Discipline methods for toddlers

[ilovemyoboe]

My 15mo DS is just getting to the phase where we're going to have to start implementing some sort of discipline. At the moment, usually 'no' is enough, unless he's in a really bitey mood but I know this won't last long.

Has anyone got any advice, suggestions of books or methods and so on to get me started with some ideas please?

hmm, at that age we just used 'no' tbh, and moved DD away from whatever it was she was doing that was wrong. I don't think they can be deliberately naughty at that age.

As soon as she was old enough, at about 20 months or so, I started getting her to say sorry, especially if she had done something to someone else like snatching toys or pushing, and explained why it was wrong.

DD is 2.4 now and we've only just started the naughty step but i still don't really think she gets it tbh, she will sit there for the 2 minutes but laughs when I come to get her and sees it as a bit of a game. We're persevering though as I dunno what else to do!

A good book is Toddler Taming - good methods for dealing with bad behaviour and also quite good on what to expect from your toddler and what behaviour is normal.

Good luck!

Ditto squeezy's very good advice. At that age no more than a firm "no" is necessary. DD is 18 months and has been known to nip/bite. I usually say no and discontinue what we were doing for a moment and nurse my injury IYSWIM. They are still very young and don't do it to be naughty IMO.

15 months is very young.

At 20 months we just use redirection most of the time, and if she bites me (less now, but we were still breastfeeding at 15 months and it happened when she was teething) I would say NO sharply, put her down and leave the room for a minute. That would do it.

She's bitten me a bit again recently, not on the nipple but the arm, etc., and I think she's teething again. I said to her, when you want to bite mummy, think "No! Stop!" and now, she takes my t-shirt between her teeth and then says No! Stop! complete with hand gestures. So it's clearly a good age to teach them various behaviours, they really want to please. But I don't think of it as discipline.

We are working on saying "please", so I'm not saying that you can't inculcate manners and behaviour at this age. I just don't think of it as discipline so much as I think of it as part of the spectrum of behaviours known as Being A Person.

what squeezy said.

Just say no and physically remove from situation. 15mo is too young to understand discipline.

Thanks for all your replies.

Don't worry, I wasn't about to start trying to implement the naughty step with a 15mo old; I know he's far too young for that sort of thing. I think I worded the posting badly, sorry.

Atm we do exactly what Squeezy said - a 'no' and remove him. (Well, I do, and keep telling DH to do the removal bit as he often doesn't and then wonders why the behaviour doesn't stop!)

I guess I'm one of those people who likes to know a good bit in advance how to deal with things .. ha ha when children involved and so want to start thinking now about situations when he is 2+ and how to approach things so DH and I have agreed prior to the event.

At that age we also used a lot of distraction to make sure ds didnt go back and do the same thing again, straight after removing him! Never too early for praise either, if you say no and they stop, we always used to say 'Thank you for listening' or something like that