Over the past couple weeks, I have been noticing a new behavior in Mr. Sweetie: sometimes, when I am toting him around in the Lillebaby, he starts thumping the side of his head against my chest!
Maybe it’s because I don’t partake in the banging of heads myself, except occasionally as a joke, but it was a little odd the first couple times it happened. It only lasted a few seconds each time, and wasn’t hard enough that I was concerned for his safety or that he would injure himself. But it was definitely there!
So, I started looking for more information.
It turns out that this occurs in about 20% of babies. It is something that passes in different amounts of time for each baby, and, though it can be a sign of autism, and some other psychological conditions, it is not, in the absence of further symptoms, a cause for concern.
There are many theories as to why babies do this. Some pediatricians speculate that it is a soothing motion, and some babies headbang, while others rock, sway, nod, etc. This would make sense, because we mamis and parents, even maybe some readers who have spent a deal of time with small children, know the magical power of movement to lull babies into a state of relaxation, and sleep.
Another theory, mostly put forth by mamis, is that they are strengthening their neck muscles. This also makes some sense to me, because Mr. Sweetie has slowly been adding a new head movement to his repertoire every few months. I think part of the reason for this activity is that he has discovered a new cool thing his body can do. Yay development!
Some doctors also think it is to relieve tension, dispel energy, and work out anger, ennui, and frustration. I think even adults, who know virtually nothing about babies, can relate to this one, as the banging of a head is used comically in entertainment to portray exasperation, anguish, and boredom, among things.
It is also thought that this behavior can manifest when a child discovers that they receive attention from their parents, even if it is negative, when they headbang!
So there we have it! No reason to panic, folks, if your little sweetie has suddenly taken to rocking out on your chest. More likely than not, they are just expressing themselves, or learning something new about their physiology.
Is your little sweetie a headbanger? What do you do about it, if anything? Should you have something to share, please leave a comment in the space below. Thanks for reading!
Encouraging Empowered Mamis Everywhere To Do What They Do
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