Head banging is usually a "self-regulating" behavior. This means your child is unlikely to hit his head hard enough to seriously injure himself. He knows his threshold for pain and will pull back on the throttle a bit if the banging hurts. So don't worry.
When I did home daycare I had a child that would bang his head whenever he didn't get his way or was frustrated. I got a BIG pillow, the kind you could use to sit on the floor with, and everytime he started banging his head on the wall or floor, I'd pick him up and tell him, this is the only place you are allowed to do this. Then I'd tell him, I understand you are upset but banging your head is not safe.
You will have to pick him up and move him to this pillow for a while but eventually he'd go to the pillow by himself. And a while later, say a month or so, he'd go to the pillow to throw his tantrum but no longer banged his head. When he left my daycare cause they moved, I gave his Mom the pillow. :)
He was 2 years old and though your child is not 1 yet, he will catch on if you are consistent and move him to a pillow every time he does this.
Here are some possible reasons a toddler bangs his head;
Possible reasons your toddler may bang his head:
• Self-comfort. As strange as it may sound, most toddlers who indulge in this behavior do it to relax. They bang their head rhythmically as they're falling asleep, when they wake up in the middle of the night, or even while they're sleeping. Some rock on all fours as well. Developmental experts believe that the rhythmic motion, like rocking in a chair, may help your toddler soothe himself.
• Pain relief. Your toddler may also bang his head if he's in pain — from teething or an ear infection, for example. Head banging seems to help kids feel better, perhaps by distracting them from the discomfort in their mouth or ear.
• Frustration. If your toddler bangs his head during temper tantrums, he's probably trying to vent some strong emotions. He hasn't yet learned to express his feelings adequately through words, so he's using physical actions. And again, he may be comforting himself during this very stressful event.
• A need for attention. Ongoing head banging may also be a way for your toddler to get attention. Understandably, you may tend to become solicitous when you see your child doing something that appears self-destructive. And since he likes it when you fuss over his behavior, he may continue the head banging in order to get the attention he wants.
• A developmental problem. Head banging can be associated with autism and other developmental disorders — but in most of these cases, it's just one of many behavioral red flags. Rarely does head banging alone signal a serious problem.
Good luck!