This tip brought to you by our Dad Guru John Valadez
on May 15, 2009
Unless you have been under a rock for the last decade you heard of the time-out. A time-out is an effective way to discipline your child and you can start them on this program as early as 18 months. Try using a pillow or mat in a designated area for consistency. The pillow acts as a marker and is a consistent place they can go to when you tell them - “go in a timeout”. When your child is misbehaving tell them they are going to go in a time-out if the behavior persists; and if they continue escort them to the area and instruct them to sit down. If you keep the pillow in the same place they will go there when you ask them too in the future. The time they spend on the pillow is the age of the child; e.g. two years old, two minutes on the pillow and three years old, three minutes on the pillow.
Be consistent with a clear warning acknowledging the behavior and if the misbehaving persists, then follow through on the pillow for the age appropriate time. If you’re out of the house just let them know when you get home they have to go into a time-out; and as long as you follow through with the promise, then you’ll get consistent results in and out of the home.
