subject: Toddler Discipline: How To Do It Best [print this page] Toddler Discipline: How To Do It Best Toddler Discipline: How To Do It Best
Disciplining a child, especially a toddler, can be a real challenge. Toddlers are known for their need to be independent, and telling them what to do and how to act is the exact opposite of how they want to be treated. We need to understand that child discipline is more about teaching the child what to do, and not commanding them what to do. Sounds like a tall order, but this is achievable once you learn a few tips and tricks. When it comes to discipline, being consistent is the key. You can learn about all the child discipline tricks in the world, but they will never work if you're not consistent. Make a rule and stick to it. If mom's cell phone is off-limits today, then it should be off-limits for the rest of time. Don't allow the child to play with the phone just because you need to distract him on some days. Old school parenting says we should lecture kids every time they misbehave, but experts have found out that this is not very effective for toddlers. What a parent can do is to give a toddler a firm "no" when he's about to do something unacceptable (or dangerous) and follow it with a short explanation such as "you might get hurt" or "that's dangerous". You can then lead them to something that's fun and appropriate for their age, such as watching TV or coloring pictures. This will allow them to get busy and not interfere with what mom's doing. If the child does something really wrong such as hit a playmate, you may resort to giving a time-out. Be careful though, as most parents give time-outs without making sure the child even understands why he is being punished. A lot of toddlers are too young to understand the concept of a time-out, so make sure that you give a warning (before the time-out) and explain after why the time-out was given. The last rule is to never hit a child - no matter how he behaved. This will only make him afraid of the parent. Give the child a loving environment, and punish without spanking by giving time-outs or limiting benefits when they misbehave. This will teach them that there is a consequence for every action, and they will learn to choose right over wrong without you guarding them all the time.
