Baby aggression?

Question

So my eight month old is really aggressive. I know it sounds crazy because she’s only eight months, but all of my friends kids are scared of her (and they are 1.5 - 3years old). She sees children, crawls over to them and just starts pulling their hair and trying to eat their face. 
We were at a three-year-old’s birthday party the other day and she attacked the birthday girl- pulled her pigtails, slammed her head to the ground and then pinched her cheeks. Can’t make this up. My friends laugh and think it’s funny, but its starting to concern me since it’s every single time she’s around other children.
Also, this is NOT learned behavior. My home is a happy, calm home!
Has anyone else ever experienced this?

Answer

I would first try not to label this behavior as aggressive or negative, she is doing normal developmental baby things, just in this case in a situation that is not ideal. Each of these behaviors is perfectly acceptable and healthy in the right context. For example if you had a touch and feel book that had a feather or fur or hair in it and she was grabbing at that it would be a great sensory experience and exactly the right way to interact in that situation. Almost anything else she mouths (toys, books, food, the chair, etc) is perfectly acceptable and expected, but someone's face is not ideal. Her coordination is not fully developed if she grabbed a toy and banged it on the floor it would be developmentally appropriate, someone's head less so. She's developing her pincer grasp, grabbing a toy to pick it up with two fingers is a great accomplishment, someone's cheek not ideal. My son has done all of these things, it is a lack of understanding that mouthing his toys is a great way to learn about them but mommy's face is not the desired behavior. Just seeing it as normal, not aggressive behavior, may help how you feel about it.
Now that being said, you don't just have to let her do whatever. This is just parenting. Depending on your parenting style you can redirect her or try to teach her in that moment. When my son does these type of things to me or others I tell him "I can't let you _____, we need to be gentle with people" and help him to use a gentler hand motion or if it continues redirect to another toy or something. It's not about discipline, he's not doing anything wrong. I'm setting a boundary (we are gentle with people, smack your toy into the floor all you want, but we are gentle with people), and helping him to learn that boundary and other ways to interact in that scenario. It's going to take time because he's 8 months old, but they understand cause and effect at this age and can pick up on so many things.

Answer

The first comment is awesome. And also a mom of a baby hulk so this is a great comment thread. 
A friend of mine with a former baby hulk who’s now a preschooler gave us the tip a few weeks ago to explain open and closed hand and practice as baby gets older. 
Animals and people get touched with soft open/flat hand (petting). Grabbing/pinching/closed hand is for toys and objects. 
She said that was an easier concept for her kids to understand at a young age. 
Definitely going to start that with my boy soon.

Answer

Following because I have a baby hulk on my hands!!!!

Baby aggression?

Let’s Glow

Glow is here for you on your path to pregnancy

25+ million

4.8 stars

20+

Getting Pregnant

Pregnancy

1st Year (Baby & You)

Baby Products