My 7Month Old Likes to Slap Me

My son dstarted that @ 8 mos. old, when we were in the pediatrician's office the doctor witnessed it, He asked if I always let my son hit me, I told him he couldn't mean any harm, he said he may not now, but you should let him no that it's not appropriate to slap, so from then on, I took his hand when he would slap me in the face, and tell him we don't hit Mommy, it took about a week, and the behavior stopped.

Totally normal at 7 months...my 11 month old still sometimes does not know her own strength. I just take her arm and slow her down and say "gentle"..."touch gentle"...she is just so happy and it is fun to wave her arms around. My son did the same thing and is a well behaved (most of the time) 3.5 year old. Isn't this motherhood thing an adventure? {{{hugs}}}

I don't think it is anything to worry about. My son is almost nine months and he is a slapper too. Babies don't realize that they don't have to use their full strength all the time. Sometimes when they reach out to touch you it turns into a slap. As they grow it mellows out. She is not doing it out of any anger or desire to hurt you she is just excited to see that she can decide to move and then make it happen! When my son gets really slap happy I just move his little hand. Take care!

she is learning alot at this age. Its normal for little ones to try their new body parts out for a few months. If she is hurting you when she is slapping you start saying ouch hurt not in a high pitched voice or in a mad snappy voice but the one she has learned the no-no voice then redirect her to her toys or by putting her hands on the couch so she can hit that instead. She will start to know that when she is slapping you and its hurting you.

other good addvice I can give is when your little one learns about candy.... In the store when they ask for it tell them its old. I see moms and dads all the time fighting with their kids about the candy. With my oldest I still fight with her, shes 12, with my youngest I always told him that it was old and i have never had a problem, all I tell him is its old and thats the end of him asking for that candy. He is now 5 and he knows that mommy and daddy will give him a piece of candy when they see a good peice of candy or he has to wait for santa or the easter bunny to give in good candy.

Sound like she is just having infant/toddler fun. But we still have to set limits and start teaching them even at this age. If the slaps are in your face, even at this age you can practice-no no not in mommy's face while pointing at your face and demonstrating soft, rubbing strokes with her hand in a funny way to teach her maybe? Redirect her to another exciting approach to laughter with her hands. I hope this helps!

I have a 7 month old who does the same thing, especially when nursing. They are just learning that they can control their hands and experience the world through touch, so I think it is totally developmentally normal for a child this age to experiment with different ways of using their hands, some of which may not be entirely appropriate down the line (slapping, grabbing, etc.). I don't want to discourage developmentally appropriate actions, but I also don't want him to learn that slapping is acceptable. So when he slaps, I just gently take his hand and help him pat softly or stroke instead while repeating "gentle", "gentle." I do the same thing when he slaps the dog. I honestly think he wants to pet the dog, but he hasn't quite mastered petting, so he slaps instead.

I think the advice about redirecting there little hands will work best. A seven month old is just barley getting their bearings and becoming mobile so it is our job to show them what they can and can not do. Just be consistent, it never works to be a wishy washy parent. From now until they are grown that is the best advice, be consistent. God bless you.

Hi A. it's A.. I just thought I would say hello to someone with my same name, it seems to be more common these days and it strange becuase growing up I never ran into anyone with my name. I too have a 10 month old who loves slapping but I think it's the uncontrollable urge to swing hands and they are just trying to develop montoe skills and gain control. It will pass. I should know I am having my fifth child and they all went through some form of extreme kicking or slapping. Just hold her hands and gently put them down each time. Enjoy or physical activity and smile!

A. Bartholomew J.D.
http://www.healthy-us.com
http://healthyus.wordpress.com
Life is Meant to be GOOD, Live Well

I wouldn't be worried in your shoes, she isn't trying to hurt you, maybe just enjoying getting a reaction or trying to play with you. Or testing how it feels or sounds when she hits something with her hand. Still you might want to discourage the behavior since as she gets bigger she could hurt someone.

Re-directing her is a good idea. You could try telling her "soft" while rubbing her hand gently on your face. And then praising her and smiling when she gives soft touches "good job soft" That is what helped with my kiddo anyway when she was younger.

Another thing that helped me when my my little one was biting, was putting her in mini time-outs. It would happen when I was holding her or nursing her. Whenever she bit I would put her down on the floor and avoid eye contact for several seconds or half a minute. She hated the loss of mommy's attention, and after a few days she was no longer biting for the most part.