What do you do when your adorable toddler acts up, like hitting the friend who snatches her toy, biting Mommy, or throwing her unwanted plate of peas across the room? The best way to do is often to remove him from the activity at hand and give him a chance to calm down. This practice, known as a time-out, is an effective, nonviolent way to shape behavior.
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“A time-out isn’t a punishment. It’s an opportunity for your child to learn how to cope with frustration and modify his behavior. While your child is in a time-out, he’s on his own, so try to let him sit in solitude for a few moments. Any attention from you – positive or negative – only reinforces unwanted behavior.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says it’s okay to give children as young as 1 a time-out – but it’s best only as a last resort. Until he’s a little older, your child may not have the self-control and reasoning skills to make a traditional time-out effective. Instead, think of a time-out as the “quiet time” your toddler needs to calm down and get his emotions under control.” by Paula Spencer
Timeouts shouldn’t be imposed in anger, agrees Elizabeth Pantley, president of Better Beginnings, a family resource and education company in Seattle, and author of several parenting books, including The No-Cry Discipline Solution. “The purpose of timeout is not to punish your child but to give him a moment to get control and reenter the situation feeling better able to cope.” It also gives you the chance to take a breath and step away from the conflict for a moment so you don’t lose your temper.
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Escort your toddler to the time-out place immediately after the misbehavior. A prompt, cool, matter-of-fact approach aborts many protests. Since you set the ground rules beforehand, you need not explain, apologize, or get wishy-washy about your discipline. If your child senses uncertainty, a protest is likely to follow. Avoid yelling “I’ve told you ‘no’ a thousand times.
Now you go to your room and don’t come out till I tell you to.” This abusive style pushes anger buttons in the child, putting time-out into the revenge category and canceling its behavior-changing purpose. Keep the time brief--around one minute per year of age. For older children you can make the time fit the crime: “That’s a five-minute time-out.” When our kids were into hockey they better understood this mode of discipline: “Five minutes for pushing!”
If you want to know Toddler Time Out Techniques that works this newly published video online is pretty impressive. Created by child experts Sherrell Swink and Rebecca Kozuszek, Toddler Time Out! Covers common toddler behavior such as hitting and throwing. With a short and parent-friendly format, Toddler Time Out! Offers an alternative to hitting or spanking your child, and introduces a new way to give a child under the age of two a time out.
If you want to check it out you can do so by clicking here: Toddler Time Out
