Hello!

My almost 2 year old has just started slapping people. Needing ideas on how to get her to stop. She knows the word no, but everytime we tell her no she’s giggles and does it again.


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  • Get down on their level
    Look them in the eye
    Say in a calm, neutral voice, “It’s OK to be mad/frustrated/upset; it’s not OK to hit” (validating emotions)
    Show empathy
    Take note of which situations lead your child to hit others, and try to preempt them. Do they strike when they’re tired or hungry, when they’re feeling crowded, or when they have to leave a friend’s house? These are common triggers for kids.
    Sidestep them with a little pre-planning: Make sure your toddler takes regular naps, keep snacks at the ready, and prepare them for transitions. Get creative when you plan ahead, too: If they lash out because they always want their playmate’s favorite toy, for example, ask if they can put the toy in question away before the next playdate.


  • We are the same 2.9 months and finally out of that faze


  • oh dear..time out!
    2 minutes on a specific spot..If she slaps you.
    respond firmly.
    that hurts!
    its not ok. slapping hurts.


  • If you see him , take his hand away and say NO to hitting . but do it all the time with consistency and soon he will get the message . May not be straight away , but he will learn .


  • Totally normal. Trust me, I’ve done a LOT of research and asked a LOT of professionals because my son is doing the same. The advice I’ve received is to have a consistent approach and continually remind them that hands are not for hitting. Not that my son is understanding more of what I say I also warn him that if he continues hitting then we will have to go home. Just be sure to follow through in the threat.
    We’re still in the dreaded hitting stage but hopefully my consistency will pay off in the near future.


  • Keep being persistent and hopefully she stops


  • i would start on trying a naughty mat/corner she will start to understand that its not ok,you will have to be persistent though.


  • you need her to understand that it hurts! Ask her how she would feel? if it would hurt her! I sometimes tell my kids that santa know when they have been good or bad LOL and it works!


  • When this happened to me with my little boy I would pretend to cry and tell him that i was so sad and to leave me alone and it worked as he no longer thought it was a fun game.


  • I don’t agree to slapping back – they do learn by imitation after all and if you don’t want her to do it then why do it yourself. Put her in the naughty corner every time she slaps and tell her why. She will learn eventually.


  • My mother in law said my husband went through the same thing at 2 and she would cry when taking him to mothers group because not only would he hit but he would bite other children also. The paed told her that it was that he was having trouble trying to communicate and he was doing more out of frustration. She was encouraged to keep going to mothers group and every time he slapped or hit she had to remove him from the situation and tell he he couldn’t play if he was doing that. He soon learnt he had to speak instead of hitting or biting and grew out of it. I laugh about it now because my husband is the kindest, sweetest person and I could never picture him acting like that lol. It will be interesting to see if our daughter does the same thing at that age


  • slap her back on the hand and tell her no


  • I think it may just be a phase, kids like to push the limits, they dont know any better, just be firm and consistent!


  • create a little notty corner?


  • there are some good comments here


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