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Little Head Bangers
How to Deal with This Unsettling Behavior
By Melinda Copp
And if it occurs at night as your child is trying to get to sleep, you can try to alter the sleeping environment with music, a night light or positioning the crib in a different part of the room. This strategy is often employed with other sleep disorders, Dr. Shubin says.
When head banging presents with other strange behaviors, such as spinning, a lack of pointing and not following your gaze, then it could be a sign of autism and you should discuss it with your pediatrician.
And in some cases, children will head bang to communicate or offset other aches and pains, such as teething or a headache.
"Sometimes infants and toddlers who have headaches will bang their heads, especially the side of their head, because they can't tell parents they have a headache," Dr. Stern says. "If there is a family history of migraines and the child does not seem to be doing it to soothe himself to sleep, it may need to be checked."
But in general, regardless of how disturbing this behavior seems, the risk of injury is small, and parents can rest assured that their child's head banging is normal and will be outgrown in time.
"Very few kids graduate high school banging their heads," Dr. Shubin says.
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