Right time to start teaching discipline

Traditional disciplinary methods such as 'time-out' are not effective at this young age. So, then what can work? And what should be the right age to adopt such methods?

As you might have guessed, it is as important for parents to know how to discipline children as it is for children to learn how certain forms of abuse are unsafe or socially inappropriate.

After all, it is a lengthy process, but if done in the right way, it is a positive experience, which will prove to be better for your baby in any case.

Birth of discipline

• Setting boundaries, reinforcing good behavior, and discouraging less desirable behavior can begin when your child is a young child.
• There are things that even small babies shouldn't do, for example pulling your hair. Children's linguistic understanding, memory, and attention span are limited, therefore, the best strategies used in infancy are focused on minimizing impairment without actually giving them any education.
• Distracting them (i.e. helping them to do better by distracting them from their current activity) and ignoring them are two very effective strategies.
• For example, if your 4-month-old enjoys pulling at your hair, you can gently remove her hand, give her a kiss, and then turn her attention to something fun, appropriate, or a rattle or other toy Huh.

Of course, you don't want to ignore potentially dangerous behavior, but when your 7-month-old excitedly throws his food or toys out of his high chair, it's okay to ignore it. They are learning to control their hands and have also started to understand the concept of cause and effect. Of course, such behavior may annoy you, but remember that it should not be upset or exaggerated. Many parents think that when their kids constantly change channels on the remote, they do so with the intention of annoying them. Parents often get frustrated when a child behaves like this. The most effective way is to maintain a calm demeanor and keep doing your work.

8 to 12 months

When your baby starts crawling around 8 months, it is the right time to start thinking about setting boundaries. From the little things lying on your side table to the rolls of toilet paper lying under the bathroom sink, everything is within reach of your little one.

 Children of this age just want to explore, they have no idea what they should or should not do. If you don't want them to touch anything, make the house safe by keeping things out of their reach and prominently placing child-friendly items.

It is said that this is the best way to keep the child out of trouble and also makes it very easy to follow the rules.

• Many parents say 'no' to their young children when they see them doing mischief. Unfortunately, this is not an effective disciplinary method for children of this age.
• Your child understands from the tone of your voice that 'no' means something different from 'I love you, but they don't understand the actual meaning of the word.
• Plus they lack the desired self-control to pay attention to you.
• Some things are out of their range - use other techniques to reliably teach this.

12 to 24 months

Your child's communication skills are developing around this age, so if you have pets in the house, you can explain to them a basic rule like "don't pull a dog/kitten's tail". You can begin to use the word 'no' judiciously, especially in dire situations. However, too much repetition of the word wears its edge and can ultimately render it completely useless.

At this stage, the physical skills of the child are also coming in their full form. Your moving little tot will be thrilled with his newfound independence and will be disappointed at not being able to do all the things he loves.

• While their anger should get your immediate response, these emotional whirlwinds are part of the development process and should not be punished severely, such as taking away their privileges or sending them to their rooms.
• When your child gets angry, it is the right time for you to get to know your child. Some children calm down quickly by distracting them; Others need a hug.
• If such an angry moment goes on for too long, take your child from there and tell him or her what is going on.
• For example saying, "We can't stop in the store if you keep yelling" until they calm down.

The frustration resulting from your child's inability to communicate effectively can also lead to hitting or biting. When disciplining them in such a situation, you have to tell your child that they do not have to do anything in a hurry, and divert their attention to some suitable activity.

24 to 36 months

Turning two is the start of two-year programs, pre-school and play-dates, which are great in terms of your child's socialization skills, but they also lead to new discipline problems.

Sharing toys, time and attention is a difficult task at this age. What makes the situation even more complicated is that your child, who has taken the toy, is getting in the way of children from outside your family, even adults.

Children can understand simple commands, empathy, and cause and effect, so you can try these methods when disciplining them. "It makes him feel bad for taking Rohan's crayon away," and then give him another crayon to play with when he gives back the first crayon. The key to disciplining young children and preschoolers is to keep things very simple. Research has shown that adults who endure prolonged scolding are less effective than those who have endured short and direct scoldings. It's Time Out!

Time-out can also be tried on children aged 24 to 36 months. A 'time-out' is a disciplinary method that requires your child to sit quietly in their chair or in their room for one minute to calm down (one minute for every one year of age) when they misbehave. For example a 3-year-old gets 3 minutes. They will only wake up when you say the 'time-out' is over.

Of course, every child is different and no discipline method always works. But the more practice you do at it, the more your child will understand boundaries and develop appropriate personal and social behavior.