My 18 month old is violent?

Question

I have a little boy who is 18 months old & he's gotten really bad about hitting my older son, Logan, who is 3. He is hitting really hard, however, like leaving bruises & severe marks...I don't know what to do? Please help...

Also...I have tried time outs with him & it doesn't work; the second I set him in the corner he just stands up (whilce screaming his head off).

Answer 1

While I'm not quite as antimated as Mr Bugsme, I do not believe in sparing the belt. What would you do if he hit you as he does his brother? I think you might wear his tail out. I tend to agree his older brother should be allowed to take up for himself.

Answer 2

Is his name Chuckie?  Tell your husband that he needs to teach Logan how to punch Chuckie's face in.  Then, the next time Chuckie gets physical, Logan can handle it.  Seriously - it would be good for Chuckie to get a good *** whuppin.  Plus, Logan would learn how to stick up for himself.

Answer 3

My son (19 months) went through this for a while.  The best thing we did was to react emotionally to him hitting.  We (my wife and I) would pretend to cry and would ignore him for a few minutes while we did it.  Eventually, he decided he didn't like it when we cried and he stopped hitting.

Answer 4

My son loves to read and we read "Hands are not for Hitting" and talk about how to use our hands correctly.  

I personally think 18 months is a tough age, they can understand things but don't have the ability to express their emotions in a productive way.  We tried to give him words to work with what he's feeling -  like I know you are frustrated because you wanted that toy and gave him the space to have a tantrum (where he wasn't causing harm to himself or others) and told him to let us know when he was done and that he had a right to be upset.

We also give a ton of praise for when we catch him doing things well - for example if he gives gentle touches or hugs, we say how nice it is or even if he's playing with a toy well etc.  I think positive reinforcement goes a long way.

I would also suggest talking to his pediatrician as causing harm to others or to himself can be a sign of something else going on.  I'm sure it is nothing, but worth mentioning.