Please help me nip this in the bud

[buddyleebaby]

For the last three days or so, Abigail has been smacking me in the face.
She will say "ow", then smack my face, and then kiss me where she just smacked me. I tell her "No hitting, that hurts mama. Gentle touch." A minute later she'll dp it again.
She doesn't hit when she's having a tantrum or anything. It is completely out of the blue when we are playing or reading a book or something.
So what should I do? And where did she get this from? Our family does not hit.

TIA.

[BaileyBea]

DS was doing this too. He would laugh after he tried to poke our eyes out. We told him in a nice voice (not raised) that we don't hit or touch eyes and don't do that because it hurts. He would do it again... then we started Time outs everytime he did it in the crib for 1 minute.

This is a love and logic parenting tip we learned from the book on tape. He quit doing it but it took several days. He was about Abigail's age when he started doing this. They suddenly get very interested in touching faces etc...

Now he is interested in hugging and kissing. He hugs and kisses everything. So maybe she'll move to hugs and kisses soon.

[jenjenfirenjen]

If Luke hits on purpose more than once after being reprimanded, I get up and get away from him so that he can't do it again. He started hitting after an older boy at playgroup hit him. I guess it's bound to happen.

Since she's kissing you afterwards, maybe you can play some kind of kissing game so that she can kiss you without hitting. Luke has a play medical kit and he'll give himself, me and the baby "shots" and then we kiss where it "hurts."