Comments on: Help! How Can I Stop My Toddler from Whacking our Pets?! http://babyshrink.com/2008/11/help-how-can-i-get-my-toddler-to-stop-whacking-our-pets.html Child and parent development by licensed psychologist, Dr. Heather. Thu, 10 May 2012 19:00:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: LorieD http://babyshrink.com/2008/11/help-how-can-i-get-my-toddler-to-stop-whacking-our-pets.html/comment-page-1#comment-2779 LorieD Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:13:16 +0000 http://babyshrink.com/?p=121#comment-2779 We weathered the hitting phase with the use of "gentle" too. We'd take her hand and press it to her cheek 0 - then gently pet it, saying "Gentle!". All I have to say now is "Gentle" from across a room and she'll stop what she's doing and gently pet her face! We weathered the hitting phase with the use of “gentle” too. We’d take her hand and press it to her cheek 0 – then gently pet it, saying “Gentle!”.

All I have to say now is “Gentle” from across a room and she’ll stop what she’s doing and gently pet her face!

]]> By: patricia http://babyshrink.com/2008/11/help-how-can-i-get-my-toddler-to-stop-whacking-our-pets.html/comment-page-1#comment-2778 patricia Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:04:48 +0000 http://babyshrink.com/?p=121#comment-2778 We have had extremely good results with phyiscally taking our daughter's hand and petting the cats gently with it, while saying "Gentle" or "Pat pat." I don't know if it will work for all kids, but our girl never seemed to pick up the urge to whack them. She'll still occasionally try to sit on them, but she's so conditioned now that saying, "Gentle!" to her from across the room will make her stop trying to squoosh the cat and start petting it. We have had extremely good results with phyiscally taking our daughter’s hand and petting the cats gently with it, while saying “Gentle” or “Pat pat.” I don’t know if it will work for all kids, but our girl never seemed to pick up the urge to whack them. She’ll still occasionally try to sit on them, but she’s so conditioned now that saying, “Gentle!” to her from across the room will make her stop trying to squoosh the cat and start petting it.

]]> By: Rachel http://babyshrink.com/2008/11/help-how-can-i-get-my-toddler-to-stop-whacking-our-pets.html/comment-page-1#comment-2777 Rachel Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:58:43 +0000 http://babyshrink.com/?p=121#comment-2777 We have 3 cats, and my son is almost 4 and still goes through this stage. We made a "safe haven" for our cats by installing a cat door on the door to the basement and keeping the basement door locked. My son now just runs up to the (escaping) cats and says "I want to pet you! I'll be gentle!". Not a chance - the cats have broken the land speed record by the time he finishes his sentence. My daughter has finally stopped trying to eat the cats as well. She's almost 2. It's a toss-up whether or not the cats will survive the toddler years. I give us even odds as well. But that's another article, oh Dr. Baby Shrink! :-D We have 3 cats, and my son is almost 4 and still goes through this stage. We made a “safe haven” for our cats by installing a cat door on the door to the basement and keeping the basement door locked. My son now just runs up to the (escaping) cats and says “I want to pet you! I’ll be gentle!”. Not a chance – the cats have broken the land speed record by the time he finishes his sentence.
My daughter has finally stopped trying to eat the cats as well. She’s almost 2.
It’s a toss-up whether or not the cats will survive the toddler years. I give us even odds as well. But that’s another article, oh Dr. Baby Shrink! :-D

]]> By: LL http://babyshrink.com/2008/11/help-how-can-i-get-my-toddler-to-stop-whacking-our-pets.html/comment-page-1#comment-2776 LL Sat, 08 Nov 2008 18:46:28 +0000 http://babyshrink.com/?p=121#comment-2776 I so remember this time in my children's lives. It reminds me of that cartoon where the little girl has some kind of animal in a death grip around the neck and she says, "I'll love him and hug him and squeeze him and call him George!" lol I so remember this time in my children’s lives. It reminds me of that cartoon where the little girl has some kind of animal in a death grip around the neck and she says, “I’ll love him and hug him and squeeze him and call him George!” lol

]]>