How do you discipline a 16mth Old?

Cindi - posted on 03/01/2010

My son is the same way. I started with the no and that got no where, i tried spanking him on the butt not to hard and that dont change anything he still does it, but he does watch to see if your looking before he does it so he knows hes doing wrong. I would just keep telling them why your saying no and they will understand as they get older.

Rebecca - posted on 02/22/2010

My daughter is the same way- constantly climbing and no fear whatsoever! Her Dad & I have actually started putting her in time out- and it *seems* to be working, at least it gets her attention a lot better than just telling her no. We pick her up right away from whatever she's climbing on ( or move her away from what she's getting into), sit her on the floor with her back against the wall, and then point at whatever she was climbing/getting into and tell her, very assertively "NO! You don't do that because (fill in the blank). " We then tell her that she's in timeout and that she has to sit there for a minute. After the minutes up, we hug her, and tell her again, in a gentler voice that she can't do (fill in the blank). It's working, but it's tough, and I'm trying to get the grandparents on board with this too.

I don't agree with the handsmacking, but I do a "modified" hand smack, for instance when she reaches for the knobs on our stove. I grab her hand with my left hand and then smack MY hand (very close to her hand) ...hope that makes sense. Anyway, it gets her attention with the loud clap, but it doesn't physically hurt her. She cries most of the time when I do this, and a few times I've had to explain to someone near me that I didn't actually smack her hand.

Hope this helps!

Filipa - posted on 02/21/2010

well, to be honest, this is for me the most difficult part, in fact, you have just to be patient, breathe deep and do not count the tens of times that you say NO in one alone day, and some times, in only 1 hour...

as a friend says, the babies are as small animals, only the persistence and much patience of our part can function. when they are little, I don't agree with a hand smack, at least, I try to do it the later as possible. For me, it really depends on our patient.

KRISTENA-KHADIJAH - posted on 02/21/2010

TIME OUT WORKS!

GET YOURSELF A SPECIFIC CHAIR AND PUT THE CHILD IN TIME OUT. I PUT FARRAH IN TIME OUT FOR 1.5 MINUTES AND SHE HAS TO STAY IN THE CHAIR FOR THE FULL TIME. IF SHE GETS UP BEFORE THE TIME OUT IS OVER I PUT HER DIRECTLY BACK IN THE CHAIR AND START THE TIMEOUT CLOCK FROM THE BEGINNING.THE TRICK IS TO NOT ARGUE OR TALK BACK AND FORTH WITH THE CHILD UNTIL THEY HAVE COMPLETED THE TIME OUT FULLY. THEN WHAT I DO IS TELL HER WHY SHE WAS IN TIME OUT AND THAT I LOVE HER . IT MAY TAKE A BIT FOR THE TIME OUT THING TO CATCH ON BUT IT DOSE WORK.

OH AND WATCHING SUPPER NANNY IS ALSO HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

SHE'S VERY GOOD!!!!!

Alyssa - posted on 02/20/2010

actually my 3 year old tells her little brother to go to time out whenever he does something she doesnt like. she does it to her friends as well. i have to remind her that shes not the parent i am. shes a bossy little thing. kind of like her mommy.lol

Lucie - posted on 02/18/2010

I use the word "stop" as suggested by the day care provider. My son uses "stop" as well at the day care when other kids take his toys and he doesn't like it. It's not perfect and he giggles at me and does it again but I think he at least gets the concept that I don't approve of it.

