Tackling the naughty step?

Question

My son is 19 months old and he is a very active little boy often he is naughty and i have been using the naughty step as i dont agree with shouting and smacking (i have also tried sitting him in the room quietly for time out but he forgets that i have put him there and gets up and plays, or just ignores me completely)
When i first put him on the step he was good and he used to sit there for his minute and a bit with no tears and when i went to get him he woudl give me a kiss and a cuddle as a way of apology.

Now however when I put him on the step he either comes down and plays by the door or crawls upstairs.

Does anyone have any tips for tackling this as it seems he is being punished twice, once for the naughty thing he did in the first place and again for coming off the step and not doing his time out

Answer 1

We went through this with my middle daughter. You just have to keep placing him back onto the step--its not terrible if you stand nearby so that he knows you are there...however its so important to make sure you're not interacting with him because he will for sure be trying to get your attention! It was a struggle for us but our daughter finally figured it out and now she sits on the steps for her minutes.

Each time he gets up just gently remind him that he needs to stay on the step because he was naughty and place him back on the step. He will be trying to get your attention when he gets off the stairs and such, so just be firm about putting him back (not giving in) and eventually he will figure it out. It is also probably hard because he is rather young.

Hope this is helpful!

Answer 2

A toddler's attention span is roughly 3 minutes long. Time-out simply does not work. For one thing, he can't sit still yet. For another thing, by the time its over he's already forgotten what it is he's done wrong. I suspect your son is not really being "naughty" but being a typical toddler--which can be quite frustrating to adults. Try redirection first. If he touches a valuable, take it from his hand and guide his hand to something he can touch. If he starts hitting you, take his hand (some people like to give it a small smack, its up to you) and emphatically say "No! Not nice!" You don't have to yell and scream to get your point across. Be consistent and just forget about the "naughty step"--it only works for Supernanny because she's on TV.

Answer 3

if that is the method of discipline you have chosen then bad luck on your son if he is punished twice. He will have to learn to sit and take his time out.

If that means you have to to keep putting him back on the step then so be it. The alternative is that he has no punishment at all if he just walks away.

If he is being punished twice it is because he is being naughty twice.

Stick with it, they are very good at the battle of the wills!

My mum always says to me when i am getting stressed with my children, if you don't sort it out now, what are you going to do when they are 10 and as mine are boys, bigger than you and can throw their weight around a bit more. I know it sounds extreme but you have seen the programmes, i know i have about what can happen.

Stick at it and once he knows he cannot escape from the step he Will learn to sit there once again.

Answer 4

I think it may be worth having a chat to her teachers, find out of something is going on and school. She has made a major leap in her life to date, she may think she has grown up and acting up as a result. Your first step is to chat to the teachers, when she acts up put her in her room and tell her she cannot come out until she learns to act better. Don't give in, no matter how hard- this is just a phase, but you need to tackle it now. Maybe give he her a star chart at home, so when she does something good, reward to star when she gets to ten she gets a treat. If she misbehaves, take a star away. Best of luck!

Answer 5

Honestly I was told by my doctor that punishing children under two is pretty much useless. Pretty much! I have an 18 month old and when he is bad, I will look at him and say no we don't do that and lol that doesn't work, I don't spank children under two.. b/c honestly they don't know better. They are active litte children with active minds. Some do and some don't comprehend what you are telling them. I can tell my son to do this and do that and get this or get that.. and he will in a heartbeat... he heres don't do that.. and he looks at me as if I'm crazy. I'm surprised your son did the naughty step. To help me out my husband suggested smacking his hand once when I tell him no.. and wow does that work.. i mean not a hard slap but a small slap on his hand and he would just stop immediately and not do it for the rest of the day. So goodluck b/c honestly all children are different and learn different ways

Answer 6

How long are you leaving him there? He's not even 2 years old yet, so it shouldn't be any longer than 2 minutes. Be consistent and he should get the idea.

Honestly, at this age redirection works better than punishment.

Answer 7

He's testing his limits. Stay within sight of him and if he gets off, put him back on without saying anything. He's still a bit young to totally understand the concept, but it is a great age for starting this type of discipline.

Answer 8

put him in a room with almost nothing in it so he can;t hurt himself, but make sure you're on the outside if the room, holding the door handle, so he can't get out, after a minute and a bit, go and collect him, he'll soon learn his lesson!

Answer 9

for time out you should put him in a place where you can see him and he can see you and completley ignore him[unless he's hurt] most likely he's playing during time out for your attention ~good luck

Answer 10

when doing a time out you have to stand there and make him sit still at his age he needs to sit for just one minute. one minute per year at age 2 add a minute