A child mostly spits to show his disregard for something or to get a reaction from adults. This is a habit which can cause many problems for your child, especially at later stages. So, it becomes very important to take effective measures to make your child stop spitting. Here are some tips which can help you out.
Explore the reason
Most of the children under the age of four typically spit in order to express their feelings and emotions. This happens because young children are not capable in expressing their emotions as they lack in the self control and verbal abilities to do so, and that is why they try to express things physically. However, children who are above four use spitting to get attention, to control their parents or as a sign of aggression. There are several other reasons behind such behavior. For instance, spitting may be a way of acting out for a child who is stressed or is dealing with new people, or has recently witnessed some other major change in his life. Observe who they are spitting on, when they spit and your reaction to their behavior as this can provide important clues as to why they may be doing this.
Ask your child to apologize
The first thing that you should do when your child spits on somebody is to ask him to apologize for their behavior and clean the spittle. However, make sure that you do so in a calm and balanced way. If your child agrees to apologize and clean up, hand them a piece of cloth for cleaning and explain to them that spitting is not an acceptable way of expressing emotions. But, it may be the time to define some sort of punishment if your child refuses to apologize. The punishment could be anything like a time out in their room or removal of privileges.
Leave the situation immediately
According to experts, you should leave the situation immediately. This will help in showing the consequences of spitting to your child. Tell your child that his/her action has disappointed you and now you prefer to spend some time by yourself rather than spending with him/her. Take a break and find a quite room in your house. And when you come out, tell your child that you do not want to be around a child who spits and neither his friends will like his company.
