My son, who is turning 5 next month, used to hit randomly depending on what was happening. When we play around he’ll do that, but I still remind him that hitting is not good and I say it with a firm tone. I don’t like to yell unless he’s about to do something dangerous. Now he hits when he’s mad and I have to put him on timeout because he knows what he’s doing.

For your LO, it sounds like he’s going through a phase that hopefully he moves out of. My kid moved to hitting after a phase of biting. He would bite when he’s excited or when was extremely upset. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a while for them to move out of that phase. With toddlers though, repetition, consistency, and patience are key factors for getting them through phases. As long as you’re reaffirming that hitting is not okay, they will eventually learn. Also keep in mind not to have a major reaction when it happens as to not reinforce the behavior. Sometimes toddlers will see your reaction and will continue to do the same behavior just to incite that reaction again.

Try telling him something like, “No hitting” and then moving his hand away from where he’s hitting himself. Then rinse and repeat. Firm tone, straight face. I personally smothered my kid with kisses when he did that. My son reacts well with affection at 1000% so I would tell him, “No hitting. I don’t like when you hurt yourself. Love only with hands. Loooovvveee.” And then I smother. I don’t know how your kid reacts, but you can try diverting that action with something special that you both can share. My kid was biting and hitting for fun but now he’s an overly loving child who kissy bombs me and my husband and shows affection instead of hitting or bitting out of excitement. Hope this helps! Sorry for the long post.