Strange Behavior?
 

I have a 2 year old who sits in his pack in play and continuously bangs/bounces his back off the side of the pack n play. He does this every day until he falls asleep and then as soon as he is awake, he sits up and starts again. He has done this since around 6-7 months old (once he could sit up on his own). Any idea why he does this?
When I was talking to a friend about it, she thought it may have to do with the amount of time he spends in his crib at home. She mentioned that her sister in law (who was adopted from and orphanage) as well as the other small children there, would do that to comfort or entertain themselves because they spent a lot of time in their cribs.
He is put to bed between 5:30-6 and mom says he does the same thing at home until he falls asleep.

I would definitely take him out of the crib and have him nap on a cot.

Originally Posted by Unregistered:
I have a 2 year old who sits in his pack in play and continuously bangs/bounces his back off the side of the pack n play. He does this every day until he falls asleep and then as soon as he is awake, he sits up and starts again. He has done this since around 6-7 months old (once he could sit up on his own). Any idea why he does this?
When I was talking to a friend about it, she thought it may have to do with the amount of time he spends in his crib at home. She mentioned that her sister in law (who was adopted from and orphanage) as well as the other small children there, would do that to comfort or entertain themselves because they spent a lot of time in their cribs.
He is put to bed between 5:30-6 and mom says he does the same thing at home until he falls asleep.

I've read that that type of behavior is a method of self soothing and a way to relieve stress and anxiety for kids.

My brother used to do the same thing but I don't think my parents every looked into why as everything else he did was normal. I guess they chalked it up to simply his way of putting himself to sleep I guess.

Has mom talked to the child's pediatrician to see if they have any info about it? If not, I'd suggest it.

I would also do as previous poster said and try napping him on a nap mat and see if that helps.

My husband used to do this as well and it is a form of self soothing, kind of like sucking on a pacifier, rubbing a blanket, rubbing your ear etc. Unless he is harming himself I wouldn’t worry too much about it. A friend of mine’s kid did this at her daycare and the provider told her that her son had autism and to get diagnosed. That was not true. It made her very distraught. I told her it is not a sign of autism and he is 13 now with no issues!

I have a young 2 yr old enrolled who does the same thing.
I tried a nap mat his first week and he was so stressed and anxious that he didn't sleep at all. I talked to mom and she mentioned that he still sleeps in a crib at home and he does the bouncing/back against the wall thing.

I tried a pack n play and sure enough, he banged his back against the wall for 10 minutes then fell asleep.
Not sure how long we can keep that up...but that's his thing!