“My 28-month-old daughter has started spitting whenever she is upset about something or doesn’t want to do something. I have tried saying, “Spitting is for outside only”, “spitting spreads germs” and putting her in a time-out (which she just continues to spit on whatever piece of furniture she is sitting on at the time). What else should I do to try to stop this spitting problem?”
I would treat this just like any other toddler problems like biting, hitting, and tantrums. It helps to get into the mind of your child, and try to look at things from their perspective. Try to understand why she is spitting – does she think it’s funny? Does she see daddy spitting? Does she get a lot of extra attention from you every time she spits? With some situations like this it is often easier to fix by NOT making a huge deal about it. You might have success by insisting she cleans up the spit mess that she makes. You can click here for a long discussion on bothersome toddler behaviors.
Dr. Jim