Kay - posted on 02/18/2010

This post makes me smile as I can relate sooooo much! - my now 4 yr old was exactly the same and would climb anything and everything (he's still the same now) - the pros are that he is very sure footed and rarely falls, and is of course now able to assess what is safe and what is not. What worked for me was to either make it safe for him to climb by putting cussions / beanbags at the bottom - as its important for an adventurer to learn his limitations (in a safe & controlled way), or to distract him with something else. Its no good trying to discipline such a young child as they have very little reasoning and will either do it more for the attention or just carry on anyway because that's what they want to do - they cannot comprehend why they've been punished - and its confusing for them. 'No' doesn't mean much unless you can justify it with a reason so they can understand - but this comes after 3+ yrs. Hope this helps - you've just got to have eyes in the back of your head and be ready with a distraction, but it does get easier. Good luck. xx

Sarah - posted on 02/18/2010

I tried the hand smack once. I regreted it right away, Not only did it not work but i felt awful after having done it. I can't tell my daughter not to hit when i do. When she does something bad i say NO in a raised at stern voice and tell her what to do like Get Down Please, or Sit on your Bum Please. If she does not do what i ask i move her, but only twice, the third time is time out for 2 minutes. I never have to do a second time out for the same problem in the same day.

Stephanie - posted on 02/17/2010

having similar issues...the hand smacking only gets her attention, doesn't seem to be too effective otherwise. Why do they call them the terrible two's when they start around 15 months?? IF you come up with something that works, PLEASE let me know!!!

Pammie - posted on 02/17/2010

I do not agree with spanking children. im my opinion it only teaches that hitting is ok. we have been using timeout with our son since he was 9 months old (when he started walking and getting into things) even if he didn't get upset by being put in time out, at least it took him away from what ever he was doing wrong and provided him some time to focus on something else. now if he does something that he is not supposed to do, i will give him one correction and warning that if he does it again he will have to go in time out. if he does it again he goes to time out for 1 minute. (you have to follow through, don't just threaten it and not do it or it will never be effective) after he finishes his one minute he has to get up and talk to me about why he is in time out. we talk about what was wrong, and what he could of done instead. then he must say sorry and hug and kiss. we use the same method even if we were out in public... yes i'm the mom of the kid that sits in time out in the cereal isle of kroger :) but i feel like i need to be consistent with his punishment no matter what. if we are out in public and i need to get his attention to correct his behavior, i get down on his level very close to his face and whisper when i speak to him. he has to stay calm and quiet just to hear me and it causes way less of a scene than screaming at your child in public and embarasing the child and yourself! yes he still acts up and sometimes has to sit in timeout a few times for doing the same thing over and over but i feel like i am sending a clear message that no matter how many times he for example climbs up on the couch, it will never be an ok thing to do and he will have to sit in time out each and every time. most of the time now, after i give him a warning, he just moves on to something else and avoids punishment.

Cera - posted on 02/17/2010

with our son, we tell him something like.."that's enough, don't do that please" things like that. I'm trying to avoid my son saying "no" which I'm sure is very hard. I say it more than I want to. We will say those other things because it will take longer for him to be able to repeat those words back. When we tell him those things we will also correct what he is doing wrong, like set him on the floor if its climbing on something .. or close something that he has opened . If by the third time he hasnt listened, we will then put him in his crib and close the door.

He will cry, and we will take him out once he has calmed down. It seems to be the best approach we've found, considering he's to young to understand sitting in a time out.

Jeni - posted on 02/16/2010

Kids this age don't understand "no" and negatives like that. If you say "No hitting" or "Don't bite" their brains process it as "hit" and "bite". That is why distraction is so important, you have to tell them what you do want to do. For hitting, we say "gentle touches" for biting we distract by practicing kisses instead.

http://www.howkidsdevelop.com/behaviorTo... is a pretty cool article.

Alaina - posted on 02/16/2010

We have twins at this age. We don't believe in hitting. The thing that has worked for us is two things. One, to physically move them somewhere else, or give them something else to do or concentrate on. They are climbing because they are curious or bored. Teach them curiosity in positive ways. Another thing that we have done is repeat what they are doing then pretend how it hurt us. For example, pulling hair. If my hair is pulled I pretend to cry because it hurts, so we don't want to hurt others. I've never had to climb on the couch and fall off to show that I'm hurt, but it's better than your child. You could also create a crawling fun area with pillows or a fort like area so they have a place that is ok to climb over. Lead boots also might keep them on the floor. lol

Charlene - posted on 02/16/2010

I simply say no. then tell her if she does it again she's goin in time out for 1 minute. Sometimes she stops and sometimes she goes in time out. She def knows what she's doin because she always stops and thinks about it after her 1st warning. I know she seems kinda young for time out but it works, because when she comes outta time out she stops doin what she was put in time out for.

