Banging head.

Hi my DS is 8 months old and has lately been hitting his head on things.. It's very strange and I don't know why he does it. He doesn't cry so I'm assuming it's not hurting him. For example he will crawl up to the door and just start hitting his head on it. And sometimes when he's upset he will smack his forehead with his hand. What is this?? I have no idea where he could have picked it up from, neither DF or I are violent people the only thing I can think of is something on TV?

Another thought is that maybe he is just learning and trying to figure out if banging his head on doors or furniture will make them move?

It may just be a developmental thing like you said, trying to figure out how to get things open or through things. The other thought is how do you react? Do you try to stop him? Or do you put something in between or open or move what it is he is banging on? He may have learned a way to get you to do something for him...

Matilda used to have tantrums at a young age (9months)where she would throw herself backwards and land on her head & if I didn't react she would keep banging her head on the ground. But hers were definate tantrums & after a few weeks she started walking so we put it down to her wanting to move but not being able too. The tantrums stopped for a while until the next developmental stage came through. They can get frustrated right before a developmental turn so that can encourage it as well. I should say that we were pretty anal before she turned 1 as well & she didn't watch any TV. So not sure if TV would be the influence... it wasn't for her.

Then again... they are all different ;)

Hi LMB, I'm not sure why they do it, but I know my son, and several other bubs in my mums group also did this, so I think it's pretty normal. Hudson would sit by the wall or coffee table and just bang his head back and forth on it lol! He's 2 now and has grown out of it quite a while ago. Just a stage I think? Although now at 2 if he bangs and hurts his head or something he will re-enact the accident just to see if it hurts again LOL! Kids do funny things when they are learning about the world.

My girl is a head banger too. She's not angry or upset, she just bangs her head on things!! Very odd - we have often joked about making her have her bike helmet on inside ;)
She's not particularly tanstrumish, but she does insist on having her way. Easily distracted, so we normally just try and get her to do something else. Initially I worried it might have been a slow development indicator, but she is well ahead with all her milestones.

Kaitlyn was exactly the same. She seems to have stopped now...thankfully. She would sit up against the wall and just bang her head!..and she did it to everything. To me it seemed like it was her way of testing out different materials and how things felt.

Thanks for the replies guys!

It's quite a relief to hear that others are doing it aswell hehe.

My reaction when he does it is normally say no in a firm voice and stop him from doing it.

I hope he gets over it soon, it drives me nuts! To think of all the brain cells he must be killing lol.

I read somewhere, I think it was pinky's latest book, that at 8-9 months it is a developmental thing, something about the baby discovering their rhythm and liking it?
Milo does the same thing.