hitting and kicking help!

[spoony]

Recently my ds has been occasionally hitting and kicking when he doesn't get his way. At regular times of the day we've just put him in his room and left him to be by himself ... not sure if that's the best approach. What I'm really having a hard time with, though, is during a nap or bedtime when he does this. What do I do? I don't want him to keep this up and start associating bedtime as something negative.

Help!

[Ex Libris]

My ds also does this when he's overtired. Maybe you're putting him to bed at the wrong times? He's definitely trying to send a message, but of course the hard part is figuring out what it is! I'd try some gentle parenting books for ideas, especially "Unconditional Parenting" and Aldort's "Parenting Our Children, Parenting Ourselves." They would be great places to start for figuring out what's bothering your ds. Good luck and hugs!