How can I get my 11 month old baby boy to stop slapping me and everyone else in the face. He thinks it's so funny and will not stop. Sometimes I get scared of the little monster's arms when they go swinging because his punches can hurt. I think it all started when my son was younger he would reach for my nose, and then I would say, "HONK!" He would laugh so hard, so I kept doing it, but I'm afraid I started something I can't fix. I hate to raise my voice all the time, and slap him on the hand, and tell him NO! constantly because it's not working. Any ideas to properly train him to stop? Thanks!!!
M.,
What I did with my kids, and now with my grand daughter is after they do ANYTHING towards or around my face with ANY kind of aggression, I gently grab their hands, then gently rub their hands on my face while I calmly say, "Gentle, gentle". It is a positive reinforcement that seems to work wonders!
E.
Hey..it's K.. I would advise when he starts to raise his hands to "slap" you in the face grabs them and play "hi five" with him instead. Turn his attention to something else and maybe eventually he will stop. Good Luck!
Mine did this, so I understand how you feel like you created a monster. We were able to stop it pretty quickly once we all got consistent. Every time he would do it, we would calmly and firmly say no, no hitting, and set him directly on the ground, and walk away for a minute. He got the idea really fast that it didn't produce the desired result. We were also very careful from that point not to play any games that could look like hitting to him. Good luck!
I don't think its anything you've done. I think that it is just boys. They can be rough bullies one minute and sweet and loving the next. My 14 month old has been going through the same thing. He slaps in the face if I pick him up when he doesn't want to be picked up, pulls his sisters hair, and acts like he is going to bite. We have tried several things and just recently started using a 1 minute timeout for him. When he does these things my husband and I very firmly tell him "No we don't hit, hitting hurts Mommy" and take him to his crib (I was reluctant to use his crib as a timeout place but he wouldn't stay anywhere else and at least so far it hasn't affected his sleeping in the crib). During that 1 minute he really cries, which of course breaks your heart, but it has been working better than anything else for us. Then after I go get him I hold him while he settles down and repeat why he had to go to timeout and what our rules are. Now when he starts to pull his sisters hair I say "No we don't pull hair" and if he still acts like he is going to I say "Do you need a timeout" and he will stop and move on. Good luck.
My son used to do the same thing. What my husband and I used to do every time he hit was put his arms down at his side and say "no hit" "it hurts Mommy/Daddy" over and over again until he would get pretty frustrated. He hated having his arms restricted. It took a little bit of time, but he did end up stopping. Don't know if this will work for you, but good luck!
A.
SAHM of an almost two year old wonderful son. Married to a wonderful husband.
Definitely agree with what everyone else is saying, but it really isn't necessary to put them in their crib for their "time out" - even though they don't have a negative association with it now, they certainly could soon.
When DS hits you or someone else in the face, he must be put down immediately, saying something like "Mama doesn't like it when you hit" - but in your normal tone of voice. Distance yourself from DS for 30 seconds to a minute, and then come back and say again "Mama doesn't like it when you it. It's not ok to hit" and then explain to him that soft touches/gentle touches/whatever are ok, and guide his hand on your arm, face, whatever to show him how you would like him to touch you. - This will not work immediately, but if you are consistant with him every time it happens, it shouldn't take long for him to catch on.
Raising your voice and slapping him on the hand is not necessary to stop his behavior, just some gentle guidance. Toddlerhood can be tough, but it is such a great age as well.
I agree with "soft hands," but after you put him down and walk away. Mine is the same age and doing the same thing, We say "NO HIT", put him down and walk away for 10-15 seconds. Then we pick him up and say "soft hands" while gently touching our face, or the dog or anything else he should be gentle with. Dont use to big of words or too many silables they don't listen after about two that's why "no hit" as opposed to "no hitting" and "soft hands" vs. "gentle, gentle" Good Luck we are in the same boat with progress going on.
OK it might sound harsh for a 11 month old BUT I would give a little time out in a crib or pack n play. I would say "no hit and if you do it again you getting a time out" and if he hits put him in the crib/pack n play for a minute. Do this EVERY time he hits and your problem will be solved. I started small time outs with both of my boys when they became mobile (crawling) enough to get into things they shouldn't. They catch on quite quickly and it helps to set up time outs in the future, especially if your consistent. Hitting/kicking/throwing is a big no no in our house and is something that is not tolerated at all.
Best,
C.
