How do I discipline my 23-month old?

Question

If she doesn't get what she wants, or get her way, she will just sit there and scream.... do I just ignore it? Is she too young for time-outs?

Answer 1

I do a lot of babysitting for kids under two, and all of the moms that I babysit for have a rule where they put the child in a corner, or on a chair, etc. and leave them there for minutes to however many years old they are.

Answer 2

She is not to young for time out. You can put her in time out for one minute  per year of her life. So two minutes would be fine.  

Answer 3

I am reading the best book on this! It's called "Parenting with Purpose" by author with last name "Madison." I bought from Amazon for about $12 (used). It explains exactly what to do and how to manage your child from Birth to age 4. Timeouts are acceptable at this age but Dr. Madison really explains how to use them in the under age 3 group. She explains how difficult it is when a child is under age 3 to get them to sit still so she gives a techique in sitting them in a chair even just for a few seconds and then telling them they can get up. At this age, it is really important to understand their attention span and their lack of memory. Their memory begins at age 2-3 so in order for them to understand their behavior you have to show them what is acceptable behavior and always offer an alternative to what they are doing. Remove them from what they are doing wrong and show them the right away. Remove items or put up out of their reach things they are not supposed to have. Tantrums are very normal at this age because they are unable to express their emotions. It is your job as a parent to help them express their emotions. They only understand "happy" and "angry" and do not know how to express fustration or sadness. There is also a good video called "Happiest Toddler on the Block" and it shows how to mimic their behavior back to them to help them express what they are feeling. When you daughter starts to throw a tantrum, make her feel safe but I would not give into her and help her express her emotions. I have a very strong willed toddler and reading "Parenting with Purpose" by author "Madison" and watching "Happiest Toddler on the Block" by Harvey Karp has made me a much better parent. Timeout is okay at this age but you have to really know how to do it.  Dr. Madison says you cannot expect a child to sit for 1-2 minutes because of their attention span so if they sit there for 10 seconds and you allow them to get up - it is a timeout. She considers a timeout anything that removes the child from what they like to be doing. I would work on helping your daughter express what she is feeling.  It is different after age 3 and you can expect more because they can talk more.

Answer 4

Timeouts are good for this age, but just a minute or two.  For fits, she does need a quiet spot to calm herself down, but not in a punishment sense.

When she is throwing a fit, you can try giving her words to describe her feelings:   "I know you want that toy.  You are angry.  You want the bear."  This lets her know that you understand the problem, and is teaching her words to express herself (which is what fits at this age are mostly about)  After a minute or two, remove her to a safe spot (carpet instead of tile) My kids threw the majority of their fits in the kitchen for some reason, which is tiled, so I would just say "Fits go on the carpet" and put them on the carpet nearby.  They calmed down pretty quickly once I stopped paying attention to them.

Answer 5

time outs can usually be started around 2 years old. For tantrums though... I would just walk away and ignore it.  

Answer 6

no i believe that she is not to young for timeouts as long as they arent for an extended amount of time. we did this with my neice when she started walking. it made life so much simpler.

Answer 7

Timeout is a good option.  Since she is almost two, than two minutes for timeout.  Don't talk to her while she is in timeout.  Take her back to it if she leaves.

During tantrums in your own home, make sure she's not in danger than walk away.  Ignore the tantrum.  At restaraunts or public places you can take them to the car -- stay with them just don't talk until they are ready to go back in.    In stores that aren't full of people you can do timeout in them, I saw it on SuperNanny and it's helped a little bit with my daughter.  It's better than having that I can't do anything and I'm losing my mind feeling.

Even after doing all of this, kids are still going to cry and scream.  So don't take it too hard, and try and practice the motherly art of patience.  

Answer 8

She is not to young for time-out. My son is turning 2 next week & I have been putting him in time out for about 6 months. In the beginning it was just for one minute but not its 2 mintues. Its going to be hard in the beginning to get her to sit there but every time she gets up put her back as many times as you need too until she figures out you are serious & eventually she will sit there for the 2 minutes.  

Answer 9

I don't think she's too young for timeouts.

I would definitely give it a try. ~