Hi everyone,
I am a first-time mom and I am struggling with my toddler's aggression towards other children. My son is 2 years old and he often hits, pushes and bites other children during playtime. I am really concerned as this behavior could harm other children and I don't want my son to be known as the bully.
I have tried to talk to him about how he should behave with other children and the importance of being kind, but it seems like he doesn't understand what I am saying. I have also tried timeouts and taking away toys as a consequence, but it doesn't seem to be helping.
I am at a loss and I need some guidance on how I can handle this behavior. Has anyone gone through a similar situation with their toddler? What worked for you? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance.

Hello everyone,
I can understand the distress that comes with having a toddler who is aggressive towards other children. My daughter was also quite aggressive towards her peers when she was a toddler.
What I found helpful in managing her behavior was being vigilant and watching out for triggers. I found that my daughter tended to get aggressive when she was feeling overwhelmed or tired. So, I made sure to schedule playtime when she was well-rested and not already overstimulated.
I also tried to find activities that would help to burn off her energy in a positive way, like outdoor play or dance classes. Additionally, I found that playdates with just one or two other children worked better than larger groups where she may have become over-stimulated.
In dealing with the aggression itself, I found that modeling the behavior I wanted to see worked well. Whenever my daughter was playing nicely with another child, I made sure to praise her and reinforce that positive behavior. I also talked to her about why hitting and pushing were not acceptable behaviors.
Overall, I found that it took time and patience to manage my daughter's aggression towards other children, but with consistency and a proactive approach, we were able to move past that stage.
Hope this helps!