How to Protect Baby from Hitting Head in the Crib?
When I had Aiden (my son), I noticed something new that I didn’t do with Avery (my first daughter). Often at night, my little boy would start banging his head on the crib rails/sides.
The noise of his head hitting the crib was like a big bang and it definitely got this “young mother” worried. To make it worse, I had heard about heading hitting being an early sign of autism in kids from one of my close friends.
Well, if you are going through the same situation, I’m here to put all of your worries to rest.
Today, we will talk about babies hitting their heads against cribs in detail covering all important aspects including why they do it, whether is it safe, and what you can do to prevent it.
Table of Contents
But First, Let’s Understand the Concern!
Head banging although as uncomfortable as it looks is a common self-soothing behavior that is demonstrated by almost 25% of healthy infants and toddlers.
From my experience, I can tell you it can start from as early as 6 months and can go up to almost 2.5-3 years. Both of my sons (Aiden and Theo) did it way more than the girls. So I’m guessing it’s mainly a boy thing.
Here’s what you would love to hear, there’s no need to worry unless you see severe bruises or head bumps appearing on your little one’s head. It’s completely normal. In fact, you should ignore it. Why? I will talk about it below.
I was also in your shoes and did extensive research and even had multiple consultations with my pediatrician to talk about it. Because I was worried about why my little boy was banging his head.
Now, here’s why they do this.
In some scenarios, head hitting can be a way for your little one to communicate with you or get your attention. Often, if infants or toddlers notice that it gets their parent’s attention, they will do it again and again! So, you must learn to ignore them, so they stop trying to attract that attention.
Kelleigh’s Quick Tip: Children usually lack the force to cause damage to their brain, head or development, so anytime you notice your child exhibiting this behavior (hitting their head against the crib walls), the first and foremost thing you should do is to simply ignore it.
Besides that, there can be other reasons why your little one loves banging their head including:
- Self-Soothing: It’s a self-soothing tactic that babies use to comfort themselves particularly when they are feeling overwhelmed or frustrated.
- Self-Stimulation: Similar to how we like to tap our feet or play with our hair when we are feeling anxious or restless, babies can feel calm and secure by hitting their heads repeatedly. (I know it sounds weird, right?)
Now, what should you do when you see your little one doing this? Let’s talk about it.
Handling Baby’s Head Hitting in the Crib: What to Do?
I know how frustrating and stressful it is to keep an eye on your little one to prevent them from banging their head in a crib.
So, to ease it for you, I’m sharing some of the measures that you can take to prevent or minimize the head-hitting impact.
1. Let it Be!
I know you are thinking, how can I ignore when my baby is banging their head in a crib?
But as I mentioned initially, head hitting is a common developmental phase babies that babies experience. It is not something to worry about and should go away on its own.
Normally, you’ll notice that kids exhibit this behavior mainly at night time, and although it might lead to some nighttime wakeups and crying, babies will figure it out themselves eventually.
2. Feets Touching the Crib
One of my co-workers who’s originally from the UK suggested something unconventional. She asked me to put the baby towards the bottom of the crib with their feet touching the end of the crib. It looks a bit odd to see your baby in a position like that but it did work actually!
The lack of space will minimize their movement, reducing the chance of their head hitting the walls of the crib.
Also Read: How to Choose a Perfect Crib
3. Use Mesh Crib or Transfer to Pack and Play
This is something I discovered by accident. We were on a short 4-day trip and I thought getting Aiden to sleep on a pack-and-play would be tough due to its smaller size than a crib.
But instead of it turning into a nightmare, it actually led to him sleeping through the night! No issues, whatsoever. And when we got home, we decided to let him use the pack-n-play for a few more days, and it really helped him. He pretty much stopped moving in the crib.
However, keep in mind, that your pack-and-play should be sturdy enough (the base) that it doesn’t move all over in your room because otherwise, the baby might have a harder surface to hit instead.
Another thing that you can do is use cribs with mesh walls. It’s an expense that you can avoid, but, if you want to not hear your baby’s head bump sounds, you might as well go for it.
Mesh cribs are made of soft, breathable fabric that massively minimizes the impact if your baby bumps their head.
4. Use a Sleep Sack
A sleep sack can prevent babies from banging their heads while they are sleeping. It’s because it wraps them snugly and hence, they can’t move around too much while they are asleep. They are risk-free as well (Avoid weighted sleep sacks though due to safety risks).
Kelleigh’s Quick Tip: Although, cribs are designed to handle all of this, still, as a mother don’t forget to regularly inspect your crib especially after it starts to get some action to avoid any loose screws, or damages to the crib.
Baby Hitting Head on Crib FAQs
Should I use cushions or crib bumpers to minimize impact?
No, using cushions and crib bumpers is actually not a good idea as they can be risky for your little one. Experts recommend not to use them because they might lead your baby to suffocate or also increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Is head banging a form of autism?
Although headbanging is considered to be one of the signs of autism, it is usually not the case. Many babies and toddlers engage in such behavior to self-soothe themselves as mentioned above. Usually, this behavior should go away on its own (by the time your baby is 3 years old).
When should I worry about my baby hitting their head?
Head hitting is an expected behavior among infants, lasting 15 minutes per episode, and can happen anytime at night. But if it continues beyond the 3-year mark or results in self-injury, then I’d recommend you seek medical help. Remember, every baby is different, and in this case, your doctor should be able to get a detailed assessment done.
Can head banging cause any issues or be a cause of rhythmic movement disorder for my baby?
Most likely no. Head banging in babies is usually harmless and can be a normal part of their development. However, for specific medical advice, it is always recommended to talk to your pediatrician.
Wrap-Up
Head hitting in a crib (or anywhere else) is a typical behavior that starts from 6 months and can go up until they are 3 years old.
As a parent, I totally understand your concerns surrounding your baby’s safety, but as long as it is not visibly hurting them, there’s no need to worry, and you should just ignore it. I’m telling you this from my experience raising my 6 kids. And they all turned out to be just fine.