2 1/2 year old is banging her head and hitting?

Question

My daughter is nearly 2 1/2 and generally has an easy, sweet temperment. For the past month, she's been having emotional meltdowns. Usually, it's in response to stress (tired, hungry, frustrated). She'll bang her head, scream, try to hit, and won't allow herself to be distracted or comforted. 
To make matters more complicated, we had to start her in childcare for the first time. My husband has been home with her for the past year, and either her grandmother or I watched her before that. Yesterday was her first day and she did fine. (She's being watched by a SAHM who has an infant son and watches a 3 year old boy.) Today, I got a call at work. She basically freaked out and started trying to hit Hillary (our childcare provider) when she tried to take a toy from her to put it away. Then, she tried to hit the 3 year old little boy. After that, she ran into the back bedroom, laid down and fell asleep. She couldn't be comforted or distracted. 
The source of the stress in this case was obviously being overtired. As she works into her new schedule, I would hope that things would improve on that front. What worries me is the hitting and inconsolable screaming. DH has Autism in his family... She is very social when she's not freaking out. 
What should I do? I'm almost full term with another baby, and I'm terrified that there's something wrong with my daughter.

ms manners · Accepted Answer

I would not be worried.  She is probably just having difficulty adjusting to a new schedule and a new environment.  Hitting and screaming are not unusual at that age.  

Hopefully your daycare provider will be able to deal effectively with her behavior, and she will do better once she is used to the new situation.

(It sounds like maybe she should have been put down for a nap before all this took place).

~*~ Jaydin&#39;s Mommy ~*~ · Answer

My son started that at about 2 , he's 2 1/2 now , and doesnt do it anymore , simply because when he would scream or hit his head against the wall i wont pay any attention to him , like he wasnt even doing it , and when he hit or bite others i would put him in time out , if that didnt work , it was time out in his room until he was calmed down

Alexander · Answer

I would not be concerned.  I also have a two and a half year old, who has occasional temperament issues when he is over-stressed.  What my wife and I have done is implemented a "cool-down" spot in our living room.  When our son starts acting up, we sit him down with his favorite stuffed animal in front of a window, and tell him to sit there until he cools down.  At that age, their attention span tends to be pretty short, so he usually settles down within a minute or two.  Also, un-comforted timeout should be used for any violent actions, such as hitting, one minute for each year of age.

The Irish Duckie · Answer

I think hitting is a phase for some kids. As for the head banging, my younger brother started banging his head at around that age, and continues to do so today at the age of 6. His pediatrician said its nothing to worry about, that what he's doing is a way of comforting himself.

Anonymous · Answer

Take her to doctor.

2 1/2 year old is banging her head and hitting?

5 Answers