Please help my 16 month old is hitting and smacking in the face

[eenybeeny]

I have a gorgeous son who is 16 months old. He is the sweetest baby and is usually very friendly and cuddly. Lately he has started smacking me and DH in the face when he wants something. Just now he hit me with a book because he wanted it read to him but he hit me with it in the nose and it really hurts!!

We dont know how to stop him as he seems too young to train. Am I wrong? Is there something I should be doing? Any ideas? Your help is much appreciated.

Say "no, that's not nice" and put him down. Give him attention for good behaviour. Also, we've had success with saying "we don't hit, we kiss/stroke/cuddle" and showing him how. It's not an overnight solution but does work after a few weeks.

No real suggestions as DD 15M does this too. We are doing what weegle suggested, it worked with her pulling off my glasses eventually so I am hoping it will work for the hitting too!

Any suggestions on Nipple pinching will also be greatly recieved

I have this with DS2 same age as yours - I do exactly what has been suggested here, and it has taken weeks and weeks but the hitting has deffo reduced. He does it purely for reaction, he knows he immediately gets 100% of everyone's attention. I have also noticed that he often does it as a form of saying hello, like marches up to friends at a play group and smacks them as if to say "Hi! Allright, how's it going?" He seems genuinely bemused when they start crying! Hope his people skills improve....

thanks for your suggestions. We seem to be doing these things and it doesnt seem to get through to him. He always hits our cat simply out of pure excitement of seeing him and we are saying 'No hitting, STROKE the cat' but he just doesnt seem to be learning it. Will keep trying.

Like you Blossoming I have noticed Alex do this when he first sees me as well I am sure he just gets over excited and doesnt know what to do with himself.

Yes what is it and the nipples? Is it a boy thing. DS tried to grab me several times in the changing rooms at swimming today. He thinks it is so funny. He is also hitting in the face and grabbing noses.

My DS, same age as yours, started thumping us and our poor rabbits, but I'd say "no hitting" take his hand (this was key - he had no comprehension of the actual words) and show him how to stroke nicely, saying "gently, gently" with a big smile and a cuddle. Now when I see a slap coming I say "gently", and he does nice gentle strokes - it's gorgeous!

Persevere, he'll get the message in the end

same as everyone else says really. I was really shocked when I went to pick up my DD1 from nursery (at about 16 months) and found her slappi9ng the staf in the face. They said it's a phase most go through and called them 'love pats' .

I've since gone through the same thing with DD2. We got over it both times by saying 'no, thats not nice, gently' and show her how to stroke she got the message.

When she is excited she still does it at 19 months and I cope with it by asking her to be gentle, and if she doesn't stop hitting I get up and walk off without comment. I don't leave her for long at all, just 15 secs or so, then when I sit back down with her I ask her to be gentle and she usually is.

So glad to hear others have the same problem. DS is 15 mo, and we've got exactly the same - hitting, nose pinching, biting is his newest phase (what a little charmer eh ?!?). I've tried the 'no hitting' etc. but haven't tried the action of showing him the word 'gently' - will try that tonight - thanks for the advice

DS smacks me sometimes in the face, I just hold his hands and say "No" and then put him down on the floor. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.... eventually it does though.