Is anyone else dealing with a three-year-old hitting at home?

[Namesnamesnames13]

Does anyone else’s 3 year old son hit you? We are at our wits end. We have a 4 month old and it’s constant worry cos he tries to hit him all the time and us and throwing things. It’s not always but enough to have become a problem. Am I alone?

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No you're not alone, I think it's fairly common in 3 year olds especially with a new baby in the mix!

All you can do is hold his hands and say firmly 'no hitting' if he tries to hit you and then remove yourself from him or remove him to another room for a few minutes. Don't drag out punishments as they don't really work, he needs an immediate consequence for him to make the connection to his behaviour. Don't go in for long explanations either, it just goes over their head at this age.

You will need to be very careful and be ready to jump in and stop any aggression towards the baby. Don't leave them alone in the room ever until you can be sure he won't hit.

What you can do is make sure you spend lots of one to one time with your 3 year old and give lots of cuddles and reassurance. He might be displaying undesirable behaviour but he is feeling confused and dealing with a big change in his life.