When thinking about discipline and young children, it is important to think about what exactly discipline is and what discipline is not. Often, when we think about discipline, we think about punishing a child for misbehavior. While this may indeed be a part of discipline, the fact of the matter is that, especially with young children, there are more important aspects to discipline. For example, encouraging positive behavior in young children tends to be much more productive than discouraging misbehavior. In addition, even misbehavior should be seen as an opportunity to teach the young child proper behavior, and to help the child to be able to communicate more effectively.

There are some techniques that are especially effective for discipline and young children. For example, redirection is one of the best tools that a parent has in terms of disciplining a young child. When a child is engaging in an inappropriate activity, simply approach the child and redirect them to a positive activity. Modeling is another excellent discipline technique for young children. When a child is stomping on his toy, for example, you can simply tell the child, “oh no, we mustn’t step on our toys. That will make them break, and then we won’t be able to play with them. Here is how we should play with this toy,” and then pick up the toy and model the right way to play with the toy.

Perhaps the most challenging part about disciplining young children is that they have limited empathy, and a somewhat limited understanding of cause and effect. When a child hits her brother, for example, she knows that the brother screams. She may even like the sound. But she may not understand that the sound is coming because her brother is in pain. Helping children to learn empathy and to understand cause and effect is an important part of disciplining young children as well.

But why does the time out work?  Why is it an effective method of discipline?  There are several things that the time out accomplishes.  First, if the time out is given for a misbehavior, it takes the child out of the situation in which he was misbehaving, effectively putting an immediate end to the bad behavior.  Second, a time out gives the child a few minutes, undistracted by other children or other external stimuli, to calm down.  Once the child has calmed down, they are much more likely to be compliant.  But a time out does more than this.  It also allows the parents some time to calm down, and make sure that they are not disciplining out of anger.  It is because of all of these reasons that the time out tends to be an effective method of discipline.

To use a time out, you first need to pick a spot, isolated from the normal activity of your home, to use as the time out spot.  When a toddler is not compliant, give them a warning that they will go to time out if they do not comply.  Then, follow through.  If the child does not comply, tell them to go to time out, gently guiding them there if necessary.  The child then will need to stay in time out for a number of minutes equal to their years of age, after which, if they are calm and quiet, you will give them another opportunity to comply.  If they do not comply, you then send the child back to time out.

When used properly and consistently, the time out can be one of the most effective methods of discipline that you can use with your toddler.

The most important things to keep in mind when disciplining a spirited toddler is to try to remain proactive and positive.  If you know that a child, for example, doesn’t like to quit playing in order to come to the dinner table, try to make for an easier transition.  Let the child know when there is only 10 minutes left to play, and then when there is only 5 minutes, and then one minute.  By helping to be proactive, you can hopefully avoid some of the tension, yelling, crying, and fit-throwing that is all too common with the spirited toddler.  Keeping those transition times smooth will go a long way in helping you to discipline your spirited toddler.

Perhaps one of the best tools that parents of a spirited toddler have in terms of discipline is planning.  Always having an activity of some sort available for your spirited toddler to engage in can help him from becoming too bored.  Being bored is one of the worst things that can happen to a spirited toddler, as it will promote all sorts of aberrant behavior.

Finally, it is important to recognize that the spirited child is, most of the time, not trying to be bad.  They just have a lot of energy, and they can’t stand to be unoccupied.  Ultimately, being spirited may very well help your child when he or she grows up into becoming a productive and successful adult member of society.

In the long run, parenting a spirited toddler can be a rewarding and positive experience. Some of the most successful people start out as spirited toddlers. It’s all a matter of keeping the toddler safe and helping to direct that energy in order to maximize her odds for success and minimize your frustration level.

Picking the right pet

The first thing to consider when getting a pet with a toddler in the house is choosing a safe pet.  Pets that are often not safe for children, especially toddlers, include monkeys, ferrets, chinchillas, hedgehogs, and other rodent pets.  In addition, there are specific risks with reptiles, such as lizards, turtles, and snakes.  These pets can often carry salmonella bacteria, which can be harmful to your children.  If you choose a reptile as a pet, be sure to talk with your vet or your health care provider about the precautions that you should take.

If you are considering getting a dog with a toddler in the house, you should be picky about the breed.  Some breeds are known to be good with children.  Other breeds, such as Dobermans and Dalmatians, tend to be large and often aggressive.  On the other hand, toy breeds such as poodles and Japanese Chins may not always be the best choice for your home, as toddlers can sometimes be rough with pets.  Of course, breed does not always determine personality, so you will want to find out as much as you can about the behavior of your future pet.