Monica - posted on 02/14/2010

if your not comfortable with a little hand smack. i say if u still have his walker. put him in it for a while ( no longer than a minute). but truthfully its hard to teach a young child not to climb or touch anything they arent suppose to. but when they are out of timeout . redirect them to something else.

Emily - posted on 02/14/2010

all you can do is say no and time out witch is only 3 minutes my son climbs on everything too and getting in to thing it works just tell him time out and be a good boy or girl

Kelley - posted on 02/13/2010

trying to give long explanations to kids this age is futile. consistent cause and effect discipline is the way to go. if you don't believe in hand smacking, use timeout or some other consequence when they don't listen to you. just saying 'no' all the time to stuff is going to make that word meaningless to them over time. say 'no, or else this will happen'...and then don't doddle around. if they ignore your no and threat, follow through with the consequence immediately. i believe redirection can work some of the time and for less serious offenses. but especially if you have an active toddler, you're going to be following them around the house all day 'redirecting' them. in my opinion, that is unrealistic and, honestly, doesn't really teach them anything. kids are smart. give them the benefit of the doubt that they can grasp some simple rules, and take the time to teach them. you'll be building stronger character and mutual respect in the long run.

Ryann - posted on 02/13/2010

I've started counting to three and its really starting to work. I say one real slow then two and at three i jump up walk to her and remove her form whatever she is doing. Shes starting to move on her own by the time i count to two. good luck

Madeline - posted on 02/13/2010

we have never used physical punishment for any of our 4 sons as we do not agree with it our 16 month old son cathan is very over active and if he goes to do something like climbing we just say no firmly and then take him to one of his favourite places in the living room with his toys we have been using this since he turned one and it has worked with us now all we have to say to him is no dangerous and he will move away we have used this technique with all of our children now all of my children are well aware of the dangers around them at first when we used this technique with cathan he would have a screaming paddy but now he is fine with it and we have a saftey gate up and if he is on the floor and anyone has forgot to close it he will go to it and try to close it.cant belive so many people agree with smacking as smacking is a physical punishment and in my eyes a form of abuse

Kristie - posted on 02/12/2010

I've also tried everything w/ my 17 month old. Nothing seems to work. When he started climbing on the couch, it took him a couple of times of falling off from jumping to figure it out. Now I just look @ him, and tell him to get down, usually it works, sometimes not though. He'll look @ me out of the corner of his eye to see if I'm still looking @ him. Little sneak!! I've tried the hand smack, it does not work. I've moved him off the couch sternly, but he usually goes right back.

Melissa - posted on 02/12/2010

You have to say NO and also take them away from the activity you are wanting them to stop. Here at my house I have one that will usually stop after NO sometimes I need to smack his butt but rarely. The other one hears no and then looks at me giggles and continues on doing it. I think I am going to have to impliment a time out with him. Also at this age the couch isnt too much of a danger. William has fallen a couple of times doing things he isnt supposed and even that I have found has made him be more careful or even stop that behavior all together. Just like anyone else they learn by doing I suppose

Michelle - posted on 02/12/2010

how should i handle my son hitting me whenever i tell him no he thinks its a game but i dont know where he learned it from

Emily - posted on 02/11/2010

We do a lot of redirecting. For example, my son likes to throw food on the floor while in his high chair. When he picks it up to throw it I say "put your food here" and point to his tray. When he drops it we cheer really loud. He gets a kick out of it and will then just pick his food up and put it back on his tray so we keep cheering. Same thing could go for the climbing...just redirect his attention to doing something else that you can cheer about.

