HELP DD has started smacking

[LittleCheese]

DD is 19 1/2 months and has for about 2 weeks now been hitting me if she does not get her own way. I really do not know where this has come from as we do not use smacking as a form of punishment.
DH and I try to ignore her and not give her the reaction she is looking for, or if it gets out of hand she has a short time out in her cot or on the bottom step.
However the last couple of days she has also hit a couple of friends children which she obviously needs to be told off about, I just dont know how to deal with this behaviour or how to make it stop.
Please help

[WigWamBam]

I would suggest that you make a huge fuss of the child she has hit, if you can, and completely ignore your child while you do it. Then explain that it's not kind to hit so we don't do it, and if she does it again you will take her home. And follow it through. Telling her off won't do anything because she doesn't have the empathy yet to understand why hitting is wrong, or even that it hurts - she knows it hurts her, but doesn't equate that with hurting someone else.

If she hits you, take yourself away from her. Put her somewhere away from you, or walk away into a different room and ignore her. I wouldn't bother with the naughty step, she doesn't understand that it's naughty. Ignoring will be enough of a "punishment", for want of a better word.

Most children go through phases of doing this - yours is not the only one!