2 yr old always hit her head hard on the floor when she's mad?!!!?

Question

ok...my niece is about to be 2 on august 26, and she been hitting her head hard on the ground whenever she is mad...she wants something we cant give her then she would hit it really hard on the ground or would bite her finger really bad...it happen too fast to really stop her....she been doing that since she was 1 yr old....less than 1....and sometimes when i feel on her head...there is still a lot of bumps...never went away... she always be hitting her sibblings for no reason...sometimes she's real nice and sometimes real mean... i don't know why... i just schedule her to see the ped...but they don;t have a available date untill 3 more weeks...does any parents here have similar problems??? and does anybody have a suggestion to stop it???!!!....thnx in advance for answering... and btw her family just came here from another place and i just knew that...her mom doesn't speak english so when she go to the doc...she doesn't know how to describe her problem... its not bc she is irresponsible.....thnx alot

Answer 1

This is called a temper tantrum.  When she starts to do this, hold or restrain her (on a sofa, or bed or overstuffed chair) so she won't harm herself.  Don't yell at her, bribe her (if you stop, I'll - - -.) Since even words of support may add to her distress, I suggest humming, rocking calming, etc. may settle her best.  If she has just moved into a different environment this behavior may escalte escalate.

I would still take her to the pediatrician to be sure she is healthy.

Being aware of her diet may help, also, may let you know if there may be a food reaction involved.

Answer 2

OMG! My son did that when he was 1 it lasted for about a year.  He also beat his head against the wall every night when he got tired he do it about 5 or 10 times then laugh and go to sleep.  I still don't know why he did it.  Neither did the doctor but the importnat thing is he grew out of it!  So maybe your niece will too.

Answer 3

Wow I feel your frustration. My son is now 15 and when he was two he did things sim. to what you are describing. He would bang his head into the wall or punch the wall hard whenever he would get mad. He has put bruises on himself from hitting so hard. I noticed that I always made a big deal of his head banging and would even give him things almost like a reward because I was upset that he hurt himself. What I started doing was anytime he banged his head or punched the wall I would simply ingore him and not  acknowledge the behavior at all, he eventually stopped and he never hurt himself to badly.

Answer 4

haha  My daughter used to do this when she was 12 months to 20 months(She's only 22 months now!)  You just have to ignore it, I would let her do it and walk away, it sounds terrible, but of course it hurt, she doesnt want to do it again, but she was your attention, so I'd walk away, and we've been 2 months head bang free!!!  It's so nice!  But it takes EVERYONE to ignore it, not just you!!! Good Luck!!

Answer 5

Yes it is pretty normal for a 2 yr old to do that when they are throwing fits.  The best to deal with it is just let them, then when they start crying and what some comfort because their head is hurt, you look at them and tell them, "Yeah, that hurts when you bang your head (or bite yourself).  Don't bang your head on the floor."  Tough love is what it's called.  When you don't feed into the tantrum they will stop.  

Depending on the situation, you may beable to correct the behavior by getting down and modeling the correct behavior with them...i.e. sharing toys, rolling balls instead of throwing etc.

Answer 6

Actually it is pretty normal.  She is really just throwing a tantrum and getting attention.  I used to do it when I was little too :)  So you should treat her problem like you would any tantrum.  Eventually she will grow out of it.  

Also my son when he was two would hold his breath until he passed out.  I figured out he was doing it like a tantrum after like the fifth time I flipped out!  After he would pass out he would then breathe....My doctor told me I had to ignore it or the behavior would continue.  Its not easy but eventually they will stop.

The human body has a natural defense that will not allow yourself to harm it...especially at that young age.