Can anyone give me suggestions on how to help me stop 13 month old from hitting?

Question

He walks by everything and smacks it, from chairs to the dogs and even me. I understand he doesnt mean it as an angry smack and in fact he thinks it funny, but I dont want him to think its ok.

Answer 1

It is normal behavior for a 13 month old to hit things. They're just now starting to learn they have some autonomy, and they are trying things out - not always appropriately, but remember that they're just babies. They don't get the concept that you hitting them means you're punshing them for something wrong - they just register that your hand caused them pain, or that it's okay to hit. They don't even get the concept of time-out at that age. Every parenting book for such young toddlers says that you're supposed to use distraction, redirection, get them to focus on something else -- not to focus at this age too much on discipline.

I remember a really funny incident one time when I was waiting in the pediatrician's office. A little boy about my daughter's age (probably about 15 months at the time) was walking around hitting everything in sight. His grandma was watching him and getting more and more exasperated. Finally she got up and smacked him on his butt - saying, "no, no, no, we DON'T HIT" - all the while hitting him! She stopped and kind of chuckled at one point, saying, "as I'm hitting him!" like she finally got the hypocrisy of it! The worst thing of it was, as she was smacking him, the kid wasn't even reacting - he just kept on being smiley and cheerful and hitting everything!

Point is, I don't think hitting teaches kids anything except -- HITTING.

Answer 2

I am going to be a dissenting opinion here.... I do not believe that you teach a child not to hit but hitting them... send a really mixed up message to them. I believe in the time out... every time he hits something (anything) he sits in a chair facing the corner for a minute and a half. This means that you will have to be constantly vigilant about the punishment but once he realizes that hitting means facing the corner with nothing to do but stare at a blank wall... well hopefully he gets bored with the sitting and stops the hitting (a little Dr. Seuss rhyming there!!)

Answer 3

My son did the same thing...since he started walking early 9 months by 12 he was running !

But, he has a high pain tolerance, and his attitude has and still is, "If I'm getting a spanking, do it so I can go back to what I was doing" Spanking, swatting, small pats on the bottom never deterred him. His 'trigger' was being still. I would sit him in my lap and not let him move for anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes depending on what/who he hit. But during out 'time-out' he could not talk to me he would cry but I would simply and quietly tell him he cannot hit. He would stop crying to listen to what I was saying, because eventually I would tell him he could get up, but not until he could hear me, which meant he was no longer crying.

With my daughters, (I have 2) they responded will to small pats on the hand to tell them NO. But my son (I only have 1) he required more creative ways to get through

Boys are different than girls....in more aspects than just the obvious. The way the process and respond to parenting is no different.

I hope I have helped.....Good Luck

Answer 4

You may not like it, but give a little smack on the hand and say "no". It may break their spirit more than anything. But my little girl thought it was funny to smack whoever was holding her in the face. I would smack her hand, tell her "no" and explain to her how to be nice. I would say "be nice" and take her hand and run it softly over the person's face. She doesn't do it anymore.

Answer 5

This is a bit tough, but it teaches a tough lesson without hitting -- which I find kind of hipocritical. I remember hearing Meredith Baxtor (the Family Ties mom) describe it on a talk show once and used it on my own son many years later ;)

You take them by the wrist and hold their little hands against their cheeks, you get down to their level, look them in the eye and in the most serious voice, making the most serious face, you say "DON'T HIT. I DON'T WANT YOU TO DO THAT AGAIN."

And I realised, when I did it, that they really don't want to be told that, in that way, ever again. That said, it lasted until the early onset of the "ferocious fours."

Answer 6

You can give her a small smack on the hand....they dont like that. My 2 year old would bite until I bit her back (not hard ofcourse) and she stopped...

Answer 7

When he smacks something, smack him gently back while saying "NO!" or "Don't do that!". Hopefully, after doing this a few times, he will stop.

Answer 8

All you have to do is get down to his level ( i mean like so that he can see you eye to eye) Just in stern voice tell him NO! and let him know it is not ok! And then after that you may have to give him a time out or something like that everytime he does it. It may take a few times but he will get it.

Answer 9

If he is hitting then what you should do then dont laugh with him and if he hits you or any living thing you should put him in time out or tap in the hand that looks like a slap but just tap him

Answer 10

i do no longer imagine he's too youthful to comprehend day vacation. It does no longer might want to be in yet another room, purely placed him on the settee anytime he does it. they say one minute in preserving with 3 hundred and sixty 5 days so it wont be a lengthy time period barely sufficient to get his interest once he does it. it would want to take a lengthy time period yet ultimately he receives it. I do have youngsters and performance discovered the demanding way, you want to get a deal with on aspect like this at a youthful age. i do no longer spank and am no longer overly strict, purely speaking from journey. They comprehend more desirable than you imagine at that age, and performance discovered that from having more desirable than one baby.