help! how do i stop my toddler hitting me/other children?

[kissmummy]

he is 2.2 years old. this has become a problem in the last week or so, though in truth he's hit smaller children before, much to my shame .
I have tried gripping him firmly and telling him off in a firm, cross voice, but it seems to have no affect at all. the minute i loosen my grasp he swings for me again. we have tried the 'naughty step' but he quite likes being on it . the only other thing we do is put him in his cot and shut the door. but nowadays he can climb out of his cot so he just ends up playing with his toys with a "do i look bovvered?" expression on his face. please help!

[cheerfulapple]

My DD also used to do this at about this age. I used to bend down to her level and make her look at me and then tell her it was very naughty and that people wouldn't want to play with her if she did that.

she did grow out of it by 3 or so though.

good luck.

[Allyinoz]

Try to anticipate it first. It would may be a good idea to check how long he plays with others for, don't expect him to play with other kids for long periods without losing it.
Always be watching if you know he hits.

Reward him when he plays nicely. Tell him you are proud of him if he is playing well with others. Give him attention.

Try to stay calm, removing from situation, short statement I don't like it when you hit, it makes me sad. No other attention. Give injured child more attention.
Try always to reward the good behaviour with your attention more than the bad.
Good luck!

[ben5]

you've got a long few months ahead of you i'm affraid, if he's anything like my ds2. ds1 was no angle but compared with ds2 he was god!!!!!! i had to watch ds2 all the time in case he hit another child. i was very tired by not being able to relax with him around other children. i did what allyinoz said and rewarded good behavior. the hardest thing you will find is other parents. ds2 was labled as the naughty one and even if he was nowhere near other kids being hit he still got the blame( i found this very hard).it will get better and come and visit mums net all the time. even if you never write on any threads it's nice to know that we all have problems!!! good luck