Why is he hitting??

[jayali]

My son is 28 months old. He is very verbal and has been for a year now. Recently (last 3 weeks) he has started hitting. We have NEVER raised our hands to him (or each other) so I am not sure where he is getting this from. I can tell it is usually when he is frustrated or not getting his way. He won't just walk up to another kid and hit them. He is a pretty mellow child and not aggressive at all in his behavior. So what is up with this hitting thing. A friend of mine said it is a stage they go through and I really hope so but am afraid that this will lead to certain other bad behaviors. Anyone have any advice on how to handle this or why he is doing it??

Please help before I beat the crap out of him. Just kidding of course, but am at my wits end.

Thanks!

[californiagirl]

He's hitting because he's 28 months old. And it gets a big rise out of you. And when you're 2, sometimes words just aren't enough or don't come easy enough.

As for what to do about it, when does he hit? Who does he hit?

[cmo]

I have a son the same age, also very verbal, who also went through a hitting phase last month (with a few bites thrown in for good measure). It turns out he 'learned' it from another boy in his morning out program. Fortunately, it only lasted a few weeks. It seemed like the novelty wore off and he went back to being his sweet self. I was stern with him when he did hit without being over-reactive, and he had some time outs when appropriate.

Hang in there, mama! This too shall pass.

[jasabo]

He's a two year old boy - I've yet to meet one who doesn't hit. Even when they used to be the most laid back kid ever, and even with parents who would never in a million years hit their child, they still do it.

Be consistent with redirection, reprimanding and for us, we started using time out around age 2 1/2....just find something that works for your son and be consistent.

Good luck!

[jayali]

Thank you ladies. I guess I just wanted to know that it is a common stage. We have been doing re-directing and time-outs. Our babysitter told him today that when he is mad to stomp his feet. He seemed to like that and was stomping this evening. I had a really hard time not laughing. Hopefully he will grow out of it in a few weeks.

Thanks again for the encouragement.