Cats, dogs, hamsters, gerbils, birds, and fish all make great pets when you have a toddler in the house.  Again, with the smaller pets, you should be careful as children will often like to handle the pets roughly.

Teaching your child to handle pets correctly

Regardless of what kind of pet you choose, there are some things that you should do when getting a pet with a toddler in the house.  These include:

• Teach your child how to handle the animal carefully, never teasing, pulling, squeezing, or bothering them while they are eating.
• Supervise interactions between your toddler and the pet, especially at first.
• Help your toddler to remember to wash his hands after handling a pet.
• Keep up on your vet visits and shots.

When you’re considering whether or not to put your toddler in a sports program, there are some factors that you’re going to need to consider.

Strength and motor skill development

A significant factor in what kind of physical activities you will be able to start your toddler on is their own strength and motor skill development.  By the time your toddler reaches 18 months of age, for example, she should be able to roll objects along the floor, walk both forward and backward, and probably go down the stairs backwards, using her hands and her knees.  By the age of 2 years old, she can probably run, open doors with handles, and push a box, chair, or stool into a spot to climb on to get things she can’t reach.  A year later, by the age of three, she will likely be able to jump, throw a ball, and climb up and down the stairs using both feet.  Any of these things are physical activities that you can start your toddler on.

Duration is a factor

How long your toddler is engaged in a sporting activity is key, as well. Doctors recommend around half an hour of planned, organized physical activity for toddlers every day.  In addition, they recommend an hour of unstructured physical activity as well.  If your toddler is going to engage in a stationary activity, such as watching television, these activities should not last more than one hour without stopping to start a physical activity.

Organized sports activities

In terms of organized sports, experts disagree about how young is too  young to start.  Many experts believe that the structure and pressure of organized sports is too much for a child until the age of six or so.  Others see no problem with starting physical activities that include organized sports a year or two earlier than this.

Be the example

Finally, your toddler will learn by example.  If he sees that mom or dad regularly engage in physical activities, he will want to do them too.  By starting your own physical fitness routine, you will help your toddler recognize the importance of physical activities.

Parenting both an infant as well as an older sibling can be quite a challenge for any parent.  The fact of the matter is that, while all children require a variety of amounts and types of attention, an infant typically has more immediate and severe needs than an older sibling.  For example, if a toddler would like to have a snack, he can very often wait for a few minutes until his mother or father can help him.  This is not the case with an infant.  An infant, of course, requires immediate or near-immediate feeding when she is hungry.  In addition, if the infant is being breast fed, then only mommy can help her out at that point.

Still, it is important when you are parenting an infant and an older sibling to not allow the older sibling to feel neglected, or to feel put aside.  The fact of the matter is that, while the older sibling might be more patient, he still needs the attention that you have to offer.  One way to help assuage feelings of neglect, jealousy, or favoritism is to get the older sibling to help you out with the infant.  By bringing the older child in as more of a “helper” or even a “partner,” you are more likely to be able to avoid some of the most common causes of sibling rivalry between an infant and an older sibling.

There are some things that you need to do when you are going to be parenting an infant and an older sibling.  You need to prepare the older sibling well in advance for the changes that will take place when you have an infant.  Help him to understand that his new baby brother or sister will grow up to be one of his best friends, although it will be quite a long time before they can play together.  Help your older child to know what other changes will be taking place, such as having to share a room, or being woken up in the middle of the night when the infant is hungry.  Teach your older sibling how to be safe around the baby, and even help the older sibling practice holding the infant.

Ultimately, parenting an infant and an older sibling at the same time can be a lot of hard work, but it can also be a very exciting and fulfilling experience.

In any case, if your toddler has started to try to climb out of the crib (or worse, has already managed to get over the top), it’s a good idea to go ahead and switch to a bed. If baby sleeps peacefully in the crib and doesn’t try to climb out, it’s really your call as to when you should move her over to a bed.

If your baby’s crib is still in your room, you might want to move the crib to a different room for a week or two before switching over to the toddler bed. Generally speaking, you shouldn’t change your baby’s bed and the room in which he sleeps at the same time, as too much change can be a bit overwhelming for a baby.

Of course, by the time your toddler is ready to switch to a bed, she will be speaking a few words, and will understand a lot of what you say to her. This is helpful because you can talk her through the changes. We recommend starting to talk to her about changing t a bed a week or so before you are ready to make the switch.

