Forum Parenting

The baby throws their head back or falls backward when they're tired or angry.

6 replies

HannaGuest ·
Hi everyone,

Our daughter is eleven months old on Monday and has always been a happy, cheerful baby with lots of energy! In a good way, though. Lately, for the past 3 weeks, she’s been sleeping less well, and when she’s told “no,” she just throws herself backward. Even when we put her in her high chair or pick her up, she throws her head back with a lot of force. We’re worried about this because it can’t be good for her neck and body, right? Does anyone recognize this and have any tips? We’re a bit concerned about this behavior.

Replies

  1. Hanna started this #2

    Sorry for the typos, this is because of my mobile phone. Monday is months and set is sitting! :-)

  2. Betty Guest #3

    So relatable! My 14-month-old son did the same thing around that time, and he’d shake his head really vigorously too.
    They realize they can make themselves very clear. The good news is that it’s just a phase.
    A tip: place a cushion (for example) behind their back in the high chair so they don’t have as much room to lean way back.
    Don’t give it too much attention. Acknowledge that you understand they want to tell you something, and calmly explain that it could also be a bit calmer.
    Our son now slaps the spoon or throws it on the floor. Also very handy with a bread roll and jam or a spoon with pasta in red sauce haha.

  3. Hanna started this #4

    Hi Betty,
    Thanks for taking the time to reply! And indeed, the spoons were flying through the air here too. The tricky part is that we're worried about her head tipping backward; she does it even when she's on our lap or crawling. So in those situations, we can't really put a cushion or something in between, and we're mainly wondering if it's harmful. Yesterday she fell backward so hard in the camping cot, and well, it gives a bit, and she bumped really hard against the wall, which was actually quite far away. But because she does it with so much force, the cot moved along with her.

  4. Anoniem Guest #5

    I think it's totally normal baby behavior. Unfortunately. I don't think it can do any harm, even if she seems to do it with force. Often they learn from it when they hurt themselves, and then they make sure it doesn't hurt. Maybe one of the reasons babies don't have much neck strength yet? A baby is flexible and can take a bump. I try to ignore the behavior as much as possible; my almost-year-old daughter sometimes does it too. She also bonks her head against the couch sometimes. I seem to have bumped my head against the ground regularly as a toddler, and I passed the VWO with good grades . So it'll definitely be fine hihi.

  5. Anne #6

    Here we have a little hot potato too, been doing it in bursts for a while now. I look at it situation by situation; for example, I don't allow head-butting and step in then. Also, hitting her head against the wall isn't okay, but for instance in the high chair, on the sofa, or occasionally on the floor isn't catastrophic (sounds really weird like that haha). I check if she can hurt herself or others. In a soft chair, that's not the case. My daughter does it out of frustration and I think she knows very well that it gets attention. Sometimes she doesn't do it for weeks and then suddenly starts again, especially on busy days or days when she's learning a lot. I think it's a way of expressing herself, which she can't do verbally yet. One child starts hitting, screaming or shrieking and some with their head. I assume it will just pass and make sure she stays safe. No, as she starts talking more I also try to explain to her why it's not allowed/can't be done..

  6. Anne #7

    She's about 20 months old now

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