Caitlin - posted on 02/11/2010

I have tried the hand or booty smack and my daughter either giggles or if she is tired she has a meltdown, so I do not feel it s effective. I take her down and make her look me in the face and tell her no she cannot climb and point at what she was doing. If she knows she wasn't supposed to be doing it she will not look me in the face. I think at this age they are testing us so no matter how annoying it is just stay calm and consistant.

Nancy - posted on 02/11/2010

Try using different word like, "Oh, lets not do that today. How about you and I play with . . ." Redirection sometimes works. It is not fail safe at all. He will keep trying new things. Yes, even at this age they test independance. Good luck!

Cristen - posted on 02/11/2010

I use the "mommy voice". DD always knows I mean business when I use that tone because I have used it since she started crawling to let her know when she's doing something she shouldn't. Nowadays because she has so much on her mind and such a short attention span sometimes I have to get down to her level and calmly and lovingly try to "explain" to her in terms that she can understand why not to do something or that it is a no-no. Like the fireplace, for example, is, "no, hot, ow," all words she knows and uses herself, so it's like I'm speaking her language and it clicks. This almost always works for me!



The big thing is consistency. If she knows that sometimes she can "get away with it", she will always go back to it. We all [my family and BF] have to be consistent in what she's not allowed to do and for the most part she will avoid things that she knows are no-no's.

Ashley - posted on 02/11/2010

i usually spank her on her diaper just enough to hurt her feelings cause we all know with that diaper on it doesnt hurt and then tell her to sit and not stand on the couch. They understand that they are not supposed to be standing on the couch. I also put her in time-out that works too with my daughter. Well i say it works but she is very hard headed and when i tell her not to do something after disciplining her she usually looks at me and does it anyway, so i guess im in the same boat as most of you.

Kayleigh - posted on 02/11/2010

Hiya, my lil girl is 16 months old too, but my GP and health visitor say she is very smart for her ages, She climbs furntiure too and petters on edge while watchin to see wot i do. She knows she is being naughty so it makes it harder to discipline her, she laughs when you say no, or she repeats it, so now, i move her away and if she goes back to it, i tap her on the back of the hand whilst sayin no at same time, we have hit the tantrum stage now, so she normally protests, lies on floor ect, but i ignore her, if she continues to climb furniture or do sumfin she shudnt, she goes in her travle cot inanother room for a minute or so. She wont do it then, I have always been quite strict with my little one, as i dont want her to boss me around lol, usually when she is being naughty its coz she is tired or bored, so in most cases il distract her wiv crayons and paper. That does the trick. Hope this helps at all xxxxx

Annie - posted on 02/10/2010

Check out loveandlogic.com they have a lot of information about disciplining kids by using natural consequences. Their technique for this type of stuff at this age is called the "uh oh" song. You say "Uh oh" and if they don't immediately stop you hold them on your lap for a short while (which they hate) then you let them go. Eventually all you have to say is "uh-oh" and they will back away. My daughter (17 mo.) did this climbing stuff with our entertainment center. I did the uh oh song. I had to be consistent, but now she doesn't go near it. I personally don't think my daughter "gets it" when I slap or spank her. She doesn't connect the physical pain to her behavior. She just knows I slapped her.

