UrbanBaby - Survey: My DD is 6 months and I am alre...

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Survey: My DD is 6 months and I am already getting a bit worried about the terrible 2s (my niece is a tyrant to her parents and I am scared to death that my DD will be like that). What was the most effective or least effective book or discipline technique that you used for your toddler?
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06.06.09, 05:14 PM [ Flag ]
- Act swiftly to counteract freakouts and remove DC from the situation. Sound authoritative, don't say things like, "You need to stop screaming, OK?"
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  06.06.09, 05:18 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
- when you tell your little one what to do and they don't do it, act. don't keep asking them or give warnings as it undermines you later. example: i told my dd (22 mo) not to jump on my bed and she jumped, so i quietly and without emotion picked her up and went to another room to play. that's it, no talk, no anger, just removed her from the stimulus. there was some crying but she found a toy and stopped. the next time she got on the bed and stood up to jump, i said "no jumping on the bed please" and she sat immediately. may not work for everyone - she's very obedient even during this stage - but she knows i mean business.
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  06.06.09, 05:38 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
- don't worry...not all kids have terrible 2's. My best friend has 3 really HARD kids...thank god my kids are easy. We have our bad days but when I say something to them, I stick to my guns. DON'T EVER LET THEM SEE YOU SWEAT. Stick to your guns...always follow through. If they have a tantrum, remove them from the area of issue is you are outside of the house. If the tantrum is at home, WALK AWAY..most of that is for show. If they don't have an audience they will stop. GL
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  06.06.09, 05:58 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
- Two things: (1) Start as you mean to continue. In other words, don't wait until they can understand you. Start with the expectations as soon as they're developmentally appropriate. (2) 1-2-3 Magic. It's a book. Buy it.
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  06.06.09, 06:54 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
- Just remember that you teach them how to behave by the way that you react to their behavior. You yell, they will yell. You give into tantrums, they will throw tantrums. You give in to negotiation or crying or fits, they employ all of these. Some good advice I heard early on was, "Ask for the behavior you want" instead of saying "No" or "Don't" all the time, which all 2 yo's react against. Also, try to just enjoy the 6 month time now - it's so happy! Stop fretting about the future and enjoy! ;)
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  06.06.09, 09:32 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
- Relax and enjoy all the stages your kid will pass through; those 2s may never be terrible. There are some developmental similarities in most kids, but they are all still individuals. We never met the terrible 2s,3s or 4s! 5 had its scratchy patches, though. I agree with the points of others here, advising setting the tone and following through; that's the best bet for the entire trip-consistency. I've never liked the counting down for obedience-I'm going to count to 3", etc, but have used counting for myself, in trying moments.As for parenting books, I'm not a big fan but really like Dr Grace Mitchell's A Very Practical Guide To Discipline With Young Children and Common Sense Discipline:Building Self Esteem in Young Children.They're pretty excellent. Stop projecting and set positive examples for happy, productive habits. Have fun.
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  06.06.09, 09:56 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]
  - Stick with very clear, very simple language to let your child know what is and is not okay. Don't busy it up with explanations and reasons, while you're correcting/informing. You can find other ways to revisit and elaborate at other times.
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    06.06.09, 10:08 PM [ Flag | link to this post ]