when do you start with discipline?

[multicolourcat]

DS is 1YO, and up until now has just been treated as a baby, being allowed to do and explore the world. My question is when should i start to become firmer with him, for example, throwing food on the floor does my head in, but I have just gone with it through the whole weaning stage. I don't know when or how to move onto the next stages of allowing and not allowing certain things. advice please! x

My DS is 18 months and still throws food on the floor! I don't thnk that should be disciplined, I just pick it up and tell him no! (he laughs when I do this!)

My DS has started hanging over the sofa and nearly falling off, this I am struggling with! If I remove him and tell him no, cue fits of laughter and climbing back up! Sorry no real advice! He'll understand more as he gets older

ha ha! yes, this is what I thought, and TBH i am happy to go with it, if it is normal to go with it at this age. DP finds it very hard and thinks we should be discipling with throwing food on the floor (throwing for fun, not be mistake obviously!) I agree, at the moment he doesn't understand why i'm saying no, why, when it is such fun to drop food on the floor?!

So, when do we start being firmer? At the moment I hear myself saying 'NO' and not actually following through with it, as yes, DS then just does it again....and again.

It depends. It's a stepped process I think. A 1yo understands 'no' but would be completely flummoxed by the naughty step.

The food thing is a difficult one. TBH it's not something I get upset with my 14month old about but I think that's largely because she's such a great eater and it's her way of telling me she's finished. After the thrice daily mealtime war zone I had (and continue to have) with DS (4), I can live with it!!

But there'll be a point when it stops being acceptable to me - it's just difficult to gage when that will be. I guess that's the thing - there's stuff which I would want to stop now which you wouldn't care about and vice versa. If it annoys you, discourage it.

My son is 2 years and 3 month. I have been disciplining Jim since around 18 month. Nothing bad just a stern no then if he carried on I would just move him from the situation.

When he was throwing food I would tell him no and then after doing so many times I would take it away. It normally ment he didn't want it any more.

He was also a climber and still is. As your son gets older you can start discliplining properly as they start testing their boundaries!

You have some fun times ahead

Start discipline when your DCs become self-aware (terrible twos). This could be anything from 18months to 3yo.
You'll know when they are deliberately doing something to get a rise out of you, the trick is to remain calm and rational as they press all your buttons every day.
OP, right now, you can start explaining boundaries, so when you need to enforce them they are familiar, ie "we hold hands as we cross the road" "you must always be able to see me when we're out" you will have your own rules, there's no point having rules you don't see the point in or you won't enforce them.

Geez, and I thought the baby days were hard...I can see a whole new challenge ahead of us - he is one little independent firecracker!

Thanks inmy good advice.