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set limits decide what is acceptable and unaccept- able
behavior
to you and establish con- sequences. as much as
toddlers
enjoy their newfound freedom, they also need the security of boundaries. dr. jennifer guidroz, chairman of pediatrics at the baton rouge clinic, describes this as an ?if/then? approach. for example. ?if you hit again, then you will go to time out.? be sure to follow through so that your
child
knows you mean business. be timely and consistent ?e consequence needs to be immediate. if you address the issue 10 minutes after it happened, most
toddlers
won?t be able to make the connection between their
behavior
and the consequence, and you lose the lesson. ?ere?s no hard and fast answer to how many times your
child
will repeat the
behavior
before learning the consequence, but it?s crucial to al- ways respond consistently. if, in one in- stance, you tell your
child
to pick up his toys, and in another you pick up all his toys before company comes because it?s easier, you end up sending mixed signals, which confuses your
child
. turn negative
behavior
s into learning experiences always look for the teachable moments when disciplining your
child
. for exam- ple, if your little one is continually pull- ing out all of the tupperware from your cabinet, take a moment to view the world from his eyes. what you might say is, ?while we put these back, let?s look at all the fun shapes we have here.? by turning simple corrections into learning experi- ences, you are disciplining in a positive manner, while allowing your
child
to dis- cover more about the world around him. offer redirection
toddlers
are easily distracted. if you see your tot headed for trouble, sometimes simply saying their name will distract them long enough to avoid the no-no. be on the lookout for opportunities to di- vert his attention to some new situation, like offering a book to read, or finding a new, acceptable toy. give a time-out ?is classic technique, if used effective- ly, is still one of the best techniques for reducing unwanted
behavior
. ?e gener- al rule of thumb is to assign time based on one minute per year of age, so for example, two minutes for a two-year- old. keep in mind that this should be a maximum time, and not a hard and fast rule. ?e goal of time-out is to give your
child
a break from a situation that has overwhelmed him, so the sooner he can get in control of his emotions and join the rest of his family, the better. choose a safe place where your
child
is removed from the action, but can be indirectly observed. when time-out is over, reiter- ate why the
child
was sent there, so he time-outs and
toddlers
by lauren labbé meher here are a few strategies to help discipline your toddler: it happens to every parent: the moment you look at your ?baby? only to realize that your bundle of joy is suddenly a walking, talking toddler. since
toddlers
are constantly on the move as they discover their expanding world, it doesn?t take much time for them to get into some sort of trouble. parents quickly realize that when it comes to discipline, they too are treading in uncharted waters. the sooner you can figure out how to best navigate these new challenges, the easier it becomes to enjoy the ride. 56 brparents.com | may 2016
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