What if the child beats his head?

Kids make most adults want it. guard and guard against the slightest discomfort.

Therefore, after seeing the baby checking the strength of the wall with his head or vigorously stretching himself for the locks, the parents for a second fall into a trance, and then rush to save the child.

And after some time begin pester yourself with questions about the causes of self-inflicting behavior.

As practice shows, in 99% of cases such actions are normal child activityassociated with the desire to relax, the formation of the psyche or the definition of self-importance in the parent's eyes.

Causes of blows to the head

What does it mean if a child beats his head?

It's hard not to panic at the sight of a child desperately pulling himself by the hair or rewarding his own head with blows.

Sometimes it seems that a little more and the baby will be left without a piece of hair or cause himself a serious injury. What to do in such cases and how to understand what caused such frightening behavior?

Why do children specifically beat their heads? Common causes have nothing to do with the pathology in the body or the development.

What can provoke such behavior, but should not be a cause of strong concern on the part of parents:

Self-knowledge. It is already difficult for an adult to realize that at one time he did not understand the connection between the blow of his hand on, for example, his own forehead and the sensations that immediately arose on the scalp. But it is through touch that we learn to perceive this world.
Therefore, there is nothing to worry about slapping a baby in the face or knocking with small fists on its own head.
In newborns, in general, coordination of movements is still very weak. And waving handles in front of their face, they just try to rub their eyes because, for example, they want to sleep.
Banal fatigue. In an effort to get rid of annoying mental fatigue, the child, most often lying down, shakes his head from side to side, imitating the sensations that he gets when rocking. In his mind, this movement is directly related to the onset of sleep.
Collision with the walls of the bed in this case is only a consequence of a misunderstanding that you need to move a little. But if a child suffers from a lack of attention, monotonous touches of the hard surface with the head may be dictated by the desire to feel someone's “presence”. Therefore, if the child shows perseverance and creeps up against the wall of the crib again and again, caress and calm him rather than enter the confrontation.
Poorly developed vestibular apparatus in a child starting to master independent movement, sometimes it leads to the fact that on the way of the child, tables, chairs and other furniture run across the path. Therefore, headers can be triggered by the fact that her position during rapid movements also needs to be learned to control.
Hysterics. During the rapid manifestation of dissatisfaction with the behavior of parents, it is most convenient for children to lie on the floor and bang on it with all moving parts of the body. But, as a rule, it does not lead to serious injuries - it gets more to the psyche of those around them who are forced to watch the process. As soon as the baby receives a tangible painful response from the “interior” to the sudden movement, the desire to continue self-harm will be greatly diminished.
The disappearance of the “spectators” of the production from the horizon leads to the same result.
If it is difficult to tolerate such behavior, you can hold the child in his arms and talk to him in a calm tone until calm.

Clarifying the limits of acceptable behavior. Having determined and learned by experience, the adults who are taking care of him agree to give in to the child if he starts hurting himself - and in fact just pretends, the child will resort to this practice at every opportunity. Lack of interest on the part of parents to demonstrate discontent usually gradually wean completely from this practice.

What to look for?

Cases that really require increased attention from parents:

Lack of parental attention. Emotionally cold or busy parents do not have enough hugs for no reason.
Therefore, to get a portion of attention, the kids go to any actions that they are already able to do to be pinched, sorry, and just stroked, hugged.
Pain in the ear or gums. Tapping his head on a hard surface dulls the unpleasant symptoms of inflammation in otitis media or teething. But it is rarely not accompanied by prolonged periods of crying. Therefore, if active head coils alternate with tearfulness, they are not manifestations of whims, but a signal of poor health.

