MY SON WON'T STOP SPITTING!!!!!!!!!! And it's driving me NUTS!!! Any suggestions?

Question

My son, Whom is 18 months old, WIll NOT stop spitting!!!! It is driving both his father and I absolutely NUTS! Anytime we give him something to drink, He takes a BIG drink and spits it back out at us!! He makes a mess of himself and everything around him. What can I do to stop this NASTY behaviour?!?!?

We take the sippy away from him when he does it, But it doesn't phase him, He just goes on about his business, And it's not like we can just quit giving him drinks all together?! We also firmly tell him no, and explain why we're taking the sippy, And as a very last resort, we have lightly tapped his mouth, telling him 'NO!!! spitting is NASTY'...to no avail.

Any suggestions as to what we can do????

LOL!!! Cassandra, The mental picture, Of me spitting my drink out actually made me laugh out loud, Lol...It might very well be effective though, Maybe if he thinks it's 'alright' it won't be as much fun anymore.

Lol, Justin, sweetie, If my 18 month old son were smart enough to write (anything) let alone full sentences, His spitting would be the last of my concerns!!

Answer 1

at 18 months 'NO' doesnt really mean much becuase its just a word with no negativity attached.. a spanking works very well at 18 months because it shows cause and effect

spit = spank

or you can spit back so now... spit = spit

lightly tapping his mouth isnt bad enough to make a dent in the problem...

Answer 2

It's a phase that he'll get over. Ignoring it will help him get over it faster- he probably thinks your reactions to it are funny. Soon he'll learn something else that's 'nasty' (that every kid on earth pretty much goes through) and he'll move on from the spitting.

He's only a baby still, don't spit in his face, now THAT would be nasty!

ETA: I'm amazed at the people who would actually consider spitting in a kid's face. IMO you can't teach not to spit by spitting yourself, same as hitting. An occasional tap on the hand is alright, like when they are going to touch something that could hurt them. This child is only 18 MONTHS!! He's still a baby learning different things!

Answer 3

I would seriously do as the lady had told you- spit=spit. I dont think he would like it very much.

When I was growing up if any of my fathers children bit or pinched some one we would get bit or pinched to see how it felt. I am telling you- after he did that once we never did it again.

You said he makes a mess of himself already- so I dont see the harm in giving it back to him. He will probably be shocked and then cry but I doubt he will do it again.

Answer 4

Have you tried time-outs? At that age every time he spits (or disobeys you) have him sit in a time-out for two minutes. The key is consistency.

And try not to give it too much attention. He loves the attention you're giving him as his spitting is illiciting a response from you.

He already knows what he is doing is wrong...you've told him "no" plenty of times, I'm sure. So next time he does it, without a word or warning, put him in a time-out. He'll be shocked. He might continue to do it for a week or so, but if you're consistent that should phase it out.

Answer 5

you have given it so much attention, you've made it his favorite game. my son's thing was burping at 18 months. he burbed oddly in the car on a long trip and i was a nervous wreck checking on him. that's all the attention he needed. i wanted to scream from the burping he would do, on and on for no reason.

anyway, the pediatrician said to do what i'm going to tell you to do - remove all the power and pleasure from this behavior by ignoring it. it's very very very very hard to do. but the behavior will go away. if you keep trying to give consequences to stop it, you will raise a spitting champion and have miserable meal times.

an alternate approach might be to plan ahead clothes wise and then spit your drinks out too. it might strike him as so funny, it stops this behavior.

have fun!

Answer 6

Maybe your tap to his mouth is a little to light. I learned several lessons as a child with a smack to the mouth. I'm 37 and still know better than to talk back to my mom,,,,,would propably have worked for spitting too. I am in no way suggesting that you abuse your child, I am a former preschool teacher and have a great love for children, but a firm smack to the mouth is not abuse. And I grew up in a time when if children misbehaved they were spanked, and I learned which behaviors were acceptable and which were not through that method.....and believe it or not, I am not scarred for life because of it.

Answer 7

Deep breath...exhale....try not to react....stay calm.....the baby is just entertaining himself and trying to entertain you as well. It has been my experience, as a mother of four....that children LOVE and command constant attention, and it doesn't matter if it is a scolding, or a hug they just want constant attention. Try ignoring the bad behavior and distract the baby with something else...such as look...what's that? Did you see it? Where did it go? Soon you will have distracted the baby and he will find something else to amuse himself. And if you are going to swat the child, please wait at least another two years, swatting will just create another nasty behavior, and baby will be swatting you soon anyway. Best wishes....

Answer 8

Remind him BEFORE you give him the drink, "no spitting" and THEN give it to him.
DON'T make a big production out of it if he does it, simply take the drink away. He may be making a game of it.

Answer 9

Try rewarding for good behavior like stickers on a calendar for each day that he doesn't spit and then count them to him.

Answer 10

I will tell you what my parents did.... Make a big ta-doo about it and make him put in in a cup....either make him drink it or until it drives him crazy.....or Make him hold it in his hand for a while.... Then make him write a hundred sentences in paper... saying I WILL NOT SPIT ANY MORE as a trade for not drinking or holding it in his hand...


Justin