14 month old frequently hitting herself in the head...
DD has always been a bit full on - a very loud screamer when she is unhappy and tantrum thrower from an early age. Basically, if she is unhappy then the whole world needs to know about it!!
A while ago she started banging her head on the ground occassionally during her tantrums. I tried to stop her from doing this as much as possible while at the same time trying not to make a big deal out it (so she wouldn't see it as a way of getting attention). She still does it occassionally but not very often these days.
Recently she has started hitting herself in the head when she is upset. She does it quite frequently and often it seems quite hard. Initially I thought it would just be a short lived phase and not be an issue but it seems to be getting worse. My guess is she is just frustrated as she does it when she is upset, can't have her own way etc and doesn't quite know how to express herself. But just now I've been starting to get worried that maybe there is something wrong with her and am finding her behaviour quite distressing. Is it normal for little ones to hit themselves in the head like that? I don't know if I should talk to my GP or CHN about it?
Aside from the tantrums and head hitting she is an adorable little girl - very clever, affectionate, social, outgoing etc. Doesn't stop for a minute! So I don't see any other behavioural types issues that I am concerned about and she has always been ahead with her milestones... it's just the frequent head hitting!
Has anyone else experiecned this? Did it last long? Should I be concerned?
First of all big hugs to you because I know how horrible it is to watch this.
My DD started doing this around 12 months of age, her tantrums increased, during the tantrums she would throw herself on the floor and bash her head into the ground, didnt matter if it was carpet or concrete. She would even get up run to a wall and smash her head into the wall. Sometimes I would just break down and cry because I couldnt get her to stop and it was horrible to watch.
Turned out for us that is was an additive Annatto or sometimes written as 160B on food labels, that and she reacts to grapes. We found out that it could be this by accident and elimated it from her diet, within days she was a different girl, no tantrums happy no headbutting etc. Now she only needs to have something with 160B in it or a handful of grapes a couple of days in a row and she is headbutting again and a real horrible little girl to be around, it then takes about 4 days for it to leave her system and be back to normal.
The sad part is that Annatto is a natural additive but many kids have horrible reactions to it.
Its found in "plastic" cheese such as you singles among other products.
Not saying this is the solution to your troubles but could be worth looking into, who would think someone would react to grapes hey.
Best of luck xoxoxo hope it gets better for you soon.
Ashton did it for a while. He's stopped now but I was worried and my MCHN said that some kids will throw things, others bite, Ash just used to hit himself. Put it in perspective for me.
DD has always thrown herself backwards when she has chucked a tanty whacking her head. Then she started doing it forwards. Now she goes one or the other I have noticed recently that if she accidently whacks her head on say a wooden chair, we get over it then before we can blink she is right back at the chair deliberately banging her head harder and harder.
I would say its a phase ... maybe learning cause and affect ?
Thanks girls I am glad I'm not the only one that has a head banging / head hitting little one.
Salad - I read your post and starting thinking about all the things that DD eats that may have 160B in it. Mostly I cook all her food for her and try to stick to whole / natural foods as much as possible. BUT.... lately she has been having a lot of those rafferty's garden fruit bars and they have 160B in them! I couldn't believe it. DD has been a shocker lately and totally getting worse. Last night she hit herself in the head most of the evening, this morning the same thing again and then I realised that she's been having 1 (occassionally 2) of those bars almost every day lately!! They are so handy to just throw in the nappy bag when we go out or to add as an extra in her day care bag. She used to have one every now and again but they have become a regular lately, and so has the head banging and head hitting.....So now I'm thinking is this just a coincidence??? I'm certainly not taking any chances - from today she won't be having any more of those bars and I'll be checking the labels of everything else I give her to make sure it doesn't contain the same thing and see what happens.
Wow - I can't beleive that her behaviour may be influenced by this natural additive
I can't help with the head hitting but I know that if DD eats something very processed and unnatural/sugary/both that she turns into a violent freaky little cyclone, so the additive thing is very possible!
Dd2 whacks her head on the floor, doesn't care if it's carpet or concrete. In her case it's because she can't communicate what she wants, so she is frustrated. We avoid processed foods so it's not the cause for her. The good news is that now she is talking it's not happening anywhere near as much.
14 month old frequently hitting herself in the head...
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Put it in perspective for me.
I have noticed recently that if she accidently whacks her head on say a wooden chair, we get over it then before we can blink she is right back at the chair deliberately banging her head harder and harder.
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