Is this normal?

[PattyCake]

Is headbanging in small children (18 month olds) normal? I've got one (not for much longer) who has always done this and it's gotten worse - she dented my wall today - NO JOKE! She has also started standing up in her PNP while in time out and crashing hard on her bottom multiple times.....it's very concerning as its sooooo violent...any one else seen this sort of behaviour before?

[2cuteboys]

Is it attention seeking? Like she does it and then looks at you or the other kids for a reaction?

Talk to her parents about it and also reflect on what's going on when she does it at your house - try to find out when she does it (like when she's overwhelmed, or when you/they are busy, tending to other children), and what is done. If everything is dropped and she gets instant attention and cuddles after, of course she'd keep doing it. I've only ever seen it as a way to get attention, but its possible its something else.

Even if its behavior seeking, you of course need to ensure her safety, so you can't ignore her while its happening, but you can give her as little attention as possible while you deal with it. Have a pillow handy and stick it between her and the wall, or gently move her to the middle of the floor when she starts (if its a wall she generally bangs on), and don't give her any attention - no eye contact, no speaking to her, don't even check for a bump until she's calmed down at least a little bit. When she starts to calm down tell her quietly and without eye contact that you will talk about it when she is quiet/stops banging. When she's calm give her a lot of attention and praise her for calming down.
Give her a replacement behavior and touch on it during the day (when she's calm, not upset). Just remind her "if you want me, you can tap my leg/call my name" and really reward her when she does the replacement.

[Artsand crafts]

I had 2 of them like that. Both under 18 mos old. One of the banged his head to hard for my taste... The mother checked with his doctor and he said that was normal. Some kids are suppose to do it. Doctor said they weren't hurting themselves. I noticed they did it when trying to sooth themselves to sleep or during eating time. Even mom told me was normal I put a towel behind his head when eating.

[Momof4]

The only thing I have ever noticed like that was my grandson who was about that age when he started hitting himself on his head with his hands really hard at about that age. He was never violent toward anybody else. It was frustration, stress, learning to share space with other children, a whole bunch of combined things. But also, his parents split up right about then. Have you talked to the parents to see if there are big changes at home causing the child stress and to see how they are handling it? You should come up with a plan of action together to help this child learn to self-soothe in other ways, a cuddle, a blanket, I don't know, but the parents may have suggestions. Good luck to you.