If your child has started hitting others it can be extremely stressful for you as a parent.
You may feel like your parenting style, and your little one are both being intensely judged.
It is important that you take the time to figure out how to address and put a stop to this unwanted behavior, especially before it happens.
HOW TO STOP YOUR CHILD FROM HITTING OTHERS
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There are things you can to do stop your child from hitting before it becomes a habit.
FIND THE PATTERN
When trying to figure out why your little one is hitting, it is important to look for any patterns of behaviour.
Most of the time, kids lash out because they are experiencing feelings that they don’t understand or know how to put into words.
Toddlers are particularly prone to this behaviour as they have not yet developed their verbal skills fully and may be feeling emotions they didn’t even know existed.
Some causes of aggression are hunger, exhaustion or just general feelings of being scared.
This is most likely their way of expressing this.
Remember though, you are looking for explanations and patterns of behaviour, not excuses for it.
Once you have identified the pattern of behaviour, you will be able to step in prior to it all unfolding and attempt to prevent it.
LOOK FOR CHANGES
Have you recently moved?
Did one parent go back to work?
If there is something that is going on in your child’s life that is leaving them unsettled, this could be a reaction to that.
Whether it’s a new baby, a separation in the family or even transitioning into different sleeping arrangements, hitting could quite possibly be their way of trying to get your attention.
While this is a misguided attempt on their part, small children often see any form of attention as a victory.
In this case, it’s a good idea to find a way to ease their minds about the changes taking place.
Give them positive reinforcement for good behaviour and make sure you are paying plenty of attention to them when they aren’t hitting.
HAVE CLEAR CONSEQUENCES IMMEDIATELY
If you delay your response to your child’s hitting, you are only doing a disservice to yourself.
You have to take action right away, don’t wait until you return home.
When an incident takes place, make sure that you get down to your little one’s level and tell them very firmly that they are not allowed to hit.
Remove them from the situation for time out and encourage them to apologize to the child they hurt.
Remember that being a consistent parent when it comes to hitting is very important. Make sure you show them the proper way to behave.
Hitting is not an abnormal part of childhood development. Many toddlers go through a stage where they act out by hitting.
Even though this is a normal part of growing up, it’s important that you nip it in the bud as soon as possible.
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Crying boy image via Shutterstock
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