Deanna - posted on 02/10/2010

my son is also very active and also a little terror when it comes to climbing on furniture, i tell him to get down, and if he doesnt i warn him that if i get up im gonna smack, if he doesnt move by time im up he gets a smack on the thigh as the hand smack doesnt work, and i get him off the furniture and say "NO" but it is also a bit hard for me as i have a 2 week old girl who needs my attention on feeding her, and my son knows when im feeding her and that i cant move as quick and gets on the furniture more, but hopefully he will grow out of it soon

Brian And Tammy - posted on 02/10/2010

I am a mother of 6, 2 are grown and moved out and 4 are still at home. It is a big responsibility I know and it's not always easy and trust me, you can't befriend a child, you have to parent a child, I've done this all my life and a hand smack is needed to make you child mind you and you have to teach them young to respect authority and to be obedient when they are told something. My oldest daughter like to play with plug in's and cords when she was little and trust me it was hard to start disciplining her because I was a young mother and I thought I would never have to fo that, but ONE day when there was a close call because she wouldn't listen, I learned a lesson myself to do my job and I wouldn't have to worry about that. When you tell your child not to do something or they will get a spanking, they will listen and be safer. you won't ever have to worry about your child getting run over or electricuted because they didn't take you serious. When you tell them you are going to ,, do it.. never make that mistake either, wehn you draw the line and they cross it , do your job.. Best of luck to you.. The most important thing is keep God in the center of your home and pray for your kids always and the Lord will direct you on how to handle those tough situations, believe me it's gonna get a lot worse before they grow up and leave for college... God Bless you and your family

Sush - posted on 02/09/2010

Used some techniques I learnt from "Hand in Hand Parenting". Now my daughter herself says "oowie" and stops herself from doing dangerous things. The techniques are hard to explain but can be found at http://www.handinhandparenting.org/
No smacking or being stern was necessary - was able to set the limit positively by learning the techniques.

Deena - posted on 02/09/2010

I'm reading all the posts, does anyone ever do a time out. I give my 17month old very active boy a timeout in the corner for one minute. This gets him away from the distraction, calms him down and when I let him out, I bend down and tell him not to do what he did and give him a hug and tell him I love him. Does he entirely understand what I am saying, probably not, but he does understand that what he was doing was wrong. Does it always work, no, especially when he is tired or hungry, but it is better than the distractions, I always try those, but sometimes he is determined to do whatever he is doing like smacking me or throwing his food, etc.

Sarah - posted on 02/09/2010

I have just started putting my daughter on the naughty step. At first she just thought it was funny and tried clibming up the stairs or escaping but after a few goes she has now realised that I have taken her away from what she was doing wrong and put her there because she has been naughty. She some times gets to see me take her older brother there too! If she does something extremely dangerous then I will tap her hand or bottom but not very hard.

Stacey - posted on 02/09/2010

I saw this on doctor Phil (don't laugh) as well as I was doing it with my 17 month old daughter anyway. You are doing it right by letting him know that it is dangerous and he shouldn't be doing it but also tell him what a good boy he is when he does get down. Children tend to react better to praise and if he thinks he is doing something really good and getting an applause out of you, he is more likely to keep doing the right thing. If my daughter goes in a drawer she isn't suppose to, I tell her no and to close it. If she closes it without me making her, I say "Good girl" in a really happy voice and even clap! She loves it and usually will stop going into that drawer...until the next time. Smacking kids at that age...or any as far as I am concerned, won't teach them to stop. They don't understand why you are hitting them and you usually just end up feeling horrible afterward. Give it time, he will learn, he is at an age where he is going to test all his boundaries so don't expect him to always listen and do as told. As long as you praise him when he is good, he will learn with time that, that is the reaction he prefers. I hope this helps you out and best of luck :)

Felicia - posted on 02/09/2010

A couple things have worked for me... if my son (17 mo ) is acting up and doing something he is not suppose to i will but him on a chair (dining room) and but it against the wall where he cant reach anything and its very boring. I get down to his level tell him what he did wrong, then i turn my back towards him. I dont want to reward bad behavior by giving him attention. I will do this for about 2 - 3 minutes (most of which his is very angry, or screaming) if he starts to slip of the chair during his fit, i reposition him and turn back around. If he is doing something he doesnt know is bad yet, i tell him why its bad "that will hurt you" or " thats iky" and then tell him its not good. My doctor told me that "no" isnt always the best response rather using different sayings in the same tone. like "please dont do that", "dont touch that" using things other then no. Hopefully some of these things help.

