Is Your Child Hitting Other Children? Top 5 Tips to Stop This Negative Habit Now

Here is the question again, is your child hitting other children? I know it can be worrying to know that your child has this habit of hitting out. It was not too long ago my child did just that and boy was I worried. He is nearly 4 years now, but just before his third birthday, he hit another child at nursery. You can imagine the parents and nursery teachers were not too pleased. Something had to be done and through help I found ways to deal with this problem. Here are some tips that have worked for my son, you can use to stop your child hitting other children.

1. Explain to your child that 'we should not hit others'. It sounds obvious yes, but remember to explain in a way they will understand. Demonstrate what pain can feel like, and explain in a short one or two word. Small children and toddlers don't understand full vocabulary and their concentration levels are a matter of seconds so a full blown lecture will not work.
2. Give more attention to the victim child. By doing so, you are demonstrating to your child that hitting is most definitely wrong. Children crave attention, so by ignoring your child they will realise something is wrong.
3. Don't over react by shouting and dishing out in-proportionate punishments. Simple time outs and not reacting to their negative attitude will make them realise more about their actions.
4. Remember you are the parent and they are your child. You should teach them throughout their learning years to behave. Don't just rely on nurseries, schools and social groups your child participates in to teach basic behavior. If your child is hitting other children, be firm and strict and stick to a plan of action. I remember my son used to take full advantage of any un-decisiveness between my wife and I on what to do when he did wrong. Kids do that, they always look for loopholes.
5. Start using time outs. Time outs are a great way to let your child know they have done wrong.