27 month old is hitting and pushing his friends

[KatieC186]

Any tips on how to curb this behaviour. My 27 month old is hitting and pushing his friends either at our home or in the park. Usually over a toy. We are consistently taking him to the naughty step each time he does it but he continues to do so. Any tips on stopping this behaviour. Child is otherwise a very nice natured little boy.

I think you have to have to tell him before you get to the park or friends' houses that any rough stuff and he's going straight home.... On the flip-side, major praise if he plays nicely, is thoughtful, shares toys etc. Does he understand what 'hurt' means? Does he empathise if others are hurt or is he unaffected? Some don't make the connection.

I have this problem (and so do all of my friends). We tell them its very naughty etc, get them to appologise and sometimes its because the child cannot communicate properly or something so we try and say "no you don't push, just say hello" or do high five or give a cuddle instead of pushing as thats not a nice thing to do. We take them away from the situation.

My DS is also a very nice natured little boy so I try and understand why he does it. I have noticed that he tends to do it more to children who are right up in his face. He doesn't like it and likes a bit of personal space. Understanding why he is doing it makes it easier to sort it out.

If it is over a toy, I try and find DS something similar to play with. If another child is trying to take a toy off DS, I say to them that DS is playing with it. Sometimes he reacts if someone is trying to snatch things off him.