DS is two next week and has been slapping us for about a month, with increasing frequency. Sometimes he does it in temper and more often he does it when he's overexcited/tired. He also pinches us but this is relatively rare and always done while giggling as though he's trying to make us laugh too.
When he hits we say, 'No, that's not kind. You don't hit mummy/daddy.' If he does it again we remove ourselves from the room. If we can't (often he hits when we're trying to change him) we just stop engaging with him and then when he's calmed down we tell him that it isn't kind to hit and he hurt us. Sometimes he understands and gives us a cuddle. Nine times out of ten he wanders off, disinterested.
Very often he will laugh after he's hit us, and laugh harder when we attempt to talk to him/tell him off. Earlier tonight he hit the cat with a brush and I shouted at him, which I never do (just because I'm not naturally a shouter) and he absolutely bloody roared with laughter. I didn't know what to do.
We (DH and I) feel very hopeless and a bit lost. I've spoken to his nursery and they tell me he's never hit or hurt another child there (to their knowledge). What else do you think we can do? Are we doing the wrong thing?