My son hits - help!

amother

Fri, Apr 02 2010, 12:04 pm

DS2 is 2.5 years, and has started hitting his brothers all the time, and I don't know what to do. It's not particularly hard, but still. I tried explaining to him, and although he understands everything, he just goes and does it again. And he does it at all kinds of times, even in the middle of playing together. I obviously don't want to hit him back, cuz that does not teach him anything, but it's not fair to DS1, who gets the brunt of it, sometimes 8-10 times a day!
Any advice, please?

NotInNJMommy

Fri, Apr 02 2010, 1:21 pm

What about picking him up, saying "no hitting" very firmly, at his level, and then put him in timeout (ie. his highchair or stroller) for 2 min.--don't talk to him or respond to him while he will probably have a tantrum when there. After 2 min, take him out, remind him, no hitting, and probably rinse and repeat. Eventually he'll get it.

Also, make sure to ask ds1 if he's ok, show empathy, etc. as this also can teach ds2.

Diamond7

Sat, Apr 03 2010, 2:07 pm

I've found that the hitting is usually a call for mommy's attention.

How about saying firmly, "we don't hit! and we need to say sorry", and then picking him up and giving him some TLC. Usually, that's all they want.