Toddler Discipline

Strategies to achieve toddler discipline

Toddler hood is the best time to teach your kids discipline. They start becoming independent and explore them as individuals during this stage. Expecting too much of discipline and perfection does not work all the time. You can try a few strategies that may work for you in your parenting.  

1. Be an example: Your kids grow by imitating you and follow the habits that you teach them. Instead of insisting on how to behave, you can be a role model.

2. Follow the right schedule: You and your family can have an organized schedule by having a routine meal time, playtime and reading time. These sorts of schedules give them the right picture and make them concentrate on diverse activities in a day.

3. Be organized: You will tell 100 times to keep their toys and books in the assigned place and they hardly tend to listen. Instead you can focus on cleaning and organizing your room clean and tidy which will motivate them to do.

4. Always praise: Develop the habit of praising them for the little efforts they take to make a disciplined life. You can appreciate them by gifting the things they love or cooking the food they love to have.

5. Attention: The effective tool to inculcate discipline is listening to your children. Always listen and give them the right attention they require. Before giving a solution, do listen carefully. Ignore the things that do not matter.

6. Divert them: If your kids engage in activities that are disturbing you (like hitting a ball near the television or dining table), you can divert them and make them forget the thing they practice. Give them some productive options on what else they can do to avoid the disturbing task.  

7. “NO” don’t work: Don’t always say “NO” to your kids. This makes them feel irritated. Saying NO does not work all the time. Do the little things they ask for and maintain a healthy relationship.

8. Think like a child: Most of the time you need to think like a child. Go to their world and listen to them. Some things may sound meaningless to you, but will be very important for them. Children are not mini adults. Except little imperfection and they will outgrow those, when they grow.

9. Be patient: If your child refuses to brush, maintain your temper. Losing your temper will only raise your blood pressure and is in no way going to help the situation get better. Be gentle and be patient (though it is difficult!). Always stay positive.

10. Teach them empathy: You can explain to them how badly other kids might feel if he grabs a toy or an object that others love to have.  Tell them it will hurt them the same way that he gets hurt. Always explain your toddler in age appropriate terms.

11. Avoid stress: Avoid stressful situations. Do not fight with your spouse in front of him. This will make him believe that fighting can be the right solution to achieve the things he needs.

Don’ts

American Academy of Pediatrics advises that parents should not spank, slap and engage in physical punishments to correct a child’s behavior.  Physical punishments tend to increase the risk of injuries and affect the brain development.

 

Try the most effective and convenient discipline method that matches your parenting style. Always stay cool and calm.