I think everyone (even if they don't like it) understands that this is part of toddler development. At my DD's school, many of the moms are very proactive when they see their kids showing aggressive behavior - which I think is very reassuring, and makes it not seem as bad.
As for curbing the behavior, I find this very effective with my 19 mo old, I take her hand and put it on my face, saying "gentle, gentle, Mommy (or whoever) likes gentle." This does a really good job diffusing the incident and then showing the child what they can do with their hands that is more positive. And then you can ask your child to please say "sorry" and do something nice for the other child.
As for curbing the behavior, I find this very effective with my 19 mo old, I take her hand and put it on my face, saying "gentle, gentle, Mommy (or whoever) likes gentle." This does a really good job diffusing the incident and then showing the child what they can do with their hands that is more positive. And then you can ask your child to please say "sorry" and do something nice for the other child.
