How to Discipline a Toddler Who Hits You

Being a parent is the most difficult task. Hold that thought! It was your decision to become parents and bring the child to the world. We cannot refer to the kids as a burden because it was your choice to make a baby. Now that they are in the world, it is your responsibility to take good care of them.

Certain acts of the child can be frustrating. What do you do when your child hits strangers? This is quite common, but most parents are not able to handle the situation.

The aggressive nature of your child can be harmful to him as well as for you because if he does not get rid of this in his early life he would turn into an arrogant human being who only thinks about themselves and never cares for others. It is time to step up and teach them that hitting is not okay!

Most parents ask this question – How to discipline a toddler who hits you?

They ask if this habit is for a temporary period of time or it is just a phase. Well, in any case, the habit of hitting others is not good and the behavior is not appreciated. Parents need to make sure that they get rid of this habit as soon as they can before it can lead to major problems in later life.

A child who is aggressive in nature tends to get angry for no reason. Sometimes it is just a response that helps them release stress.

They are the children who do not like to listen to the word “No”. How do you control the behavior and teach them good manners? Multiple strategies can work in this case, but we want the child to stop hitting you. Let’s find out the solutions.

Tips on how to control your child and make his behavior correct

Parents first need to make sure that they maintain a healthy relationship with their child which would be key in changing their behavior. For the parents who have done everything in their domain to correct their children will need to look upon the following tips to make their child show good behavior.

Remain calm and patient

What happens when your child starts hitting? They need to make sure that whatever the situation is, they need to stay calm and make sure that they do not use harsh words and yell at their children. If they do, their child will react negatively and it does no good to you or to them. Parents need to make sure that if their child hits, they first need to analyze their reaction.
Count till 12 and let the moment pass. Are you being aggressive? Ask yourself – Are you different from your child? Hitting back is not a good response. What parents need to do is to teach their child how to respect everyone around them. There is no need for yelling because toddlers are in a phase of learning and they tend to imitate or learn the behavior of elders. At the end of the day, they are your children and you need to love them dearly.

Non-verbal communication

Children after they hit refuse it, the question is why? Children especially toddlers are very sensitive and they get scared easily that is the only reason why they will not why they hit someone. Parents need to make sure to calm their child first and let him release his aggression. Well, this does not mean that you will allow him to hit others. The human brain has two parts one, which works on emotions and the other one which works on logic. When your child is aggressive the reason he does not understand anything because he thinks from the emotional side at that time and not with the logical one. Parents need to make sure first that they make their child stay calm and then teach him how to behave correctly. Not with words but rather with body actions and gestures which is non-verbal communication. Toddlers tend to pick things very fast and this would surely help him to correct his behavior.

Avoid physical punishments

Parents need to avoid physical punishment. Most of the parents smack their children if they see them hitting someone. This would work once or twice but not always and at one time your child will get used to it and it will not affect him anymore. Additionally, hitting anyone is unacceptable. It makes the child think that hitting is acceptable and they will learn the same in the coming years. Do you want your child to grow up and become a violent individual? Parents need to follow other strategies on how to control their child such as if they see their child hitting someone they need to talk them in their eyes because it will be going to grab their attention, parents can divert their child mind on to another thing or they can remove them from the situation. If parents start avoiding physical punishment and focus on correcting their child’s behavior, then there are chances for improvement.

Support your child

Parents need to make sure that they support their children. Toddlers may have learned to speak but still, they are developing their feelings and emotions and that is why they hit when they do not know what to do. Parents should focus on their child’s emotional feelings. Always praise the child when they showcase good behavior.

Encourage positive behavior

Toddlers always want to get their parent’s attention and they will do everything in their domain to get it. Parents need to make sure that they encourage the positive behavior of the child and give him a reward whenever he does something good. This would encourage him to repeat the behavior again to get the same attention.

Give them a quick compliment or take them out for ice cream or a movie. When you reward your child for showcasing good behavior, they will never showcase bad behavior. This is known as positive reinforcement.

Conclusion

Taking care of your child and teaching them the basics of good behavior is not a complicated task. If you follow the tips that we have mentioned above, there will be no need to stress over small issues.

Your toddler is not the only one who hits people or you. There are millions of toddlers who are portraying this behavior, but with the right guidance, the child learns the basics of good behavior and does not repeat it.