Was this the right way?

[AFWife]

I have a spirited almost-2-year old. One of his big things is hitting. It drives me crazy and I've posted about it A LOT before. Today he reeled back like he was going to come over and hit me and the first thing I thought was to say, "You can hit your tiger!" (His stuffed tiger was on the floor next to him) He paused and then turned and slapped his tiger. He then spent a couple of mins hitting and throwing his tiger. After that, the urge seemed to be gone.

He's too young to discuss his feelings (and he's not verbal anyway) so that was the only thing I could think of to get it out without hurting anyone. Was I right? Or is that just encouraging violence without dealing with the problem?

[MusicianDad]

I think you did the right thing. Though, while he may not be able to verbalize his feelings right now, you can still verbalize them for him. At two years old you aren't really encouraging violence, you are taking control of the situation for him by providing a suitable alternative.

[phathui5]

I think that was a great way to handle it! He wanted to be physical and hit something and you gave him something to hit without hurting anyone.

[LynnS6]

I think it's a great way to redirect it. You should also give yourself a pat on the back for recognizing the signs that he wanted to hit and redirecting him BEFORE he hit you. Catching him before he hit a person is a really effective way for him to learn.