How do you handle a toddler who keeps touching things they shouldn't?

[NiceCupOfTeaAndASitDown]

DS is 21 months and I'm struggling with how to handle his behaviour at the moment. I'm not sure if it's got worse because we have a new addition (DD is 3.5 weeks) or just normal for his age but basically any time I'm not able to give him 100% attention he's switching the lights on and off, climbing on furniture, pulling my books off the shelves etc.

He's able to play by himself at times but not all the time and I'm not being consistent at all, sometimes I shout, other times I try and ignore. I know that DH and I need to decide on a tactic and stick to it but I don't know what.. Nothing works! What do you do?

QTPie's answer is definitely the best.

I would suggest not using the cot as punishment, you are esentialy making it the naughty spot, which will make more issues later down the line with bed time routines. You're child may act out more and climb out of the cot, crying and making lots of fuss when it's bedtime because they feel they are being punished. Bedtime should be a good thing and something that they look forward to.

You can stop them from moving away from the naughty spot by adding a minute of time every time they walk away, a minute feels like hours to a toddler. They will get the idea eventually but it takes a bit of preserving.

Also saying don't do this and don't do that is not good. A child does not hear the negatives e.g. "don't run in the road" = "run in the road", the correct command would be "stay on the pavement"

Yes, say what you do want, not what you don't want- the do/ don't is kind of lost, even as adults.

I don't have a second but I have to admit, with the exception of oven/ sockets/ anything glass, I generally leave him to it and then encourage tidying. He's 2.3. I just don't want to have to battle over everything and it's boring if mummy isn't reacting!

I was also unsure about the ‘naughty step’ for similar reasons with DD, but there were (are) things that should just have zero tolerance, ie pulling / hurting our pets. I was moving her away / distracting etc but she just carried on.

We started using time on the step at a similar age to your DS and it worked a treat. I calmly explain if she does something again she will need to go on the step for 2 mins. This is now often enough to stop her. If she does it again, I sit her on there, get down at her level and explain why she is there. At first there was lots of trying to run off etc but I just kept returning her calmly. After the 2 mins is up I explain again why she is there, we have a quick cuddle and move on.

That will so work thanks Now I can tell him and it will so work