Behavior Problems - Bloomington,IL

Sounds like you should have her evaluated by a specialist. They can do wonders with things like this, and the earlier it is identified and treated, the better.

My daughter did the same thing when frustrated, bang head on the floor, bite herself (especially when she couldn't get to me). We were lucky and able to keep car rides short - except when we went on vacation (a nightmare). She's 2-1/2 now and MUCH better. She would always scream in the car but now is calm and happy. She knows we usually go someplace fun in the car.

I don't agree with some of the comments here to ignore or that it's for attention getting. I think there is something very wrong for your daughter to react this way. Talk to a pediatrician as well as read on it. Write it down when and how frequent it happens.
Does it ONLY happen in the car? When did it start exactly? Was she riding in the car before with no incident? The whole rang eof behaviors sound very excessive for attention getting.
Anytime a person tries to hurt themselves it means something is very wrong and it has to be taken seriously. To get attention children will call you out 15 times or throw a toy, bite you while you are watching TV - hitting themselves or others, pulling hair that's beyond normal and needs to be addressed asap.
PLease see a specialist after you've done your recordings and taken some steps already to help your daughter deal with the ride. Best of luck

I guess she doesn't like the car.

Taken individually, all of these behaviors can be considered normal (a lot of kids bang their heads on walls intentionally or hit when they're upset), so there's a chance that it's tantrums, but if your gut says no, definitely talk to your pediatrician. My son used to get hysterical when we put him in the carseat, and would scream for the duration of the trip. I'd kind of identified it as more of an angry cry than an in-pain cry, so I brought the carseat into the house when it wasn't being used and let him sit in it while watching cartoons, or buckle his stuffed animals into it to keep them safe. I also invested in a DVD player that sits on the back of the headrest in the car and would put a movie on for him, even on short trips, and it worked wonders. For a while I felt bad that I was using stuff like that to make life easier, but really, at 18 months, kids want to be doing stuff and moving around, so being restrained with absolutely nothing to do could seem like torture for a little one. I also found that signing was a huge help - you don't need to learn a lot, just the signs for things she might want to express frequently but isn't able to enunciate. Some good ones would be "more," "milk," "eat," "potty," "play," "sick," and "mommy" and "daddy." Toddlers pick it up really quickly and it saved a lot of tantrums for us when we weren't sure what our son was upset about and he could just sign "socks" and we'd know that his feet were cold, etc. Go with your gut - if it's only when she's in a situation where she isn't getting what she wants, it's likely just tantrums. But if she behaves this way for no apparent reason or if she's over-stimulated, there may be another issue to address. Best of luck to you!

My daughter used to get very upset as a baby in the car to the point of throwing up. She would scream and cry and fight me as soon as she saw her carseat. When she was old enough to talk she would tell me that her tummy hurt. It turns out she gets extremely car sick. Her stomach hurts and she feel light headed and dizzy. I wouldn't just ignore it. Children don't typically act this out of control for no reason. I think she is trying to let you know something is wrong but doesn't have the words to tell you. If she is only behaving this way when in the car the problem must be the car whether she gets sick, something hurts her, or something scared her. If she behaves this way in other situations too, it may be her way of trying to get what she wants.

could the carseat be a problem? We had bought a new carseat when we got a new van and a few weeks later went on a long trip. The first driving day my then 4 yr old said her carseat was hurting her. I just put it down as being a whiny driving issue. The next day when we were getting ready to go she refused to get in saying it hurt her. We looked at her back and there was a CUT on her back from the car seat!! It really HAD hurt her. We got some batting and put it over that spot (under the cover, but on top of the plastic) and everything was fine.

Another thing that I found with both my girls was that they liked holding a blanket while in the car.

One last thought - did you recently turn her forward facing - maybe try going back to rear facing. Or if you are still rear facing, try forward facing. Maybe even a change of where her carseat is in the car. She can't tell you the issue, but there must be one. She may be getting car sick for instance and KNOWS that the car makes her feel yucky but can't tell you this in words.

