So DS has just hit DD with the poker....

[Scootergrrrl]

He's only 18 months old but still! He has started hitting - just his sister at the minute - and I don't know how best to stop him. I know he's not trying to hurt her, etc, etc, but she's a bit of a drama queen and the anguished howling is too much to bear!
Help please...

Older girl, younger boy......sorry but it just gets worse mine are 6 and 4, dd is very girly and also like yours a drama queen, ds 110% boy! Not condoning children hitting each other but it happens.

Sorry don't think this post is any help to you at all, just feeling down and crap after half term with above mentioned warring factions.

You mean it's going to go on for years!!!! Having said that, me and my brother have only just started getting along and we're into our 30s
Lots of sympathy for your crappy half-term xx

I really hope it doesn't go on for years because i find it so wearing, but probably should be posting on feeling depressed thread and not hijacking yours.

Hope someone comes along with some sensible advice for you Scootergrrrl. In the meantime hide the poker

Hide the poker, for a start!

If he hits, say 'no hitting' very firmly and calmly and remove him from the scene of the crime without giving him any attention or eye contact and ignore him for a minute.

what worked with ds (for a while) was to say that we give kisses, not hits.

Everytime he hit, I made him kiss his sister in the same place as he had hit her, and when I could see that he was on his way to hit her, I would say "kisses... give kisses" and he would kiss her instead of hitting her.