Appropriate discipline for a 10mo. old?

Andrea - posted on 02/02/2010

He can understand some of what you tell him. More than what most people think (and at 10 months yes he can throw them - we are born selfish and at 10 months he knows when he wants something). If he is throwing a tantrum because you aren't holding him and he wants you to explain why. Tell him " Mommy is .... right now and I can pick you up when I'm done." If if is because you won't let him have something dangerous (or even if it's not) tell him no and redirect as much as possible. My son is 9 months old and he will go for outlets and cords anytime he can. He knows he is not supposed to because he will stop and look at me right before he gets to it. I tell him "No, go play with your toys" once and if he still goes for it move him away from it and say No again pointing him in the direction of his toys. If he throws a fit I ignore it so long as he doesn't hurt himself. Many times he will go back and we repeat the process until he gives up. We have had a few long battles but I believe teaching Young children to obey is very important. It only gets harder the longer you wait. We've been doing this since he started crawling and 9 times out of 10 he will turn and find something else to do but he has to test it at least once or twice a week just to make sure mommy is going to be consistent :)

Heather - posted on 02/01/2010

It would help to know what is causing the tantrums. If it's because you put him down, then just let him work through it while you do what you need to do. If it's because you took something away that he wasn't suppose to have, again, just let him work through it. Like I said, it would depend on what is causing the tantrums. One of my twin girls through nasty tantrums at 10 months. I just let her work them out on her own. I made sure she was safe, but she was usually upset because I wouldn't pick her up. She learned to work through them and then was able to refocus on something other then mom.

Kristen - posted on 02/01/2010

Well, I'm not so sure 'discipline' is the right word to use.



At 10 months old he doesn't know what a 'temper tantrum' is. He doesn't know what 'anger' is. He doesn't know anything about anything yet.



If he seems to be having a 'tantrum' it's probably because he's frustrated or unhappy about something. Since he can't voice his displeasure, he does the only thing he knows how (screaming, throwing something, etc, etc). This isn't really the same level as say, a two year old screaming and throwing a toy across the room because he's been told 'no'.



It's time for teaching, fellow momma. :o) He doesn't need to be 'disciplined' he needs to be 'taught'. He might be too young yet to be put in time out. I know when my kiddos were that age, it would have made their frustration a thousand times worse.



In my opinion, you need to just help him through his rough time. He's still a baby. He needs comfort. Once you think he's ready, then a good way to teach that bad behaviour is not accepted is time outs. If he does something wrong, put him for 30 seconds to a minute in the playpen or highchair. Explain once why he's in there, and what he did. Once the time is up, have him say sorry (or his version of) and make sure to give hugs and cuddles.



I really don't think that at 10 months old he understands right and wrong, therefore you can't discipline him for something he doesn't understand. He's a baby, and he's just communicating with you.



I started time-outs with my kiddos at around age 2. Prior to that, if they did something wrong, I would say a firm 'no' (for instance, if they had a cord in their mouth, I would say 'no' and promptly take them away from it, and focus their attention on something else).



I found this article to be helpful...http://www.babycenter.com/404_should-i-d...





Good luck with everything!