Baby keeps hitting me!

ryanllorraine102289

So I have a seventeen month old little girl. She is pretty well behaved most of the time but for the last few months she has gotten this habit of smacking me every time I pick her up. Now she isn't hitting me hard or because she is upset. It is just a constant patting/smacking in the shoulder. she usually only starts if someone else approaches me while I have her in my arms and they try to interact with her. I have tried to look up why she does this but everything I find on hitting is how to stop them from doing it, not why it is that she does this.  and it doesn't matter what I do to try and stop her she will just keep doing it. I need some advice on why maybe she does this.

nackie

My 16 month old hits me on the back all the time when I hold him.  I always just assumed that he was imitating me patting his back and just hasn't mastered the gentle part yet.  
Of course he also thinks it's hilarious to smack me in the face, so I could be way off.  I have no idea why he does that or how to get it to stop.

Mack2342

@ryanllorraine102289. If she does that while you are holding her and other people are trying to interact it could be that she is reacting more to the other person not necessarily you.  My son kind of does something similar when he doesn't want someone to interact with him while I'm holding him. Especially if it's not someone he is familiar with

momof2buggs

It sounds like an anxiety issue, since you say it happens when someone else is approaching you while she is in your arms. She may just be dealing with stranger anxiety. It's hard to say. I find that babywearing is helpful, and quietly telling my child in her ear, "Mama is here for you." I find that those two things are very helpful when trying to calm my daughter.