22mo DS hitting other kids

[8DaysAWeek]

On holiday this week and noticed some "bad behaviour":

1. DS at softplay chasing a ball. Another toddler glanced in the general direction of the ball as DS was passing him. DS clearly thought he was going to take it, so after picking it up turned round and pushed the boy

2. DS was playing with a bucket at the paddling pool. Little girl attempted to take it off him, DS screamed then tried to hit the girl with the bucket. Fortunately I was there to intercept

Is this normal behaviour? He's been going to nursery every week for a year and they haven't mentioned any bad behaviour like this before. What do I do when it happens? Currently I'm saying "no, we don't hit/push etc". He's not even 2 yet so I'm struggling to work out what to say which he'll understand.

Any help/experiences appreciated :)

"Bad behaviour" is in inverted commas as I know it's not GOOD behaviour but I'm wondering if it's part of developing relationships/interactions etc.

Hi OP. My DS2 went through a hitting / pushing phase at this age. It was so stressful because I couldn't seem to stop him however hard I tried! It's 'normal' in the sense that some toddlers do go through this phase (although many don't - my other two DC never did).

All you can do at this age is say NO firmly and make a lot of fuss of the other child. And hover near him to intercept incidents if you can. Avoid trigger situations if possible (eg my DS2 would hit at soft play, but we went to a toddler music class which he loved and he never hit anyone there). When he's a little bit older, I found that it worked if I gave him ONE warning and then took him straight home. It's annoying if you've just arrived or paid to enter, but this was the only thing that eventually worked with my DS2. Your DS might still be a tiny bit young to understand? I think mine was around 26 months when this was effective.

Hang in there OP. My DS2 is now a gentle, well behaved 8yo.

Thanks Mannix! Funnily enough we go to a softplay class every week and he's fine. He'll react if a kid tries to steal something off him but more in a "no that's mine" walk-away type of way which is fine by me.

He now understands when I say no crossly, as he starts crying and wants a hug (in earlier months he just found it funny 😣), so I'll continue to do this when he does something mean, and keep a close distance away from him. Persistence and continuity is probably key!