Naughty step at 10 months ?

[lillypie]

I overheard a conversation at toddler group where a women said she had started her child on the naughty step at 10 months.

This seems like madness to me,what do you think?

It's an extreme extension of something that does crop now and then even on mumsnet: the idea that if we only follow expert methods we can totally bypass the annoying stages of childhood. Babies won't exhaust us, toddlers won't tantrum, teenagers won't rebel. Oh yeah [emoticon for sardonic grin].

And then you get all the desperate what-am-I-doing-wrong threads from mums who think they are failing at parenting because the child is being annoying in precisely the way that is typical of whatever age group they happen to be.

But I've never heard one as extreme as this before. [goes off shaking head in amazement]

Two words:

Mad.

How?

Thus reminds me of when DD1 was a baby (under 1) - one of her friends' Mums used to smack her baby's hands when she tried to take her bib off. Once DD1 got hold of my ear-ring (in the days when I still bothered to wear ear-rings) and pulled it out (ouch!). Other Mum said "If mine did that she'd get a smacked hand". Another time she said to me "You shouldn't let her get the better of you you know" - DD1 was less than 1 year old.

By the way this other Mum was a v experienced and well qualified nursery nurse

Maybe I'm just a soft touch, but I don't think children can actually be naughty at that age... aren't they just learning what's what?
(very confused face)

rofl @ nincompoop step

tbh i think those parenting shows are dangerous esp. if it encourages some lazy minded woman ato put a 10m old on a naughty step

I certainly think they can understand 'no' - I can make DS stop doing something by saying that, but he's not being naughty- if he starts playing with knives or swallowing 20 pence pieces it's my fault for leaving them within his reach!