Hands Are Not for Hitting (Board Book) (Best Behavior Series)

Like most mamas, we experience hitting. My 2 year old boy has been hitting to get attention, especially since we brought home our newest addition, his baby brother. Now, we have something to refer to that we can call out when he does hit instead of just yelling at him. The book has been very helpful and we read it every night!

This book has been a lifesaver in teaching my toddler that hands are for things like hugging and helping—not smacking, swatting, or auditioning for toddler fight club. The Best Behavior series nails it again with simple words and pictures that somehow cut through the chaos and keep my kid engaged.The format is genius: start with what hands are for (“helping mommy clean up the million toys you dumped out”), then explain what they’re not for (“hitting mom because she dared to say no to a third snack”). It’s clear, gentle, and exactly what we needed to curb the tiny tornado of hands flying at inappropriate moments.We’ve even started using the book’s format in everyday life. “What are hands for?” gets a thoughtful response, while “What are they NOT for?” earns a little head tilt like they’re really pondering their choices. Anytime there’s a slip-up, out comes the book, and it’s like a magical toddler reboot.If your kid is testing the boundaries of what hands can do (spoiler: it’s not hitting), this book is a must-have. It’s effective and has definitely made our house a more peaceful place.

The media could not be loaded. Purchased for my toddler when she was turning 2 to help her understand about hitting and what things our hands can do. Loved the simple ideas this book presents and she still (now 3.5 years old) recites parts of this book randomly to us. A great introductory book about gentle hands to littles!

This book is a favorite of my son’s. While hitting can be very common for young ones, this book has helped to reduce the number of incidents. Any time my toddler hits, I remind him that hands are not for hitting, and talk about other things to do with his hands. This one reminder helps redirect him 99% of the time. Thankful for this book!

Our son has been working with therapists to curb some aggression, and social stories are super helpful with that. This book has helped to reinforce the desired behavior of "kind hands" and because it is a board book, it has held up to many, many readings. The pictures are clear and simple to process and the messaging is very direct. It has been a help!

The hitting phase is my least favorite so far. My son is 2.5 and started hitting my face out of frustration around 18M. He has a speech delay and possibly some sensory issues. Not being able to verbalize his big emotions causes him to lash out and it’s really hard to correct that behavior in the heat of the moment. I used to say “NO HITTING!” Or “Stop hitting mommy!” But that did nothing but egg him on. We recently got “Diapers Aren’t Forever” by this author and he loved it (surprisingly, because he’s in a big anti-book phase right now). Saw this book on the back cover and I’m so glad we got it! He keeps bringing it to me and says “READ AGAIN!” Now when he hits (or throws a toy) I’ll say “Remember, hands are not for hitting (or throwing), hands are for _______,” and insert whatever activity he was just doing. If he was eating a cookie, I say that.It’s helping so much! Also love the part about holding hands for safety. I’m using these examples throughout our day now.Highly recommend this if you’re going through the hitting phase!Hope this helps. ☺️

Has this fixed my 2 year olds impulse to hit other children ? NO ! But it helped give me language on how to talk to my toddler about keeping their hands to themselves. Really great tools in the back of the book to help parents teach kiddos not to choose violence.

My 2 1/2 year old was having trouble at daycare with hitting others. We got this book in hopes to introduce "nice hands" in a more engaging way. We've seen improvement and she loves to follow along with the book!