14 month old and timeout?

Question

My daughter very strong willed and no means nothing to her. When I say no and take something away from her or take her away from something she loses her mind, screaming, crying, tears and *my fav* laying on the floor... I was thinking bout timeout? Putting her in the pack and play for a minute? I feel like she might be young but then again I have to get a handle on her behavior. Any ideas?

Answer

My first thought is that she will learn to hate her pack n play and only ever see it as a punishment and you’ll never be able to use it for anything else again. I’m not sure if they’re too young for time out at that age but regardless I’d avoid using the pack n play.

Answer

In my opinion, that's too young. Try a different approach. I try to take things away in a pleasant way and say "oh no, we don't touch that lovey. Can you give it back to me please?" in a sweet tone. If they listen, reinforce with a "thank you!" My 20 month old just took the vinegar from the counter and that's what I did. She gave it back. Problem solved, no conflict, because she "voluntarily" gave it back in a pleasant exchange.  Obviously if she didn't, I'd take it from her. And yeah, she'd get upset and she'd have a tantrum.....which is developmentally normal for that age, especially when they don't have verbal skills yet. Tantrums are normal. And developmentally appropriate. Allowing a tantrum does NOT reinforce tantrums. Tantrums in and of themselves are not a behavior problem at that age. The best thing to do is to state what they are feeling "yes, you really really wanted the vinegar, and you are upset that mommy took it away from you!" And then move on with your day. Baby is on the floor kicking and screaming....go fold some laundry. The only way you'll reinforce a tantrum is by giving in to them and giving it more attention. But until they're older and well able to otherwise express their emotions, I don't think punishment is appropriate, as their tantrum is their way of expressing frustration. If they're breaking things or hurting themselves that's different, but them getting angry might be unpleasant for you, but not a "problem". I have 4 kids and a master's degree in clinical psychology and worked for 12 years in a social services agency, my older 3 kids are very well behaved. So no they're not undisciplined and wild (some people on here have replied to these suggestions with snarky comments that my kids will end up as spoiled delinquents), it's a different manner of interacting with your child and rephrasing their behavior from "bad" to "developmentally appropriate, but no I don't just give them whatever they want".

Answer

I had a pediatrician tell me that it was fine to have my son stand in the corner for a minute as a timeout. Idk that I would use a pack-and-play or anything like that because then she's going to associate it with punishment.

Answer

I would use a chair or a spot in the house. For 1 minute per her age. Every time she gets up her time starts again. It really helps if you are calm and use it as a calming down her emotions time. When you are done explain in very easy terms why she was taking a time out. Such as "we don't throw toys." "We don't bite." "We sit down at the table to eat." When she rejoins in on what is happening praise her for good behavior saying things like "I really like it when we can use our inside voices." "Wow you are doing such a good job being a big kid at the table."

Answer

Tell her No and smack her hand ( obviously not hard enough to leave a mark) just to let her know that no means no

14 month old and timeout?

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