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Our son was a headbanger starting at around 13 months, and stopping at about 2 and a half. It was terrifying, especially because it accompanied night terrors and tantrums that inflicted pain on him and us.

 Our pediatrician said that before he could do any actual damage, he would pass out/knock himself out. In other words, his body would stop him before he broke his skull. Plus, she advised we try banging our heads (to see how it works), and we realized that you can get a pretty loud sound without hurting yourself. We saw that going on more as he got older.

 Finally, she recommended Setting Limits and Raising the Spirited Child, and we saw a lot of our son reflected in those books. When he would do it, we'd clear a space, try to stay calm and offer suggestions about his feelings and some possible solutions. Eventually he outgrew it, but he is still physically very expressive about his feelings, sometimes in ways that scare me (he's 3 and a half). I have to remind myself of the headbanging days and say, ''this too shall pass.'' Andrea