Intracranial pressure. Perceived discomfort can be the cause of atypical head movements, so that a shake can reduce painful manifestations. If childbirth was difficult or after a child has developed diseases that can affect blood circulation in the brain, it is best to consult with a pediatrician once again about the child’s desire to beat his head.
Autoagression. If it is impossible to have a full-fledged dialogue with parents, when children do not have the right to vote at all and are afraid to show not only explicit protest, but also simple human emotions, striking themselves is a way of demonstrating psychological discomfort.
In addition to the mandatory consultation with a psychologist about the state of the child, behavioral correction sessions are also necessary for adult members of the child’s family.
Usually a sensitive blow to the body in any part of it sober the baby and he, if able, seeks to avoid repeated painful contact. If the child does not stop in the process of injuring himself and brings the situation to the appearance of bleeding wounds on the body, this indicates severe mental disorder. And without consultation with a neurologist and a psychiatrist is not enough.

Why does the kid pull the hair out?

If this practice is observed in a child under one and a half years, then, in most cases, the reason is typical reflex kids clamped in his hand everything that comes to hand.

As a result, we see a picture from the side when a baby with hairs, the length of which allows them to grasp, tugging at the strands, because they fell into the hands of his hands, and it seems to the poor relatives that the kid, as they say, vomits and throws away from something.

Possible causes requiring medical intervention and control of the situation:

Itching due to diathesis, insect bite, allergy to something, healing abrasions. It is possible that the baby is unable to reach the problem area to scratch, and pulling oneself by the strand reduces the manifestation of an irritant.
Sometimes this reaction is associated with an inconvenient accessory (rubber band, barrette, rim) or excessive prickly headgear.
Intracranial pressure, headache, toothache, ear pain - the reason is the same as in the case of banging your head.
Mental disorders and development.

He does this when he is angry or hysterical.

If developmental pathology is ruled out, then it’s just strong temperament.

It is possible that even a hereditary trait or acquired due to the fact that some of the adults in critical situations do the same, and the child is present at the same time and later copies behavior pattern.

If you knock on your forehead in critical situations neither you nor half love, look at the behavior of people who are with the child.

It is possible that one of them likes to knock himself on the head in moments of excitement, insight, or solving a difficult problem.

Is this normal for one year old children?

A child is a year old and he beats his head against the floor, the wall: is it normal? It has been said above that most often this is not a symptom of a serious problem. However, in each case, you need to act on the situation.

If a the reason is constant overvoltage, then you need to extend the time for preparing for bed, give up especially mobile games two hours before going to bed, start practicing baths with soothing herbs if the child likes to “swim”.
Wall leveling on the background of attention deficit - This is a signal for mom that she pays little attention to the baby.
Upon attempt pressure on parents you can and should ignore this behavior. At the same time, “keep a hand on the pulse” in such a way that the child is not aware of spying on him.
If “breaking through a gap in the wall-floor” is interspersed with attacks of unreasonable crying, then self-inflicting behavior is most likely caused by body pain.
Non-standard behavior for the child, for example, prolonged freezing in one position with a gaze focused on one point, an acute reaction in the form of beating his head after someone from the environment turned to him may be a manifestation of one form of autism.

How to wean from such actions?

A child with a healthy psyche does not harm himself on purpose.

Therefore, it is necessary to identify and eliminate the cause of the frightening behavior.

Then the unpleasant habit will always be in the past.

Opinion Komarovsky

In any case, you must be calm: an upset look of mother only reinforce inappropriate behavior baby

And an overly emotional reaction from an adult can cause a misinterpretation of a child’s behavior. The above indicative markers of the causes of child whipping head quite consistent with the opinion of Komarovsky.

We must try to assimilate and live with the thought that in most cases the manifestation of the problem under consideration is not a sign of serious pathology, but a normal practice for children.

Calming down and taking himself in hand, if necessary, removing from the room where the "tragedy" of compassionate elderly relatives is played out, adequate and calmly reasoning mother is much easier correctly identify the source of the problem and find an effective, acceptable way to eliminate it.

Friendly mood, affectionate touch and hug have a good effect on people of any age and especially healing for children.

Therefore, you need to learn how to acquire Zen in your soul, even in situations where the rest of the world threatens to crumble into billions of fragments.

The child is beating his head hysterically: what to do? Find out from the video: