In the last six months Parker has gone from a quiet, sedate kid, to an independent, knows exactly what he wants kind of dude.
I like a man who knows what he wants. But not so much a kid who bangs his head against the nearest, hardest thing to get it.
Although, now that I think of it, I’m pretty sure I dated a guy or two who weren’t above banging their heads against a wall if they didn’t get their way.
But I digress.
Parker can go from zero to ballistic in the blink of an eye, with no time wasted trying to sign his desires.
Too time consuming don’t ya know.
Granted, while I may be Mom to 6 of the most hard headed kids to have ever traveled down a birth canal, the whole head banging thing has got to stop.
Alas, nothing I have tried has worked.
So I come to you, oh parents who are so much wiser than I. How did you get your kid to quit expressing his dismay by trying to head bang himself into unconsciousness?
Your ideas. I need them.
You can also find Tammy and Parker hanging out at their other blog, Praying For Parker and on Twitter where they are known as ParkerMama.
We had a big head banging problem too (not that it’s over, but it’s now a little more manageable). Our therapist ordered us a special helmet for him to wear to keep him safe. After awhile he wouldn’t bang just as long as he had a hat on his head (that’s where he got the whole “hat” thing from!). It really helped in the beginning. Although, from what the therapists also said—a lot of it is sensory integration issues that just have to work themselves out. I say, get a helmet! It made me worry less and kept his head safe(r)! Good Luck!!!
When my boys banged their heads, I put my soft hand between their heads and the object of their banging and just kept it there, and it sort of took the wind out of their sails, while helping with the sensory issue at the same time, because their heads were still touching something. While doing all that, I communicated verbally that head-banging was unacceptable. Sometimes I said “no”, sometimes I said “Ow!”, sometimes I just gasped really loud, which distracted them. The main thing is that I never gave them whatever it was they were banging their heads to get.
It sounds like Parker bangs his head as part of a frustration/temper burst. I do not know how old he is but he looks like maybe a toddler. USUALLY toddlers (according to some doctor friends) will not bang their heads hard enough to actually hurt themselves. That’d not comfort me though, so I’d try two things:
1. do you have a velcro board with images on so perhaps he could pick out an image to indicate what he is wanting and show it to you?
2. with a helmet you’d feel better. Even if it is a kids football helmet from a used sporting goods store you’d be able to relax and teach him how to work through it. Every time he starts head banging, you put the helmet on and then sit down in front of him to help him get where he is banging to go.
Put him in a padded room? lol! I hope that you can come up with something and that this is a short phase for him. My boys bang their heads but they giggle as they do it so I know they are not hurting themselves.
I had a little guy who had hearing problems. He went through the head banging thing too. And gagging himself. I finally realized it was because he just needed more Mommy time. My older son was happy just to hang out with me and do stuff with me. Zach needed touch, cuddles, caresses and wasn’t capable of telling me. Here is what happened… http://faithwriters.com/wc-article-level3-previous.php?id=21908. I learned to just drop everything when he made that special “word” that only I understood… and just sit down and cuddle him until HE was ready to get up and go play. That’s our story anyway. Don’t know if it’ll help.
My daughter head-banged because of sensory delays/ sensory seeking behavior.
I would redirect her by asking if she wanted me to squeeze her head. Nine times out of ten, she would say yes. She started requesting it by 2.5 years old. “Squeeze head, please.” For her, it was all about feeling that dizzying sensation you get on contact.
We’d also hang her upside-down by her ankles to give her the same dizzying feeling. And we’d give her what we call Tongginator sandwiches, laying her in-between two couch pillows, then rolling back and forth on top of her to provide some deep pressure input.
Parker’s head banging is due to him wanted something right. this. very. second. and not getting it.
We’ve been told to just walk away and ignore it. But the permi-bruise on his forehead speaks against this.
I’m loving all the ideas. Thank you!
Scary, isn’t it? My 2.5-year-old son throws himself on the floor. Forward, it isn’t too bad. Backwards, he’s given himself some knots. I usually send him to the corner and he’ll throw himself face down on the floor, crying.But by then it is hurt feelings more than tantrum.
But the corner wouldn’t wouldn’t work if he were banging his head on the wall with great force. Is there any other place you could put him for a time out? Or just sit Indian style on the floor and hold him in your lap until he’s calmed down?
When my son first started throwing tantrums, I counted. I know it sounds crazy, but at the time, his favorite board book was a counting book. When I counted to 20 (and started over again) in a very even tone, its like he realized I was ignoring him. Or maybe it distracted him.
Good luck.
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Half-life of lortab in urine. Difference between vicodin and lortab. Lortab. Lortab side effects. Suspect lortab addiction….
My child has down syndrome.His speech is very limited. He is 9 years old. He bangs his head when he gets upset about something he wants something he cannot get. This can happen once in 2 weeks or every day dependent on his mood. If he is tired and iritable it can happen or just simply wants something. Otherwise he is the most loveable, well behaved child. I have been told to hold him tight, his face not towards me, giving him deep pressure and being very quiet until he comes out of his tantrum. It is important to discuss the behavior at a different calm moment. I have had many suggestions but this is the one that we are up to now.