Does your toddler hit?

My DD is 14 months old and sometimes hits me. I don't see her hit other kids or even DH just me. I'm not sure if she's intentionally hitting me or what, but I want to end it now!!

Any suggestions on how to stop it? I grab her hand and say "no" or "Hannah we don't hit" I'm not sure she understands.

Message edited 1/29/2008 9:02:44 AM.

Re: Does you toddler hit?

Yes, Alex used to bite and hit (still hits once in a while)

At 14 months, if she hit me or bit me, I would place her on the floor and say NO firmly, everytime.

Re: Does you toddler hit?

John has been in the biting stage for acouple of months now. When he gets mad he will bite me and I get firm with him.

Re: Does you toddler hit?

Re: Does you toddler hit?

My 20 month old does this. My other kids never did. He gets frustrated a lot and this is part of his temper. We do say no to him and stop him of course but he still isn't able to communicate verbally in a way that would alleviate that frustration so I am sure it is a phase. He hasn't started the biting thing *yet* but her gets so mad sometimes, I cringe when he starts wailing and grabs me around the legs. I keep picturing a bite coming...

Re: Does you toddler hit?

OMG Noah hits me all the time. Sometimes its completely affectionate, he comes up to me and gives me a little tap and hugs me. But other times, holy momma...if I tell him no he will come from another room to find me and hit me....

I hold his arms and tell him NO HITTING. But it doesn't seem to do anything right now. But I try to be consistant with it.

Re: Does you toddler hit?

Such a lovely phase, isn't it? lol

Try and say no without making too much of a big deal about it. I know it's a big deal, but the bigger fuss you make over it, the more they know that they are getting what they want (attention). I usually say a stern no or I redirect her/him.

Good luck! The phase passes!!

Re: Does you toddler hit?

My DS is too young for hitting but at one of the day care centers I worked at we would never tell them no. Not because they could do whatever they want but if they hear it so much it almost becomes ineffective and many 2 yr olds will just say no and not even mean it. Anyway they would say, ouch. hitting hurts. our hands are not for hitting people. if you are angry/frustrated hit a pillow (or something appropriate)

Re: Does your toddler hit?

My DD still does once in a while, I think it just comes with the territory- they are frustrated because they have limited ways of expressing their feelings. I try to be consistent, tell her she shouldn't hit, and put her in time out if she does it a second time.

She knows it's wrong- a few times she's come home from day care and when I asked her about her day she said Joey was a bad boy, I ask her why, she said he hit. So she knows it's wrong, but I just think she can't help herself sometimes. Other times I think she does it for the attention, so I try not to make a big deal about it.

Re: Does your toddler hit?

he sometimes still does ...maybe once a month

He did go through a stage though when he would hit everyone...children, adults, himself

it really "peaked" right before he turned two and before he had that "language explosion" that people talk about

it's usually out of frustration when they can't express their feelings...

Re: Does your toddler hit?

DD does this too, once in a while...and only me, never dh.

Re: Does your toddler hit?

DS does it sometimes too. I think that he thinks he's playing around with us. Cuz he does it when he's all excited from us playing with him and goofing around. We firmly say "NO Hitting" and then we say "Do Nice" and then he'll caress our face and go "ice ice" (that's how he says nice, by leaving the N out... )