I would definitely recommend an Early Intervention screening. It could be a bunch of things, and wouldn't it be nice to help her figure it out? Sensory issues can cause this reaction. Occupational therapists who specialize in sensory processing issues could maybe help out.
good luck!

My little brother did this! He would stick his fist down his throat and make himself choke.

Just ignore it. Don't react at all. And make sure that everyone else is doing the same. Giving these actions any attention at all will only make the problem worse

I agree, sounds like she wants attention, but if you are really concerned, take her to her doctor and tell him what she is doing. Tell him you want to make sure there are no medical reasons for this behavior.......just in case there might be. Hopefully he will run at least some test to make sure there is no chemical imbalance or anything like that......which there most likely isn't.........just wanting you to focus on her.

I would turn up the music in the car when she cries and screams and sing......maybe she will start singing too........

Hang in there........

My 13 month old exhibits a lot of the same behaviors. Our pediatrician had said that a lot of the behaviors had to do with frustration - not wanting to be held at that moment, or stuck in the car seat/highchair. The other behaviors like the head banging, hair pulling on herself, or slapping herself had to do with self soothing bangers. But definitely bring it up with your pediatrician, maybe try to keep track about when the events are happening, how often, duration, etc so you are able to share that information with the doctor.

I think I read somewhere that a toddler has a meltdown every 20 minutes which made me feel a little better on our tough days. Good luck.

Poor baby. She really doesn't like the car or being cooped up in that car seat. They are very constrictive. I'd hate to be buckled in like that every time I had to go somewhere in the car. As an adult I can process it's for safety - to a toddler it's just torture. If it's just the car and car seat that is a eliciting this response, it's probably a car, car seat, motion sickness thing. If she does this in other situations, it might be something else. Disturbing is such a harsh word to use in terms of any toddler - such negative connotations. How about her response is really freaking me out. I would make sure she doesn't hurt herself and let her know that kicking and hitting hurts and it's a no no.

First, just get a quick check up to make sure she's not experiencing any ear or back pain while in the car. My 18 month old started screeming and gagging only in the car, and it turned out that she had an ear pressure problem. It's rare, but don't assume behavior is a tantrum- boy did I feel awful! Also, I know a child who had a form of scoliosis that caused leg and back pain in the carseat.

If all is well, I would agree that ignoring the behavior is probably the best way to go. Under no circumstances should she be out of her carseat in the car (I was confused by you saying she flails in your arms, etc.). Stay firm and calm, and try not to give in to her tantrum.
Good luck!

I agree frustration from sensory problems, call Early intervention and have her evaluated and also let your pedatrician know , he can give you a phone number if you cant find it in your area. Good luck, it could be a phase but I would not let it go to long it is a sign of bigger things to come and I owuld get help now. Take are and you are a good mommy for havign this instinct to check on this!

Perhaps you should have her tested for an autism spectrum disorder. I wish I had understood it better when my oldest daughter was little and had odd behaviors. Sounds as if she is very over sensitive to something about the car ride. My child is sensitive (overly so) to being touched, seams in clothing, sudden noises, and when I think of when we went through what I thought was colic, maybe it was her desire to be put down and stop being touched, or maybe her sleeper had an irritating seam...good luck to you and let us know what happens.

She may have Sensory Integration issues. Have her screened. The state has an Early Intervention (EI) program that pays for therapies related to developmental issues.. Contatct LADSE (Lagrange Area Department of Special Education) and they will direct you to a screening (it's free).

Kids with sensory issues will stimulate themselves with crying, screaming, hitting themselves when the activity around them is just too much for them to handle. It distracts them from the overwhelming nature of the sensory overload they experience from their environment. Next time she does this try hugging her really hard, but don't pet her. Or if she is able to walk, hold her hands and ask her to close her eyes and jump up and down for a few minutes.

Take care, it'll be all right.

Probably for attention. If you keep showing concern for the behavior she will continue it. Watch it from afar and be concerned, but don't let her see you make it a big deal or she will continue it. Make sure you are meeting the essential needs

my daugther at the same age decided that she would do the samre thing I think it was a phase. But there could something else to it take to you dr. about it see what they think..