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Dorothy Robson and Sean Smith first noticed their three-year-old son, Sebastian, was hitting other kids when he was a year and a half. ?At first, we would redirect him and say, ?You can?t hit. This is a gentle touch,?? says Robson. ?But as he gets older, we talk to him about it. We ask him why he?s hitting and whether or not he thinks it?s OK behaviour,? she says. ?He?ll apologize and say, ?I won?t hit again,? and then he does!?
Sound familiar" Then read on to find out why kids hit, how to help them stop, and when you might need some help.
TODDLERS (1 to 2)

Hitting, kicking and biting are all normal behaviour for kids in this age group, say Richard Tremblay, the director of the Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development in Montreal, and Joan Durrant, a psychologist and professor of family social sciences at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. ?We?re born being able to attack and defend,? says Tremblay. ?But it?s during childhood that we learn not to use physical aggression.? To get there, says Durrant, parents and caregivers need to teach kids to inhibit this natural impulse to hit when they?re upset.
With young toddlers, one way to teach them not to hit is to demonstrate gentle touch. ?If Sebastian wasn?t angry or upset, but just hitting to hit, we?d say, ?Ouch, that hurt me. Can you show me a gentle touch"?? says Robson. ?We?d gently stroke his head or arm or wherever he had hit us. Usually this would result in him repeating the...