Have You Been Coping With Toddler Hitting?
Posted in Tips on January 31st, 2012 by – Be the first to comment Tags: Aggression, Been, Coping, Emotions, Express, Feelings, Hitting, Misbehavior, People, Raising Your Voice, Self Expression, Suitable Words, Terrible Twos, Time Period, Toddler
I know you were not eager for the terrible twos. Almost all kids need to go through this phase because they learn so much as a result. Toddler hitting and much of the conduct we cope with during this time period tend to be caused by your son or daughter being unable to communicate new emotions. Knowing this can help you learn to cope with toddler misbehavior.
It would be rare for toddler hitting to come from actual aggression. Getting your attention is very important at this age and they find out that hitting gets them attention. Even though the conduct may seem aggressive, your child is not trying to be mean. A toddler doesn’t realize that things they do has an effect on how other people feel. And if they are feeling out of control or tense, they will hit others in order to express themselves.
You are able to show them how you keep your emotions under control and they need someone to show that to them.
Small children often hit to get attention. To prevent providing them with the sort of attention they may be trying to find, your reaction should be short and to the point. Simply inform the child that, “we do not hit one another.” The toddler will often stop hitting other people once you make a statement like this to them a few times. Nevertheless, with a few children the actions will continue. If that’s the case, you may have to apply other strategies to prevent them from hitting.
When your child is angry or annoyed they may try to hit other people to communicate their feelings. It is very important that you present a relaxed response to their behavior that doesn’t include raising your voice or smacking your child.
It is important that you set the example for the children. If you have discovered that simply telling them that, “we don’t hit,” isn’t adequate to teach them the lesson you can begin to instruct them on alternative outlets for their emotions. Offer them suitable words to use as appropriate kinds of self expression. I’m upset. I’m tired. I’d like my toy back. Not only will this strengthen their capability to express themselves, it will start supplying you with verbal hints as to what is causing the outbursts and allow you to concentrate on teaching them how to handle that specific range of feelings.
For a lot of mothers and fathers, getting an understanding of why toddlers hit will probably be sufficient to redirect their behavior into more positive types of expression. Regrettably this may not get toddler hitting in check for all fathers and mothers. When this type of behavior is allowed to continue your child might wind up stuck in a pattern that is challenging to alter the longer it continues. If you discover that you simply can’t get a toddler to stop hitting, it may be time to look for more in-depth assistance.
