What to do about a swearing two year old.?

Question

My niece who is two has picked up on saying the f-word. She hasn't picked up on this from me or my husband but her older siblings.

She spend a lot of time with my husband and I and I am not quite sure how to handle the swearing. My niece barely talks so a lot of what she says is still jibberish so I highly doubt that she even knows what a swear word it...

Any advice?

Answer 1

first you must realize that she is a child and that she does not know what the f word means. so you make sure the next time she uses it, tell her that it is a bad word and she is not supposed to say it. if she continues, put her in time out. after that take another step up and wash her mouth out with soap. and her older siblings should not be cursing around her. tell them to stop cursing around her. and make sure to let her parents know. but you know you have to discipline your niece immediately when she swears otherwise she won't know what she did making your choice of punishment worthless.

Answer 2

Yes.  Have her go into the bathroom to use "bathroom talk" or "potty talk".  Take her in there if she is unwilling to go.  Tell her, that is where you are supposed to talk like that.

My guy used the sh-word.  I took him into the bathroom because he "obviously was trying to tell me that he had to use the bathroom."  He was mad but he stopped.

Answer 3

me only in this for the points   lalalalalalaalalalal

Answer 4

Put soap in her mouth! That should teahc her whats right and wrong to say! Or put her in a 5 min time out and make her apologize!

Answer 5

Stop swearing for one - she understands its a power word.

Secondly, ignore the word.  Don't react, period, if she has no reaction to it she's not getting the power out of it and she will loose interest in that word.

Answer 6

My 2 yr old learnt sh*t and the way i stopped her was by ignoring it. When she got a negative reaction she said it more just to get a reaction. When i ignored her she stopped saying, by about 2 weeks she never said it again. I am 24 yrs old and so my friends often slip up and swear around my daughter as do i some times, and if she repeats any of it, i ignore her and it stops almost before it starts.

Answer 7

Are you sure that her intent is to say the "F" word?  Or is she just trying to say something else?  When my 3 year old was first starting to talk he would say the "F" word when he was talking about frogs.  That may be what your niece is also doing.  I wouldn't be worried about it if I were you...Don't make a big deal out of it and it will come to pass.

Now, the advice would be totally different if she were 3 1/2 or 4 because she would be older and understand things differently.

Answer 8

Its true that children pick up on these words from everyone and everywhere from TV to mom and dad to siblings. No one person is probably at fault. Placing blame doesn't solve the problem anyway.

I'm sure you are troubled by your neice's use of the word but remember that it it her parent's responsibility to raise the child, not yours. If you are concerned, speak to her parents and let them know. Remember that only they can decide how to handle it.

In the mean time, I advise not reacting to her use of the word. Children use such words and even the word "no" a lot because the know it has some authority with it. If you react, you're in a way aknowledging that authority. Don't giggle, don't gasp and don't react at all. Just treat it as if she were still babbling away.

Answer 9

Just Me is missing the point!  

Children do learn vocabulary from EVERYONE and EVERYTHING around them.

I raised my first son, not to say swear words, but he may occasionally slip up and say "c**p," and my 2 1/2 will repeat it. What's done about the situation is the parent's responsibility.

At 2 years old, you are right, she doesn't know the meaning, so when older siblings are saying bad words and the toddler repeats, then you need to reprimand the older child and tell the toddler NO! as well.

You need to say it with a stern look, and a stern voice.

I usually say, "No, don't say that, not funny."

Hope this helps.

Answer 10

Discipline the siblings for one thing. And discipline her, she needs to know, and don't tell me she doesn't understand, that she cannot say that word. I've worked with toddlers for over 17 years and my first day on the job was a 2 year old saying that word, I immediately put him in time out and told him he may not use that word again, after a week of me being consistent he NEVER used that word with me again, however; our directors theory was to ignore bad behavior and every morning this child would walk in and look at the director in the face and say F Off, she would smile and walk away and he was never disciplined by her and that was the only person who didn't discpline him for it and she was the only person he used that word with. The older siblings need to have their mouths washed out with soap, I am 37 years old and I never heard a curse word in my home growing up and I will never use curse words now. If you don't want your children to say something then you may not use them either.

Answer 11

FIRSTLY FOR THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO BLAME THE PARENTS ARE WRONG !!!! CHILDREN PICK UP ON LANGUAGE FROM ALL OVER, FOR EXAMPLE I NEVER SAID THE WORD TRACKTOR TO MY DAUGHTER BUT HER GRANDA DID !!

I would tell her it is a naughty word, but she probably wont listen or understand this, but try and teach her, im sure you have already, but i would ignore it too if y know what i mean, she might like the attention that she is seeking by saying naughty words.

Answer 12

She has no idea what she is saying.  She is simply repeating a word she hears a lot.  Start teaching her a new word.  Every time she says fu  ck say the word fudge back.  You also might talk to the child's parents about the language used in their home.  Their older children had to have learned the language somewhere and home is the most likely place.

Answer 13

Children learn their vocabulary from parents... so to blame the older siblings is wrong. They only do what their parents do. If it is a big problem, talk to her parents....... and try to teach her yourself if permitted. Just tell her that's a bad word, don't get on to her because it's not her fault!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Answer 14

Make sure no one laughs, or even smiles, when she says it.  She needs a negative reaction.

Answer 15

right now my 3 year old nephew says th D*MN it alot and we tell him once "that is a bad word and you should not say it,the nextime you say it you will go to the time out chair" and if it is said again that is where he goes for 4 minutes and when he gets up remind him not to say any baby words or he has to go to the time out chair. keep puting him in chair till he stops saying it.

Answer 16

spank her if she has been warned multiple times