teach emotional management or communication. Additionally, physical punishment may affect your child’s brain development and mental health.
Teach alternatives.
After your kid calms down, carefully revisit what occurred. “You were upset when Sally stole your vehicle. Hitting is wrong. You may stomp and ask for help.” Briefly explain that getting angry is OK, but hitting, kicking, or biting is wrong. Please encourage them to use words or ask for support to react better.
Advising older children to apologize may be suitable for those who can comprehend others’ emotions. A forced apology won’t teach toddlers anything, but you may model empathy by apologizing for your errors or addressing other children’s emotions.
RELATED: What Every Toddler Needs To Thrive
How To Stop Your Toddler From Hitting
Here are strategies to stop your child from striking and other misbehaving.
- Look for patterns. Find out when your child becomes physical by watching them. Keep things quiet and low-key before naptime if they appear most prone to strike someone when overtired. While in the park or mall, your youngster may be overstimulated by the activities, sights, and noises.
- Reward positive conduct. Catch your youngster doing excellent instead of simply noticing when they’re struggling. Praise them for asking to swing instead of pushing another youngster away. Over time, they’ll comprehend their words’ power.
- Consider what they’re viewing. Cartoons, video games, and other kid-friendly media may include yelling, threatening, pushing, and striking. If your child tends to misbehave, choose high-quality, age-appropriate material. Talk about how characters handle disputes, explore better methods, and avoid showing your kid adult stuff.
- Actively engage your youngster. If your kid doesn’t get to burn off energy, they may be a nightmare at home. If your kid is hyperactive, offer them plenty of free time, especially outdoors.
Toddler Aggression: When To Worry
Sometimes, a child’s hostility overwhelms a parent. Talk to your child’s physician if your toddler’s conduct is disturbing your life, such as preventing them from playing with other kids, going out in public, or getting in trouble at school or daycare.
Talk to a doctor if your toddler:
- It is unusually challenging for longer than a few weeks.
- Hurts themself.
- Attacks you or other adults.
- Acts aggressively out of the blue, or you can’t figure out what triggers their violence.
- Is fixated on violent themes during playtime.
- Starts acting up after a traumatic event or major life change (a move, a divorce, or a new sibling, for example).
Help your kid solve the behavior issue by identifying its cause. If needed, your doctor might prescribe a counselor or child psychologist.