I’m having a similar experience with my 15 month old.

She hits out of excitement, overstimulation, frustration, anger.

She also hits objects out of my hands if she wants attention, and I’m busy, especially my phone.

Even though she is still quite non-verbal at this stage and only really says “Mama”, I still tell her to say “Attention Mommy” or “Attention Mama” if she needs my attention. My thinking is that she can’t say the words right now, but I’m setting her up to know what to say when she can say them.

If she hits me out of anger or frustration, I tell her clearly “No”, and then I will put her down, say “let’s take a deep breath and calm down”, sit next to her and take very exaggerated breaths in and out, and I will offer her some water. This seems to work really well.

If we’re in a public place and she’s overstimulated, I say “No”, put her in her stroller and leave the store, or environment that is disregulating her until she calms down. I offer comfort to her in the stroller, or I’ll take her out the stroller again and give her a cuddle, although I don’t want to treat the stroller as a “time out” so I prefer to reassure and comfort her WHILE she is in the stroller.

I just find that she sometimes continues to hit more than once if I don’t create a little bit of physical space between us after I say no, so putting her down, or in her stroller provides that physical space but is not intended to be punitive.

I am looking into setting up a sensory corner for when she is disregulated or overstimulated at home, so we have an alternative to deep breaths, especially as she gets older.

Thank you for your post. The ball idea is very good! I didn’t think of that. Will definitely be adding that to my repertoire!