9 answers

Hitting Child

I'm in need of advice on my 22 month old son who hits only at me, noone else. He is not talking yet (with the exception of a few very basic words), so I don't know how much is him being frustrated at not being able to communicate vs. how much is the terrible 2's vs. just seeing what he can get away with? He's been doing this for the last 5 months or so. I've tried putting him in time out for 2 minutes at home, but he tends to act out more so when we're out in public because there is no "TIME OUT" mat. He doesn't seem to mind going in time out, even though he is good about staying there until his time is up. Any suggestions would be appreciated. THANKS!!!

What can I do next?

So What Happened?™

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I have enrolled him in the early steps program for speech therapy so hopefully that will allow us to communicate better with each other soon. Thanks again!

Featured Answers

Hi S.,
I once got this advice for my son when he was 18 months old. It worked for me.
When he hits you - don't react. He hits because he gets a reaction. You can simply walk away. Sometimes ignoring the behavior is effective in eliminating it. (Not all cases) My son hit me and looked at me for my response, when I gave him nothing the game became boring for him. He doesn't hit anymore and stopped that within a 2 days of implementing this.
Hope this helps!
Sincerely,
Marta

1 mom found this helpful

More Answers

I would try to teach him sign language. It has worked very well for me and the children that I keep.

1 mom found this helpful

I do not want to startle you at all with what I am about to suggest, its just more preventitive than anything. Check online and talk to your son's doctor about the possibility of autism. I know that word is scary, but let me tell you, if, if if if, it turns out to be autism and he is this young, they can treat it. If you let it go and find out later, it could be too late. This other lady had a daughter, 2 yrs old, and thought she didnt speak much because she was shy, turned out otherwise. Like I said, its more of preventitive medicine, and if it turns out not to be, then you dont have to worry. But that is a small sign. So look into it, see if he has any other behaviors and decide for yourself. But its better to know than not know or know later.

1 mom found this helpful

my daughter did the same thing at 18 mo. my nanny said that if you use a time out mat make sure you also have a "travel" mat that when my daughter would act up in public i would show her the mat and then she would stop....of course it is gonna take time i think i put my daughter in time out once in public before she knew i was not kidding and you ex is going to have to do the same thing even though you are not together you have to be on the same page...also for the communication baby einstein has a dvd that teaches children to use sign language to communicate better....IT REALLY HELPS!!! my daughter is 2 1/2 and is able to speak clearly but still uses the sigh language when she gets tired and cranky and doesnt want to use her big girl words....good luck

1 mom found this helpful

I know this seems horrible, but I would take the "time out" mat with me, and let him know you have it and make him stand on it in the store if he starts acting up, or I would just remove him from the location. I know it is a pain to get somewhere just to have to leave, but sometimes that is what it takes. My daughter tried it once and we just walked right out of the store and she is now fine, she is almost 3. My sister in law is 6 and throws terrible tantrums when she is with her mother becuase her mother doesn't do anything about it she just lets her lay on the floor and scream, but when she is with me she doesn't becuase I will snatch her out of there so fast, and she hates it, so she is perfect for me. Just what I do, hope that helps.

1 mom found this helpful

My son tries to hit me but not in an evil way. More of seeing if he gets away with it or not. I sternly tell him no. "no hit mommy". It took a few times for him to realize what I was saying but now if he hits me and I say it he understands what I mean and he stops. He is 18 months and he is starting to understand what no means. I am tempted to hit him back a little hard so he feels what it feels like when he hits but I decided not to cuz i think that may only be showing him that its ok to hit. So I just say no hit mommy and I say it very seriously like it is not a joke.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi S.,
I once got this advice for my son when he was 18 months old. It worked for me.
When he hits you - don't react. He hits because he gets a reaction. You can simply walk away. Sometimes ignoring the behavior is effective in eliminating it. (Not all cases) My son hit me and looked at me for my response, when I gave him nothing the game became boring for him. He doesn't hit anymore and stopped that within a 2 days of implementing this.
Hope this helps!
Sincerely,
Marta

1 mom found this helpful

My son just turned 2 in April and I have the same issue with him. We will be going for his developmental evaluation at the Phillips Family Care Center on June 15th. I have already done the preliminary appointment with my family care coordinator and was very impressed with the program. My son will also start speech therapy after the evaluation. If you ever have any questions or need to talk to somone feel free to email me. I also just started reading 1-2-3 Magic which was recommended by some of the other mothers on this site and I think it is going to be very helpful.

1 mom found this helpful

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