Many parents find that a birthday, usually the second birthday, is a good time to switch to a toddler bed. That way, the toddler bed can even be presented as part of your toddler’s birthday present.

Some babies take to the idea of sleeping in a big bed right away, but in case yours isn’t one of them, it’s a good idea not to disassemble and store the crib just yet. Some toddlers will resist the change, and if they do, there’s really no harm in letting them sleep in their crib for a few more nights. In most cases, if you present the bed as an option for “big boys” or “big girls”, they will eventually choose to sleep in the bed. After all, how many teenagers have you even seen sleeping in a crib?

For a toddler, hitting might just be a sign that they toddler is developing at a normal pace. Toddlers have a difficult time trying to understand, for example, how hitting will harm another person. They might not have any aggression, for example, when they are hitting. Often a toddler will hit just in an effort to try to make a point. For other toddlers, hitting might represent an experiment with cause and effect. If a toddler punches his sister, for example, he gets to hear her scream.

When you are disciplining a child who is hitting, there are some things that you might try. First of all, your child is probably not trying to actually hurt their playmate. You need to explain that his hitting hurts his playmate. You need to assume the best, that your child is probably not trying to misbehave, but rather express herself. If he is hitting because he is frustrated, learn to recognize the signs that he is getting frustrated. Help him learn problem-solving skills to deal with that frustration, and then keep an eye out for when he is getting frustrated. In addition, don’t reward the child who is hitting with attention; instead, give more attention to the child who has been hit.

If your child is hitting regularly, won’t stop, and is hurting other children, you may consider seeking the help of a child psychologist, psychotherapist, or even your family physician. Each of these people can help you explore other possible causes for the hitting, and help to find the right remedy for your child.

Once a baby figures out that he can move around all by himself, it doesn’t take long before he figures out how to do make those arms and legs go fast. What’s more, he’s likely to think that trying to outrun you is great fun. Of course, he has no way of understanding that this also poses certain dangers to him, and chances are you have no real way of explaining it to him.

All of this means that we have to adjust some things in our households, if we haven’t done so already, to make sure that all of the places where baby can get to are baby-proofed and safe. This means making sure that all electrical sockets have covers. What it is that appeals to babies about outlets is something we’re not likely to ever figure out. Maybe it’s just the fact that it’s something different, and conveniently placed at eye level with a crawling baby (who ever came up with that brilliant design concept, anyway?).

We also need to make sure that floors are picked up so that baby can’t get a hold of anything that could be harmful. At this age, babies still tend to feel that anything that can go in the mouth should go in the mouth, so we want to be extra careful about what we drop on the floor.

Another change you’ll want to make if you haven’t yet is installing baby gates to keep baby into areas where you want her to be and out of area where you don’t want her to be. Baby gates are available commercially, and are generally inexpensive.

You’ll also want to lower the crib down to the bottom setting if you haven’t yet. If baby isn’t standing already, she will be soon, and you don’t want her practicing her high dive just yet.

The bottom line when adjusting to a new baby milestone is to look around, and try to find anything that could produce a hazard from a baby’s eye view. Then, do what you can to remove or reduce the risks. And, don’t worry. About the time you get used to a crawling baby, she’ll start walking. And running. And climbing.

One important thing to keep in mind when disciplining your toddler is your toddler’s level of understanding. While an older child may, for example, understand the natural consequences of certain types of misbehavior, your toddler is still learning to process exactly how things work. Your toddler may, for example, like the noise that his toy makes when he throws it down the stairs. He may not, however, understand that the noise is created by the toy being broken.

In addition, consistency is important when disciplining your toddler. For example, if you are trying to help your toddler to learn to place her napkin in her lap at mealtime, you should make sure to praise her when she remembers. If you tell your toddler that she will only be able to watch one episode of a television show before naptime, don’t let her watch a second episode. If you do, you will encourage her to think that the rules you make, including more important rules, are negotiable.

There are several effective techniques that you can use for disciplining your toddler. Redirecting your toddler from a negative activity to a positive one tends to work well. Modeling proper behavior for your toddler will often work as well. The toddler is just at the age where he is able to understand how the time-out works, and so time outs may work well with your toddler as well.

Ultimately, it will be something of a process of trial and error to figure out the best way to discipline your toddler. In addition, as your toddler gets older you will very likely have to modify some of your discipline practices to keep up with her growing ability to comprehend things.