5 Tips for Disciplining Your Toddler

So your infant has now reached toddlerhood? Be prepared as your little one starts to test your boundaries and patience. As children grow, they begin to explore and experiment, which can often turn into misbehaviour, as some parents may like to call it.

Your child is trying to gain more independence and will get frustrated on the way. So how do you guide your toddler? Experiment with disciplining techniques to find out what works best for your child. Below are 5 parenting tips for disciplining toddlers:

1 . Offer choices

When your kid denies doing something or acts against you, he/she is trying to gain control. Try to find a middle ground with your toddler by offering choices. Instead of ordering them to clean their room, ask them, “what would you like to clean first? Your toys or your colours?” Keep the choices limited and specific. Do not start with open-ended questions, as your child may get confused. By offering choices, you are giving your preschooler some control over their actions and decisions. They also feel responsible for their actions since they chose them themselves.

2 . Be patient

Parenting is a process, and toddlerhood is the most challenging period for parents. However, it is important to keep your calm and be patient. One important parenting tip is to not get emotional and lose your temper. The message you’re trying to send will get lost in frustration, and the situation might escalate in the wrong direction.

Your child will notice your emotions first and won’t hear what you want them to do. Your toddler might even misbehave on purpose to see your reaction. For some, it might be entertaining. Children need lots of attention, and some might go against you just to receive it.

Resist the urge to lash out by taking a deep breath and counting to three. You can then get down to your child’s level and calmly but firmly raise your point.

Remember, control the situation first and then your child. Do not have high expectations of your child’s patience and self-control.

3 . Reward good behaviour

It’s highly unlikely for your child to always obey you, especially if it’s a toddler. It is common and normal for kids to resist control, do completely opposite than what you asked them to do or straight up deny to obey you. Although in some certain situations, when they do behave appropriately, reward them (on occasion) for guiding them onto the right path.

This could be in the form of special treats and prizes, along with lots of positive verbal reinforcement. By doing this, you’re acknowledging your child’s good behaviour.

You can also praise them for good behaviour since, as rebellious young kids can get, they are looking to please you at the end of the day. Compliment your kid when he/she picks up his/her toys. By doing so, you’re showing them what good behaviour looks like. Positive reinforcement also strengthens the bond since children need lots of attention.

4 . Be consistent

Children at the ages of 3 and 4 are working hard to understand how behaviour impacts people around them. Be consistent with your situations for consistency in your child’s behaviour. If your behaviour and response to a situation keep changing, then your child may get confused. Do not give mixed signals by letting them throw the toys around in the house once and not the other times.

Although there is no number of warnings that sets a pattern for your toddler’s behaviour, consistency is the key. If you always respond in the same way, then your toddler will know what to expect from you.

5 . Positive talk

Watch your words while speaking to your child. By converting “you” statements to “I” statements, you are communicating your expectations in a healthy way instead of playing the blame game. “You’re so selfish that you won’t share your toys with your sister” can be replaced by, “I prefer when both my kids share their toys with each other and their friends.”

Tone your words, and choose them wisely. Remember that you’re not trying to fight with your kid but instead teaching them good behaviour.

To conclude, positive discipline is more effective than punishment, screaming or hitting. At Raising Superstars, we help parents all around the world explore effective healthy parenting techniques to make parenting easy and a fun experience.