![]() Keep in mind that the tactic I’ve described above is a general approach that may save you in the moment from reacting poorly to your toddler hitting. UNDERSTANDING WHY YOUR TODDLER IS HITTING Your toddler has a short memory, and so talking about it later will prove to be ineffective. One more thing– Make sure that you deal with this situation right away. Telling them that it’s painful will give the situation more context. Drawing that boundary (“I won’t let you hit”) is effective (and SUPER important). While they want their independence, they also want to feel secure in knowing that you will stop them when what they are doing is no longer safe. Some toddlers will continue to experiment and push you until they figure out where that boundary is. Boundaries not only teach your child about right and wrong, but they also help make your child feel safer. They don’t understand that they are hurting someone!īoundaries are an important lesson for your toddler to learn, and especially in this case. Keep in mind that your little toddler doesn’t have a good handle on empathy, so it’s unlikely they will feel sorry for hurting someone. Gently move their arm away from whomever your toddler is hitting and say “hitting hurts, I won’t let you hit”. Here are some practical steps you can follow in the moment to make sure you are handling your toddler hitting the right way. Nobody is perfect, but you can certainly do better the next go-around. For us – it took me completely off guard. ![]() That moment when your sweet child takes their first swing, it’s pretty common that we don’t respond “appropriately”. It can be extremely difficult to react appropriately when the arms are flying. HOW TO REACT IN THE MOMENT TO TODDLER HITTINGīefore we get too deep into why toddler’s hit, it is important to know at a high level what you can do when your toddler is hitting. We’ll get more specific about why your toddler is hitting below. These questions are important and very relevant to the reasoning behind why you have a toddler who hits. What has been your reaction in the past?.What is it about these situations that is upsetting to your toddler?.What situations seem to trigger a physical (hitting) response in your child?.The important thing to understand is regardless of the reasoning of your toddler hitting, your child is not hitting you to hurt you.īefore you figure out why your toddler is hitting, it’s important to answer a few questions. When to Worry About Your Toddler that Hits How to Deal With a Toddler Hitting at Daycare When Your Toddler Hits When They Are Angry My Toddler is Hitting Because of a Sensory Processing Disorder Understanding Why Your Toddler is Hitting How to React in the Moment When Your Toddler Hits Once we could understand that she wasn’t just a toddler hitting for no reason, we were able to approach it more effectively. ![]() The turning point for us was when we got a grasp on why she was hitting. I talked to experts and family members and experimented with different tactics. I ended up reading a lot of books, and listened to a lot of podcasts. We had no idea how to deal with it when our oldest started hitting. I have also worked with kid’s that were in state custody for a variety of reasons, so I have dealt with both ends of the spectrum when it comes to a toddler hitting – sometimes for no apparent reason. Unfortunately, this goes on much longer for some parents. ![]() Our oldest is currently three, and we luckily only dealt with intense hitting for about a month. Luckily, this is usually just a passing phase as long as you are appropriately addressing your toddler’s hitting. It’s easy to feel like we are doing something wrong as parents. Or maybe you upset your child because you gave them a blue cup instead a green one, and then your toddler hits you. One day our cute child is playing with another toddler, and wham! Your toddler hits the other child. Expert Reviewed by Staci Perry, MS Clinical Mental Health Counseling ![]()
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