The 14 Month Old Hitter

[PolkaTots]

Out of the 6 children in my care, none of them are aggressive. No hitting, no biting, basically really good children...except for the youngest. My group ranges from 14m-4. The 14m old constantly walks around smacking children in the face or back of the head with his hand or toy...for no reason. He just likes to hit and throw toys. They could be sitting on the floor reading or playing quietly and the 14m will walk up behind them and whack them in the head with a toy car, leaving the child crying. No matter how much I remove and redirect, tell him no hit, it doesn't stop. He even does it to his parents right in the face, hard, and they say NO real stern and the child ends up in a melt down hitting even more. He has even hit me several times, if I am just sitting on the floor, or take a toy away, or am trying to clean him from his meal. This is something that happens dozens of times in a day, and I am not really sure what to do to stop it. I've had several conversations with the parents about this...it really began around 9 months when he began walking, and has continued to increase in frequency. They said the doctor thought it was a phase he would grow out of in the next month or two...this was said over the summer. This is a good child otherwise...but this hitting stuff is getting real old

What would you do about this situation?

[cheerfuldom]

Out of the 6 children in my care, none of them are aggressive. No hitting, no biting, basically really good children...except for the youngest. My group ranges from 14m-4. The 14m old constantly walks around smacking children in the face or back of the head with his hand or toy...for no reason. He just likes to hit and throw toys. They could be sitting on the floor reading or playing quietly and the 14m will walk up behind them and whack them in the head with a toy car, leaving the child crying. No matter how much I remove and redirect, tell him no hit, it doesn't stop. He even does it to his parents right in the face, hard, and they say NO real stern and the child ends up in a melt down hitting even more. He has even hit me several times, if I am just sitting on the floor, or take a toy away, or am trying to clean him from his meal. This is something that happens dozens of times in a day, and I am not really sure what to do to stop it. I've had several conversations with the parents about this...it really began around 9 months when he began walking, and has continued to increase in frequency. They said the doctor thought it was a phase he would grow out of in the next month or two...this was said over the summer. This is a good child otherwise...but this hitting stuff is getting real old

What would you do about this situation?

same with biting...I would make a space for just him that he cant get out of. He is in that space if I cannot be right there shadowing him at all times. If you cant do that, he needs to go before someone gets really hurt.

[daycarediva]

same with biting...I would make a space for just him that he cant get out of. He is in that space if I cannot be right there shadowing him at all times. If you cant do that, he needs to go before someone gets really hurt.

absolutely! I had an 18m that would get excited and swat kids and/or throw toys. Walk by, wave arms, someone would get swatted or the toy would 'fall'. I did everything I could to stop it, just as you have done. I lost a client when the 18mo gave a dcg a BLACK EYE. I was RIGHT THERE. (well I ended up losing two clients as I termed the 18mo as well)

[PolkaTots]

In my contract I say a child that hits me out of agression will be termed as I will no way no how allow a child to disrespect me like that. I just don't know how to draw the line with this one. As I see the hitting begining to increase in instances, it is now beginning to happen out of aggression. Mad he can't have a toy, mad I am cleaning him up, mad I am changing him. Yesterday he wacked one of my school agers in the back of the head for absolutely no reason other than she was sitting in his way, that she began to cry.