How can I stop my 2 year old from hitting other people?

Hi I need help my 2 year old son when we went to the dentist kept hitting the dental hygenist she wasnt very understanding even though i corrected my son for his bad behavior she didnt realize he was only 2 since he towers over most 4 year olds i had to tell her and he wasnt the one being seen my daughter his twin was and the hygenist seemed to pay more attention to my son then her,but anyway


I was angry and embaressed I spank ,talk to and give the time out it all depends on the problem of which punishment is needed so is there anyone who can give me advice to stop this so it doesnt happen again?


oh and there was no option for a baby sitter I had 2 people lined up and they both called at the last minute and said they couldnt

How can I stop my 2 year old from hitting other people?
DEAR REEDY WE HAVE ALL BEEN THERE BY ALL I MEAN ACTUAL PARENTS OF CHIDREN... MY BEST ADVICE TO YOU IS LOVE YOUR CHILDREN DON'T BE EMBARESSED BY THEM.. YOU DIDN'T DO IT THEY DID THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THERE OWN BEHAVIOR BABY'S LIKE YOUR SON NEED TO BE KEPT OCCUPIED ALL THE TIME NO1. TAKE YOUR STROLLER INTO THE DOCTORS OR DENTIST WITH YOU TAKE SNACKS SMALL TOYS ANYTHING TO KEEP HIM OCCUPIED OH YES AND I KNOW SOME OFFICES SAY NO SNACKS!!!!!!! THOSE ARE THE OFFICES I WOULD TURN MY SON LOSE IN....LOL I NO HOW FRUSTRAED YOU ARE BUT REMEMBER THEY ARE ONLY SMALL FOR SUCH A SHORT TIME. THESE ARE YOUR MEMORIES... YOU MAY CRY NOW!! BUT LATER ITS ALL YOU HAVE .. YOU MUST HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR OR YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS BEING A PARENT.... DISAPLINE WITH LOVE A FIRM HAND AND ABOVE ALL ELSE CONSISTINCY REMBER NO MEANS NO !
Reply:is terrible 2 talk to him and give time out when he hit somebody
Reply:take him to see a doctor.
Reply:Very good question! My two year old son hits a lot too. He also has been doing 'kung fu' at his friends for quite some time. I'm not sure where he picked it up, but it's scares them and they cry. This is what we are doing about it (it seems to have slowed him down a bit.)





Any time he hits (or pretends to be hitting) another living being he goes into a time out. He must sit in the corner for two minutes. At home I have a hand towel that is his designated 'naughty place', but at preschool he just sits in a corner. We pretend to ignore him, but if he scoots off his 'naughty place' then we put him back and the two minutes starts over. When he has successfully sat still for two minutes I tell him he did a good job and then we hug and talk about being kind and loving.





Some kids don't understand the reason for time outs until they are three, but he is two and a half and gets it.





At home he has things he is allowed to hit (inflatable toy punching bag, etc) and kick, but at preschool hitting is just unacceptable, as there are twelve other twos in his classroom.





Of course, the best way to stop kids from hitting is to notice when they are most likely to behave badly and keep them out of that environment. Some kids spaz out with sugar and stuff like that. My son is insufferable when he doesn't get enough sleep. So I put him to bed early enough to get nine hours at night and he naps for about 2 hours every day. (Most kids need 12 to 14 hours of sleep, but he will only sleep that much if he is sick.)





I am going to star this question and check back to look at the other answers.
Reply:By hitting him, you're teaching him that hitting people is appropriate.





Stop hitting him.





Give him time-outs.





Just keep at it. It will take time.





Once he hit the hygenist, you should have kept him away from her.
Reply:stop spanking him you are teaching him it is OK to hit other. try time out or talking to him and explaining what he is doing is wrong and how it makes him feel when someone hits him.
Reply:Why should she be understanding when she has a giant 2 year old hitting her while his mother stares on and doesn't do anything? I would be infuriated as well.





Why don't you try a little discipline and get that kid under control.
Reply:I have a two year old son who has started hitting too. One peice of advice I have is that spanking isn't going to work. I caught myself doing that once with my son, and realized that spanking him was just teaching him that the behavior he was exhibiting was OK. And it's not okay.





I believe that time out is the way to go. I also take my son by the hands and say to him "Hitting is not okay. Do you want [soandso] to get an owie? Hitting causes owies." Sometimes it works, and sometimes not. But when I put into perspective for him that he's hurting someone, I think it helps him realize that it isn't okay to do what he's doing.





2yr olds are at the age where they are all action, never thinking of the consequences of their behavior. Consistence is key. Anyone who tells you to just get a hold of your child doesn't obviously have any children of their own, and has no right to comment on something they know nothing about. Obviously you are concerned, otherwise you wouldn't have sought out help. Just be consistent with him that is my best advice.