
If anyone has any recommendations, I would be so so grateful!!!
It is disturbing all our sleep every single night and just really really hoping someone can maybe help with it xx
Thank you so much in advance

Bump

Is she teething her molars?

Hi!
Erm, I think her first molars have come through but she may be getting her second molars , I will check!!
Xx

Yes it can be linked to that.
Also what is her daytime routine?

My dd used to the same every night she even did it in the high chair!! she mostly grew out of it ( will occasionally do it if woken in the night) she's not autistic, we used to worry that could be why she did it but it was just self soothing and as she wasn't hurting herself we left her to it.

Hey! Thank you for your replies!
So last night was a bad night. She woke 1-4pm just crying, banging. Ended up caving in and giving her a bottle ( again) which I’ve kind of got into a bad habit of doing. My other daughter was awake and now I’m off to work in half an hour 🙈
It’s just a bit of a nightmare. I keep telling myself it hopefully will pass.
So her routine is get up 7 ish ( depends when she was up
In the night) dinner 11.15-30ish then down for nap 12-12.30 ish -2.45 ish.
Then bed at 6.30ish.
Maybe she’s sleeping too long in the day?
I try stretch out bedtime but she’s so tired by then. But then usually there’s some singing / talking /banging for a while, up to an hour after she goes down
Xxx

Yes she is sleeping too long in the day.
At 18 months I would do
7am wake and brekkie
10am fruit snack
Play outdoors
12noon substantial lunch
12.30-2 nap
2.30 snack
Play
5pm substantial dinner
6pm bath
Milk and Stories
7pm in bed asleep.
So 90 mins daytime sleep, 2 hours max, always up by 2.30 and always in bed at 7pm.
She is currently napping too long and going to bed too early meaning she has 3 hours’ sleep in the day. She could also be hungry which is why I’m writing substantial for the meals. I would also remove all screen time of any description for a week and see if that helps.

Wow thank you LapinR0se, that’s really helpful!!!
Ok, will try tomorrow and hopefully see how goes
I really appreciate this

Hey! Just to update - we are still having no luck at night 😢
Bedtime has somewhat improved however, since we took on board the advice about routines. She settles almost straight away as we’ve moved bedtime a little later and I don’t leave her any longer than 2 hours in the aft, getting her up by 2.30 latest.
However, it appears that if I give her less sleep in the day, she is so tired, sleeps through till 4.30/5 and then that is it. If I give her a little longer nap, she wakes for couple hours at least in the night.
When she wakes 4.30, it just writes off the day and she is incredibly teary and tired all day and her routine just goes out the window!
It’s so hard isn’t it! Xx

What’s happened with the head banging though, has it improved?

I put thick padded bumpers on the ends of my daughter's bed. That fid the trick for her.

Hi, the head banging is still really bad. She’s doing it now. Awake from 3.30, now 4.30 😞

Ooh butterfly990 , did you find that your daughter still headbanger with the bumpers on, or did it just minimise the banging?
Thank you to both of you for commenting. Thank you Lapin R0se.
Maybe it’s something I’ve got to live with now 🙈
I know it will probably get better but it just seems relentless at the moment. I think I’m getting really run down too with the lack of sleep!
But maybe I’m asking for too much!
Anyway, I’m sure will get better 🤞🤞

I would totally get her checked out by the GP in case there is something bothering her (ears/throat etc)
Otherwise it is sensory seeking behaviour that can have a number of causes.

Would you recommend I just leave her to it or should I keep going in and laying her back down to break the cycle?

I would sit with her, to break the cycle.

I appreciate you are working and so to make life easier to manage I would bring the cot into your bedroom so that the process is (slightly) easier on you.

Personally, I'd be very alarmed by such damaging and harmful behaviour from a toddlers. I wouldn't just leave her doing it. What happens if she's asleep in your bed next to you, with nothing to bang her head on?

Thank you :)
Yes been to the GP on Monday and several times before and they aware of the head banging but just said it’s normal xx

Hi FATEdestiny , she doesn’t come in my bed as we’ve tried that before and she just gets excited and gets out the bed. Also don’t want to get into the habit of her coming into my bed x

I’d rather leave her in her own bedroom and keep going in

Also the doctors said it’s not damaging and it’s self soothing ... just want to get her to stop it! Lol
Yes I think you’re right though, will have to keep going in and lying her back down to try and break the cycle

It is self soothing. That doesn't mean its a good way to self sooth, as you say you'd rather she didn't.

So you need to help her replace head banging with another way to be soothed to sleep. I would stay by her bad as she goes to sleep, right through until she is asleep.

If she starts shuffling around, bend over the cot and place your hand on her chest to try and still her. Try and keep her still. Introduce a snuggley too - a special teddy, blankie, that kind of thing. Hold it in her hand and tickle her face with it to encourage that as a self-soothing action. It will need you to be there and actually do the movement for her at first.

Ok thank you. I will start doing this and hopefully it will break the cycle 🤞🤞🙏