Kicking Problem

Hi L.:
My 21 month old does the same and I have found that he doesn't now that I let him help with the changings. I let him get the wipes out while I start to take his diaper off and I let him wipe himself. This has seemed to stop the kicking because he is to busy getting the wipes apart and trying to clean his peepee. He loves it like he is more of a big boy and he now looks forward to being changed instead of me having to chase him around.

L.,
It sounds like a normal part of development, and he's probably just playing (or sometimes not- maybe doesn't like to stop playing for a silly old diaper change?). He likely doesn't know that he's hurting you, so the natural consequence would be an "Ouch, kicking hurts mommy" and "We only kick balls". If you make a dramatic face- big, sad eyes, firm voice, etc, you are conveying the seriousness without telling him that he's bad (bc he's not- he just doesn't know). There's a great book called "No biting" that addresses kicking as well, in simple verse ("No kicking the dog...we kick balls...")that helps kids see what is ok to hit, kick, and bite. Good luck!

Hi L.,
I have a 20 month old son. It must be a boy thing. he does it also....i usually just tap him on his thigh just so he knows he shouldnt be doing it. I realized the more that i didnt do or say anything the more fun he thought it would be. Good luck....he will stop sooner or later!!!!

That seems to be a pretty common behavior! My son--now 2 1/2 did that too! I would not suggest giving him a tap on his thigh as that is modelling for him that a physical consequence is the way to deal with unwanted behavior. He'll try it out on his friends when they take his toys...then you'll have another behavior to deal with. (At this stage, you can begin to set boundaries and teach your child how to interact with other people, "It is not okay to hurt my body." and suggest an alternative behavior to deal with his frustration. I am guessing you are changing him, probably on the floor, with his feet pointing towards you. May I suggest turning him ninety degrees so that you are changing him with his feet pointing in a direction where you are not. That worked for my kiddo...kick the floor all you want! I also started narrating what I was doing--now we are going to change your diaper, let's open the tabs (you can have him participate), now we'll wipe you up (you can have him participate in this part too, it'll be helpful when potty training starts), okay...now let's get the fresh, clean diaper on...etc. Finally, currency works too. Give him a book, a toy, whatever, so that kicking you is not the entertainment. But, definitely try changing his direction...it stopped the behavior instantly.

HI L. its stef... lol Jonathan is doing this as well. I know people wont agree with me but I slap him on the thigh and let him no. he crys but e stops.. different things work for different people.. dont see anything wrong with slapping..i know people do and thats there progative, I was slapped as a kid and theres nothing wrong with me.. I also started putting ellie in the corner when she is no being a good girl.. They are just testing there bounderies... STEF

Hi. My daughter is 27 months old and we went through the same problem. I was always firm and said "Brianna, mama does not like it when you kick her. It hurts, and it makes it hard for me to change your diaper." At first, she didn't get it but it eventually caught on. Good luck. Hope that helps

Consequences for his actions might be a good idea, but I agree that you shouldn't hit him. That only teaches him that you hit when someone does something that you don't like and you will see him try the same approach with other kids and animals. This might be a good time to think about how you want to approach discipline and start using that technique. Even though your son is a bit young, starting now will make it more routine as he gets older. There's a lot of resources out there for parents if you are stuck for ideas.

http://parents.com/parents/story.jhtml?storyid=/templated...

Good luck,
K.

Hi L.!
I can't tell from your post if your son is being resistant to being changed? Or just having fun kicking his legs? But my suggestion would just be to change him sideways. In other words, lie him horizontally in front of you while you change him. That's actually how I always changed my babies diapers--just comfortable to me and easier for me to interact with them playing games and such while I change them. Give it a try and hope it helps!!