According To Experts, For These 5 Reasons Babies Hit Their Own Heads

Illustration of why babies hit their own heads (Pexels/Cottonbro)

YOGYAKARTA – Your baby's daily activities are normal at first, but then he hits his own head or bangs his head. I don't know where the impulse comes from, but pediatricians, psychologists, and psychiatrists explain all the reasons why babies hit their heads.

Hitting the head is not an accidental move. Because it is repeated in certain situations, parents need to identify what caused the baby to do it.

According to the pediatrician, Dr. Manasa Mantravadi, MD., This movement is usually done by children before the age of 12 months and mostly stops at the age of 2 or 3 years. Head banging, he explained, is a common behavior. But still this makes parents feel worried.

Reports Sleep Foundation reported by Romper, Thursday, April 28, it could be a baby banging his head against anything, such as walls, cribs, to other objects. They even lifted their heads and collapsed onto the bed. This is certainly scary and requires an explanation from an expert like the following.

1. As a self-soothing mechanism

Psychologist Amy Nasamran, Ph.D., says babies hit their heads as a self-soothing mechanism before or during sleep. But it depends on what they did before the blow. There are babies who play with their thin hair, there are also those who use the palms of their hands to hit their own heads. As long as it doesn't last long, or less than 15 minutes, then it's normal behavior.

Illustration of why babies hit their own heads (Unsplash/Zachary Kadolph)

2. Head banging as part of his development

There are many stages of development that a child goes through. While hitting the head or headbanging may seem less attractive than teething first. Research shows that it is part of a group of repetitive behaviors that we commonly see in childhood, such as thumb sucking and nail biting. According to Mantravadi, this is a mechanism for developing their nervous system to interact with environmental influences.

3. Banging head out of frustration

You've provided a dinner menu at the little one's dining area, but he wants fresh fruit. He will probably cry, and maybe some babies will bang their heads.

Babies often hit their heads out of frustration, explained Dr. Fran Walfish, Ph.D, a family and relationship psychotherapist. Babies hit their heads, usually out of anger but limited language development to express their feelings. Walfish's advice, try to figure out what's potentially upsetting your child and then calm him down without resuming the head-smacking action.

4. Respond to stimuli from outside himself

Your little one will certainly react when they don't get the attention of their parents. Headbanging clearly Dr. Walfish can be due to reactions from people around him. You can hold your little one and soothe him with a kiss.

5. Sleepy

Babies hitting their heads are often associated with the onset of sleep. He was sleepy but tried to recognize the drowsiness until he finally fell asleep.

Nasamran gave advice, severe head banging can cause injury. Therefore, if what your little one does makes you even more worried, it's best to seek professional help or consult a doctor.