Erin - posted on 02/09/2010

I just want to start off by saying if you are smacking or "spanking" your child at 16 months that is horrible. There are other ways to let your child know they shouldn't be doing what they are doing. If you hit them in anyway they are going to end up hitting you back along with hitting other children.
My daughter just turned 17 months and gets into everything. If she is doing something she shouldn't be we tell her no and I explain why she shouldn't being do that, in simple words like "No, you can fall and hurt yourself" She may not understand it all right now but she will at some point. Then I proceed to focus her attention on something else. It has been working great.

Erin - posted on 02/09/2010

My 17mo does the same thing. I tell him "No" or "uh uh" sternly and he ignores me or laughs. Sometimes when he ignores me I will smack his hand, but let me tell you, it doesn't work. He has started to try to hit me back after I smack his hand, so I won't be using this method anymore. I really think the best thing to do is distract.

Christina - posted on 02/08/2010

I am in the same boat. My daughter knows that she is not supposed to climb on her toy box and play with the outlets.... I have smacked her had and she just laughs at me a blows on her hand... So I had to go to smacking her thigh which she does not like at all but it works for us. I feel bad when I do it but now all I have to say is no, that's bad and she moves or if she doesn't all I have to say is do you want me to spank you and she moves away... well runs lol. But she only listens to me since my husband works. When he yells at her or smacks her hand she just looks at him and laughs.... She is a little brat but we love her lol. Good luck

Nadine - posted on 02/08/2010

I would like to respond to the people who say that disciplining with a smack is violence. Disciplining with a flick or smack on the hand does not have to be a violent response. If you are angry while instilling the discipline, then you are likely to cross that line. However, if you are calm while disciplining them, remove them from the situation, and explain why they recieved it, then lessons will be learned. Pain is a natural teacher. When something hurts, you tend not to do it again. If your put your hand on a bruner, it hurts, the brain is stimulated, and a memory is inserted. Never underestimate your kids. They are smart enough to know the difference between, "I am not to touch the plug or I will be disciplined", from, "if I hit my brother, I go in time out". It's called training. God uses pain to correct foolishness from his children. We learn the most from situations that cause us the most pain, because pain is not fun and we don't like the way it feels. The best book I have found that truely explains how to discipine without being angry is called "Shepherding a Child's Heart" by Ted Tripp. Also, remember, other people don't child proof or clear their homes out for your kids. If you plan on taking your kids to other places before they are 18, you'll have to train them not to get into other people's things. Our job as parents are to train our children how to function in society. That begins by learning at home from natural consequences. Would you rather discipline your child with a tap on the back of the hand, or have them find out the hard way about electrical plugs? I'd rather be the bad guy in the short run to protect them in the long run.

Lois - posted on 02/08/2010

Hi, I don't think it's a good idea to hand smack a 16 months old. A toddler learn things using his hands, so if you hand smack him than he will think it's not OK to use his hand to do anything. And he also doesn't understand why you keep saying NO, that's why he won't stop doing the same thing. The best thing to do is to distract him. I have a 16 months old boy too, and it is really exhausting to keep an eye on him because he keeps touching everything and running here and there, but I never stop him unless he's going into something dangerous, I also try to clear the area of dangerous things before I put him there to play.

Nadine - posted on 02/08/2010

The Uh-oh song works great for this age. Each time he does something you have said no to, say "Uh-oh" in a sing songy way and pace hime in his crib for one minute. Then take him out and reinforce what you said no to. "Mommy said not to touch the plug". If you are consistant with this (every time) He will learn quickly what is unaceptable. It also woks with temper tantrums. I got this idea from "How to Parent with Love and Logic". I highly recomend this book. It is full of great ideas that work right away.

