How to Discipline a Toddler Who Hits

Frustrated because your child won’t stop hitting others, especially you? Learn exactly how to discipline a toddler who hits, all without losing your cool.

I was that mom at the park, the mom who practically had to wrestle with her toddler’s flailing arms because he was throwing a fit. Apparently it wasn’t cool that I was pushing his brother on the swing while I left him on his own—and it was enough to drive him to start hitting me.

With three boys, he was the only one who truly took to hitting. Usually he’d hit when he was throwing tantrums, and only toward certain people (ahem: me).

Using words wasn’t the issue, either—he was completely verbal and could speak in clear sentences. This was no toddler who only knew a handful of words, yet he resorted to hitting to express frustration.

And other times, it felt like he was hitting others for no reason, or for simple things that didn’t warrant that kind of reaction. It was enough to drive me crazy, especially when I felt like I had tried everything to stop him from hitting.

How to discipline a toddler who hits

If you can relate, rest assured you’re not alone. Better yet, this story has a happy ending.

Perhaps you’ve tried talking to your toddler, explaining “we don’t hit,” only to have your words fall on deaf ears. Or maybe you’ve put him in time out, tinkering with how long is long enough for him to get the lesson.

But no matter what you try, he goes right back to hitting—whether it’s other kids, caregivers, or his parents. Not only are you worried because nothing calms him down, but his behavior seems to be escalating. You wonder, Is it just a phase? Am I being too lenient? What if I snap and… hit him back?

You see, I learned that however effective it is to talk to your toddler about hitting, sometimes it’s not enough and—more important—we don’t do it at the right time. I’ve also learned that isolating toddlers such as by putting them in time out only worsens the problem.

Instead, I relied on these several tactics to truly get to the bottom of the issue. It’s not just about getting your toddler to stop hitting, but to replace it with healthier ways to communicate. And it’s not about getting sucked into the emotional drain of it all, but to truly see the role you must play as the parent.

Fellow mom Jessika Graff shared on Facebook her own success after applying these tips:

“I have to tell you that I have not been hit in over a week since reading and applying your tips. Again, your blog is my parenting angel and I’m so grateful for all that you’re doing for us moms.”

If you’re wondering how to discipline a toddler who hits, you’re in the right place. Give these tips a try, and I’m certain you’ll also see a difference in your child’s behavior:

1. Don’t talk or teach just yet

How often have we seen our toddlers hit and immediately launch into all the reasons why “we don’t hit”? Meanwhile, they’re flailing their arms, tugging our hair, and otherwise far too upset to even hear a word of what we’re saying.

Sometimes we go about it backward. We explain all the reasons we don’t hit or better ways to communicate when none of that is even getting through to our kids. These are all important lessons we need to teach, except there’s a problem.

You see, at that very moment, your toddler is operating from his right brain, the emotional side—not his left brain, the logical one. And since words fall on the left side of the brain, he simply can’t process or make sense of anything you say.

Instead, connect with his right brain, the emotional side. Focus on calming him down first, before you discipline or explain. Rely on non-verbal communication: body language, tone of voice, facial expression, and general energy you’re exuding.

Only once he has calmed down will he then be in a better place to learn about appropriate behavior. Otherwise, you’re simply wasting the opportunity to teach when you’re trying to do so during one of his fits.

Free resource: Are your current discipline methods just not cutting it with your toddler? Learn 9 out-of-the-box parenting strategies that will help you deal with these challenging behaviors.

Imagine transforming your relationship with your child, using just the tips you’ll learn right here. Join over 27,000 parents who’ve signed up for my newsletter and download your PDF below—at no cost to you:

2. Focus on your response, not your toddler’s behavior

When we think of toddlers hitting, our first reaction is to correct the behavior. After all, we can plainly see that hitting is inappropriate, no matter how valid their frustration may be. So we focus on stopping the behavior—the quicker, the better.

Except there’s one problem here: we forget to examine our own reactions.

You see, I truly believe that parenting is more about the parent, not the child. When we focus on the child’s behavior, we tend to do so at the expense of forgetting to examine our own. After all, how often have we felt anxious, said a hurtful comment, or yanked their arm to get them to stop hitting?

These may seem like natural reactions, and that’s because they are. They are your subconscious habits at play, simply reacting to the situation. But they sure don’t make for a good example to our kids, much less encourage them to calm down and stop hitting.

Instead, focus on your response first before taking any action. Lean into compassion. Be a safe, welcoming space for your toddler. Help him feel understood—that you know why he feels the way he does.

As I say in my parenting workshop, How to Get Your Child to Listen:

“Compassion doesn’t mean being ‘soft’ on your child. Being ‘soft’ or enabling the behavior means letting her continue talking rudely to you, or allowing her to keep hitting her brother. That’s being soft and permissive.”

This isn’t your typical parenting advice, but I promise that the calmer you get, the quicker your toddler will calm down as well.

