What to Do When You Feel Like Hitting: A No Hitting Book for Toddlers (Big Feelings Books for Toddlers)

I truly liked this book for our son when he was 3 years old. It was done very simple and to the point. It allowed you as a parent to add on if you wanted and to talk about the pages. This was a very helpful book in our house.

A little backstory - my son hits. It’s not like aggressive but he is 19 months and tends to use his hands when he is frustrated. That being said I am genuinely impressed with this book. It seems long but it’s not. It’s a good length but my toddler was able to sit through the whole thing. It has plenty of pictures for each coping skill, making it one skill per page. My son seemed to really be paying attention and absorbing the book. The author did well putting things in simpler terms while also continuing to repeat why hitting is bad. The author describes many different ways why hitting hurts, makes people sad, hurts them physically and mentally. It’s all inclusive, different kids that all look different. That was a bonus for me. I love books who acknowledge us all. It teaches our children to do the same. Pages are sturdy, they are paper not that waxy laminated material. But they’re thick and the book is structured well. Books are such an important part of children’s development and vocabulary. My son has learned a whole new vocabulary. This book has helped him put faces, pictures to his feelings. It has made those feelings real and seen. Sign me up for all the books like this!

Great way of writing. Inclusive. No one in this book is having to always use words to help themselves that I often find in other children’s books that have to do with emotions. This one shows many ways to communicate and illustrates it well too. Happy to see sign language in there for those children that sometimes go nonverbal. Thank you author and illustrator.

Cute book that my two and a half year old will reach for every now and then. She'll try mimicking what they're doing, like clenching her fists and blowing bubbles, while she reads it. However, she doesn't really use the techniques when she is mad and just telling her "we don't hit when we're mad" and "we don't hit our friends/mama/daddy/etc" has been more effective. But maybe when she's older this will help if she starts hitting again.

This book has been such a wonderful tool for helping my toddler understand big feelings. The story explains hitting in a way little kids can understand without being scary or too complicated. I love how it gives alternatives—like using words or safe activities—instead of hitting. It’s colorful, engaging, and keeps my child’s attention, which is a win!

Great book for toddlers or older! I bought this for my 2.5 y.o. and she would request me to read it every night. She would demonstrate some of the techniques described in the book at her own voilition, which was awesome because it showed that a couple methods were 'sticking.' The next step was trying to help her to perform the technique when needed....like when wanting to hit her brother, which is a bit more challenging! The illustrations are beautiful, large, and colorful. There's one sentence that I think is confusing for little ones to comprehend, such as the breathing method you'd use when blowing bubbles or a pinwheel. I wish there was an "as if" in there so it's taken less literally. However, the flow of the book is nice. It goes through situations which might occur, how you might feel, and then the techniques. Love the page that summarizes all the techniques and the 6 strategies in the back for parents. The pages are a slightly thicker than most paperbacks for kids - more durable for sure, which I appreciate. It's written by a child psychologist, so you know it's going to be a book of quality!

My 2 year old is in a hitting phase and it’s exhausting. We have the Hands are Not for Hitting book, but that one is too simple/basic and not super helpful. This one goes a bit deeper with practice exercises for calming down, and he enjoys doing them with me when we read the book!

Cute book and my kid was engaged in reading it nice illustrations

Great book for kids to teach big emotions.

Theses are great little books.

Our little one often chooses this book at story time. There are practical suggestions for helping process strong feelings. Overall a very helpful and engaging book for dealing with emerging aggressive behaviour.

Great product. Great read for children.

very useful and informative book