Rachael - posted on 02/06/2010

I typically just repeat "no" a thousand times a day BUT I have started timeouts with her. Typically, I try to tell her why she's going to timeout, then she has one minute of sitting in a timeout chair in her room, reinforce when the minute is over, and all is better with the snuggle that says we are sorry. She actually has gotten somewhat accustomed to it bc if she's having a particularly trying day, I'll ask "Do you want to stop or go to timeout?" and she walks to her room and sits down...at least there's that for some comedic relief ;-)

Sharon - posted on 02/06/2010

When my son does something my husband and I don't approve of, we say, "No Frankie." If he ignores us and goes back to doing the unapproved action, I go to him, take him by the wrist and walk him to a toy or another distraction. This usually distracts him and he finds something else to do. He loves to throw his toys over the gate that blocks the stairs, that's something we are having a terrible time stopping.

Denise - posted on 02/06/2010

I think it is all about what the mother is comfortable using. I have used all kinds of discipline for my daughter. She climbs and does all sorts of things, not necessarily in a mean sort of nature but just cause she is a baby and she is learning. Now for instance. She has learned that she can hit but I have said "NO" very firmly and if she does it again I give her a little hand pat since that is such a naughty thing to do. Now when she is climbing on furniture I dont, I say no I put her down and say no again she will cry and pout and scream but eventually I will get her attention by getting out a book and she will forget about it. but If she goes right back to it I say no and if she keeps trying I say no again and if she doesn't listen I grab her say no tell her why and sit her on the ground. Its all about what you as the mother think is right.

Andi - posted on 02/06/2010

My son is also very active, and I didn't want to be that nagging mom that stressed herself out by constantly saying no to her child, because then by constantly saying no, eventually they will start telling you no. If he's clinbing on the furniture I always tell him to be careful because he will fall and hurt himself. Most times he doesn't fall or get hurt but when he does he learns and doesn't do it again. However lately he's been climbing the stove while supper is cooking and I will pick him up and tell him no. He just wants to see what I'm doing. Just give your kid the benefit of the doubt, most times they are just curious. And other times they are just doing it because they were told no and that's when I firmly tell them no, pick them up and sit them down away from where they were causing trouble. It usually works the first time but if it doesn't I just keep doing it and after a few times they find something else to do. That always makes my son cry and works a lot better than smacking their hands. I have done it but that only teaches them to hit, and at their age they don't understand the importance of not hitting.

Jen - posted on 02/06/2010

I agree with distraction, not physical punishment. If you teach him hitting he will think hitting is an acceptable behavior. Basically I would try to remove the temptation, if you can't remove the furniture I would think really hard about how dangerous it really is, if the danger is minimal I might let him explore, and if he falls, he will learn that it may not be a good idea, or he will learn how to do it safely. This is called teaching with natural consequences. For example, if it's a couch a fall probably wouldn't be very dangerous, stairs on the other hand are too dangerous and need to be gated.

Ruthie - posted on 02/06/2010

my son is also the same age, he is very active and sometimes does things he shouldn't. yesterday he was acting up and trying to push the buttons on the DVD player or something. I wasn't meaning to descipline him while doing this, but as I continually said no, he would just go right back. after a few minutes of this I figured maybe he was acting up because he was tired, and proceded to take him to his room and put him in his crib. he was not happy and did not want to sleep, so he was only in there for about 30 seconds, but after I took him out he got the message and did not try and go back to the same thing. I do not belive in a smack, no matter where it is on the body. violence should never be okay no matter what the extent of it is.

Natalie - posted on 02/05/2010

a smack on the hand or a smack on the bum and tell them no when they r doing something they shouldn't be.

Michelle - posted on 02/05/2010

I as well, tried the hand smack but immediately stopped doing it. I have learned even by a small hand smack, we are actually teaching the child that when we are mad, it's okay to smack/hit. Now, I give him a stern "No!" and I pick him up and set him on the floor on his rear about 5-10 feet from where he was misbehaving. Seems to be working wonderfully!