My little girl is 18 months old and im looking for positive ways to deal with inappropriate behaviour, I’m referring to things like biting, throwing food, pulling hair and throwing things at people. I just don’t know how to make her understand doing certain things is not ok. I’ve said stop or no in a stern voice but find that doesn’t really work. Sometimes she has been just tired, some wanting my attention but other times neither of these things. I love my baby girl very much and want to help her learn right from wrong
- When my daughter was that age and did most of what your daughter is doing, I would put her on the wall never for long ( like she would sit down and stand up and walk off 60 sec at most chubby baby lol) and for her that was enough to break it and the food thing make her pick it up, my DD stop quickly. my DS 16months now took a little longer but he has stop throwing his food (unless is his is a cheeky mood). Cherie
- Unfortunately you have to be firm and it’s very hard but you have to take away their favorite toy, not do a usual fun activity they do etc. When my daughter was like that I would make her have timeout in a room with no toys/ distractions. I would take certain things off her. At first not for a long period but she wasn’t learning from that and kept being naughty. As soon as her items were gone for 24 hours she soon realized what bad behavior would lead too. No fun no toys. It only took her about a week to stop all she was doing and never had anymore trouble. Kiri
- There’s a book called No Bad Kids by Janet Lansbury that you might find has useful techniques. Her page on FB is also a good one to follow, she posts lots of articles etc. Natalie
- My daughter was the same, personally it’s too young for them to understand time out in my experience, I just kept telling her no it’s not nice in a stern voice then changing the subject, not making too much of a big deal about it worked for us!!! It comes and goes and it’s definitely a stage that really tests your patience !!!
- The main thing is to be consistent and persistent. Danielle
- I did time out and it worked for my son, but every child is different! Unfortunately they just love to push our buttons! Ashlee
- I found at that at saying no and redirecting them (to a different room, toy etc) works well. You have to be consistent, it’s something that can take weeks or months of constant work and teaching on your part. Keep at it, she will learn. Amanda
I follow Aha Parenting on FB and Andrea Nair on FB. Also the YummyMummy club both on FB and the web page. All of these often provide articles that are extremely helpful with toddler, child, and teen behavior. Why kid do what they do and how to handle it. Good gentle parenting and attachment there are often good tips on pages that support this kind of parenting as well. We find that boundaries and strict consistency in our response to our child’s behavior is the key. Also diet … Low sugar but high calories to ensure that their energy is long lasting and their blood sugar is consistent and maintained. GOOD LUCK. Regan
- I usually tell my daughter what I want her to do instead of reinforcing what I don’t want. I will say open hands please or gentle please and find that works better than saying stop hitting etc. Kelly
- Naughty spot super nanny style worked for us. Started at 17 months. Takes some persistence to make them stay but totally worth it. You might have a tough few days cos it seems to be time outs for everything but now my 2.5yr old only has time out like once a week. Kelly
- Articles and books by Janet Lansbury and/ or Sarah Ockwell- Smith. Kathryn
- My daughter was similar but would only do behaviour with me. I just stopped what we were doing and said calmly I don’t want to play with you if you are going to hit me etc then move away. I figured it was what I would tell her to do if another child was hurting her. She stopped behaviour pretty quickly. Nyree
- My little boy was doing a lot of that stuff too and I thought it wouldn’t end, but it did! I kept reminding him that his behaviour was inappropriate, sometimes ignoring his beaviour so that he didn’t associate the negative behaviour with attention, confiscating items thrown, etc. I was surprised how quickly he changed, I think it was a phase most toddlers go through. Lis
- Highly recommend the 123 Magic Program. It works very well. Anna
