First of all, I wouldn't worry that he is turning into an "angry child." It's much more likely that he is just trying out new tricks, as all 20mth olds do. He's discovered that hitting can get an interesting response, so he's maintained this behavior. One technique you can use is to give his hitting behavior a very uninteresting response, to help him get bored of doing it. For instance, if he hits you, just get up without saying anything at all, and walk out on him (making sure he's in a safe location obviously), or just get up and move away from him in the same room. Your non-response response may soon discourage him from his new hobby, although you will need some patience as it might take a few weeks before it ends completely. Toddlers this age do get frustrated about a lot of things. They are trying to do more than they are capable of doing and they get upset when things don't work out (as we all do). Lacking a sophisticated vocabularly at this age, many of them resort to body language: stamping feet, knocking things down, shrieking and whatever. You can give the child the words he needs by doing some emotional coaching (see "Raise Your Kids without Raising Your Voice" for detailed instructions on this technique). Tell him, "You're so frustrated. You can't pour it/build it/color it/etc. That's upsetting." By patiently naming his feelings each time he expresses them physically you are planting his future words in his brain. They'll pop back out to you in a matter of months. Finally, try not to get too flustered when your child becomes aggressive. He needs your calm, steady energy, not your hysteria. The calmer you remain when he's upset, the more quickly he will settle down. If you yell at him or work hard to cheer him up, your frenzied energy will only egg him on. In a few more months, you'll see less tantrumming as he becomes more competent at the tasks he tries to master and his angry side will diminish significantly.    Sarah Chana