My ten month old occasionally slap the face of the person who is holding him, as well as other children he might be playing with. We continually discourage this behavior by holding his hand, looking him in the eye and telling him "no", and showing him "gentle touch", but he continues to do this. I have also tried simply putting him down and walking away for a short time to let him know if he hits mommy I am not going to hold him, or removing him from the other babies if he is hitting them. Is there anything else I can do to stop this? Is this a normal phase?
Sometimes what I found with my 3 kids and this may seem kinda mean but sometimes it is the way they learn, gently hit him back. Like if they start biting, bite them back. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't
It is a pretty normal phase...my son is now 11 months and he went through the same thing...mostly with his sisters though. He likes their long hair (when he gets it in his hands)...whenever his cousin was over he would bully him..we continued to tell him no, and it was bad or mean...he very rarely does it anymore. Just keep doing what you are doing. It will pass!
Hi C.,
I think this is a normal phase and that you're doing the right thing! I wonder if there anyone else in his life who gives him positive feedback when he slaps them, such as a regular babysitter or a relative who laughs, smiles or otherwise gives mixed signals in response to slapping.
I've heard of one thing you could try - at home, can you show him the "gentle touch" on a stuffed animal and have him practice on it?
You sound like a great mom. Good luck!
JL
I have an 11 month old daughter who does the same thing. Unfortunately I made the mistake of laughing when she first starting doing it. I made a game out of it and acted like it really hurt and she would laugh so cute!! Now a month later...it is really starting to hurt and I am seeing how inappropriate it is. You've done good. Nip it in the bud!!!