3. Have zero tolerance for hitting

Recently, I overheard a mom tell her son, “Oh, don’t hit her, honey…” in response to him hitting his baby sister. Her tone of voice made me think that this wasn’t the first time it had happened and, given the casual way she’d told him not to hit, it likely wouldn’t be the last.

In order for hitting to stop, you must have zero tolerance for it. On the one hand, you don’t want to overreact with anger or anxiety. But on the other hand, you can only expect your toddler to stop hitting if you make it clear it’s absolutely not allowed.

The mom in this instance did a good job with staying calm, but we also need to communicate that a line is crossed when kids hit others.

How can you communicate this without overreacting or being mean?

• Remove your toddler from the situation
• Look him in the eye as you communicate
• Constrain his arms with compassion
• Don’t take it personally (yes, even if he laughs)
• Say, “I won’t let you hit… (me/your sister/another person/the dog, etc.)”

You see, we teach people how to treat us. This is especially apparent if you find that your toddler tends to hit you but not, say, your spouse. He has somehow learned that it’s okay to hit certain people but not others.

When you have zero tolerance for hitting, he’ll come to understand that no matter how frustrated he gets, there is always another way to communicate that emotion rather than through hitting.

Get more tips about how to stop your child from hitting.

4. Label (and encourage) all feelings

It’s easy to assume that your toddler wants to hit, especially when he’s clearly verbal and can communicate well. But there’s a difference between being able to logically speak in sentences, and being able to emotionally identify overwhelming feelings.

In other words, just because your toddler can speak in complete sentences doesn’t mean he’s equipped to process how he feels. (I’m sure there are adults who still struggle with their emotions until now!)

How can you combat this? Begin labeling all his feelings. Catch him in whatever moment he may feel, and simply put a word to it. You might say:

• “You’re so happy you won the prize!”
• “You feel sad you can’t find your lovey, aren’t you?”
• “It’s okay to feel mad about having to leave.”
• “Everyone feels disappointed, too.”

Not only should you label emotions, you should also encourage all of them. What do I mean by this? For one thing, don’t withhold your affection or attention because your toddler is upset or having a bad day. Always make sure he knows you’re there, no matter how he feels or behaves.

5. Don’t rush your child out of his feelings

In an ideal world, we always feel happy and content. But difficult feelings like sadness, anger and anxiety will come and go. We can’t force kids to hurry up from feeling sad just as we wouldn’t others to do that to us.

Don’t rush him through challenging emotions. For instance, instead of trying to distract or cheer him up as quickly as possible, let him feel sadness in all its entirety. Not only will he know that it’s normal to feel sad, he’ll also get to experience how it comes and goes on its own.

Get more tips about dealing with your child’s sadness.

6. Praise your toddler for choosing better ways

One of the best ways to stop challenging behavior is to simply praise positive ones. Except for most of us, we think that the opposite of hitting is a child calmly using her words and treating others kindly. In other words, the opposite extreme of hitting.

But what if, instead of hitting, your toddler restrained herself and yelled, “I’m mad!”

While yelling isn’t the ideal way to express frustration, she made a huge leap by yelling rather than hitting. Unfortunately, most of us overlook that huge step, and instead focus now on why she shouldn’t yell.

Instead, praise her (once she’s calm) for that simple switch. Don’t expect a complete change—even incremental steps deserve praise.

Conclusion

Learning how to discipline a toddler who hits is a challenge even for the most patient mom. It’s especially difficult when nothing seems to work, or worse, his behavior is escalating.

Don’t lose hope. Apply the tips you learned here, starting with focusing on your behavior first, rather than on your toddler’s. The calmer and more intentional you are, the calmer he will be as well.

Then, focus next on calming him down, rather than talking or teaching just yet. The lessons will come later—once he’s calmed down enough to even be receptive to what you have to say.

Have zero tolerance for hitting, including teaching him how to treat you. Being casual about hitting only reinforces the idea that it’s okay to do so. You’ll also want to label all his emotions, so that he can begin to use words as well as know that these feelings are normal.

And finally, praise your toddler’s positive behavior, even if they’re incremental steps rather than the ideal situation. He’ll know he’s on the right track, and will be better motivated to behave in similar ways in the future.

I’m happy to report that hitting is no longer a major problem in our family as it once had been. My boys almost always use their words far more than throwing a fit or hitting others—yup, even if I have to alternate pushing them on the swings.

Get more tips:

• Unique Ways to Meet the Emotional Needs of Your Child
• Consequences for Kids That Actually Work
• 5 Unusual Ways to Deal with a Defiant 3 Year Old
• What to Do when You’re Dealing with 1 Year Old Tantrums Already
• Do You Make These Common Mistakes with Your Toddler Twins?

Are your current discipline methods just not cutting it with your toddler? Learn 9 out-of-the-box parenting strategies that will help you deal with these challenging behaviors.

Imagine transforming your relationship with your child, using just the tips you’ll learn right here. Join over 27,000 parents who’ve signed up for my newsletter and download your PDF below—at no cost to you: