2 1/2 Year Old Hitting

My son, at 2 -21/5 had a biting problem which happened at daycare and mostly when he was playing or in unstructured times.
The teacher said, "No biting - biting hurts" and put him in timeout. He then had to apologize.
At night, when I rocked him, I talked about his day in general. If it was a day he had bit, I would talk to him about that. We also would say "No biting - biting hurts" when we dropped him off at daycare.

Its hard because at that age, they are such "in the moment" little people that even though they know it is wrong they still do it.

Eventually, my son outgrew it, and I think your son will outgrow the hitting. He does it now, probably because he is frustrated and it is the only way he knows to get a toy back. You can talk to him about taking turns and about sharing and asking to use a toy which might help. Also, model NOT hitting to get something you want and have him practice at home.

Dont worry!

First talk to him about hitting- just keep in mind this is very common behavior for a two year old boy-
Then before you drop him off remind him that hitting is not nice - we had a deal a day without trouble= sticker
3 sticker= treat
5 sticker= later bedtime or movie or "pick night" for dinner
try it

Hi J.,

It doesn't sound like it's intentional, mostly just his age. Although it doesn't make it OK, it sounds like you're doing everything right. The biggest part will be to be consistent. Also, don't forget to reward him when you notice him doing something positive instead of hitting. This phase will pass soon :)

The other moms gave great advice. Children this age are still learning that actions can hurt and be annoying.

Dr. Sears has some great advice that can help, scroll down to 'bothersome behavior' to the hitting/biting section:

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/6/T060100.asp

Try some techniques and let your daycare provider know what helps so he can have consistency at both places.

Another suggestion = Buy the book "Hands Are Not For Hitting". For some reason my son loved this book and wanted me to read it to him often. We also talked about it with him at home and before play dates. It eventually sinks in. Repetition is key.