21 Month Old Spitting

BOTH of mine (son AND daughter) went through this at about that age. It's like a lot of other toddler behavior -- it's a new "skill" and he'll do it til he's worn it out, unfortunately. But, your response to it should be consistent, so he'll wear it out sooner! Spanking probably isn't necessary, but I would certainly take his drink away as soon as he does it. Just don't "give in" and give it back to him until his next meal/snack time. So, if you serve him breakfast and he spits his first sip of milk, take the cup away and say "No spitting, I'll put your milk away til later." Put it in the fridge. If he throws a fit about not having milk, just calmly remind him that he shouldn't spit his drink and reassure him that he'll get it at the next meal. He may even be too ticked off to eat his breakfast. That's fine too. Remove him from the table/high chair and breakfast is over. It's likely that lunch could go the same way too, but there's a good chance dinner will be peaceful and spit-free. If he's really strong-willed (like my first child!) you could have a whole day of it, but 2-yr-olds can't hold out long. They fall into line pretty quickly once you stick to your guns!

Just remember that he's like a little scientist and it's his job to test ANY boundary. If the boundary is firm, he'll give up and leave it alone (and look for a new boundary to test...). If the boundary wiggles AT ALL, he'll keep pushing it.

My 21 month old is doing that too, but not like yours does. He only does it when he watches his older brother do that, like when he is brushing his teeth or in the bathtub. When he sees that i tell my oldest to stop he usually does too. I tell him thats "nasty" or "no, no, spitting". I'm sorry that he's doing that to other kids, but thats actually better than some of the kids do, at least the ones I've seen. I think I rather have spit then biting and bringing blood. Where are you from? Our kids are around the same age.

Well I'm going to keep and eye on this one because my son is 14 months old and only spits every once in awhile. But if it becomes habitual I'll be in your shoes. You have handled him in every way I would have. I ignore the behavior for the most part and hand him a toy. I really don't know what to tell you... GOOD LUCK

I have a 1 1/2 year old too and he had the spitting habit, mainly because my husband dips. I know how frustrating it can be to clean the messes and to avoid spitting on the other children, but the only I was able to break the habit was for his Dad and I to set him down and explain that spitting is for outside only. It took a while, ( about a month as he was also 21 months at the time that it started), but he is now 22 months and he still does it when he's irritated, tired or is wet( we are working that):) I hope my advice has been helpful. It's the only thing I knew to do since time outs, spanking and taking it away didn't work either. Good Luck!