Baby-Momma Blog

Ever since Isabella was around the age of one I started to discipline.  I’m not one to believe that hitting is a method, so we use the time out corner in our house.  My friends and family are shocked at how when I tell Isabella to go in the corner, she goes and stays.  So, I thought I would share my tips on how I make it work.  My way might not be your way but if your looking for help, here is how I do it.  First off, I would like to mention that I get a lot  of my tips from the show SuperNanny.  I refuse to have a child that acts like some of those kids on that show and if they do, they will know the consequences. Every time I watch that show I wonder how they ever get that way.  After seeing how Super Nanny transforms families and instills positive results, I thought if I start with these tips from the get go. So far so good!  So back to the time out corner and discipline.

1. Like Supernanny says, be consistent.   When I start putting Isabella in the corner for misbehaving after I say no, she goes in the corner. If I punished her once for that reason, make sure you do it going forward until he/she understands that what they are doing means not to do it again.

2. 1 minute for each year of age is what I heard and have been going with.  Isabella now sits in time out for 2 minutes at the age of two.  She says, Mommy, Mommy.  After two minutes I go over and tell her what she did wrong and why I put her in the corner.  She then usually hugs me and gives me a kiss :p

3. At first if they keep coming out, like SuperNanny says….Keep physically putting them back.  The first time, just put them in the corner.  Second time tell them why they are there. After that you just keep putting them back and not say anything. After time out is up, I get down to her level and tell her why she was in there.  Give her a kiss and tell her I love her.   Starting this when she was one and now that she is two when  I say go in the corner, she now just goes. People are shocked.

4.  I discipline her where ever I am.  If I’m at a friends house, I find a corner.  I was recently visiting a friend of mine that had children and Isabella thought it was funny to run across the couch.  She knows better to do it at our house but thought maybe because we were at someone else’s she could get away with it.  Nope!  I put her in the corner and she hasn’t done it again any where else since.  I find a corner everywhere.

5. Pick the right place for you.  Time out Stool, Step, Mat or Corner.  Make sure it’s a boring place!

One big thing I do if is not just notice when she is bad.  I also notice when she does something good.  If  she takes out a toy and put it back or if she is coloring and doesn’t use that crayon anywhere else, I make a point to let her know how great it was for her to do that and say Great Job Isabella. Mommy is so proud of you for whatever.  Reward her, not so much. Rewarding for acting a way you should is not the key in my mind.  She should just know how happy I am for doing the right thing.

I also want to share that Anthony and I also discipline each other for what we discipline her for.   We often goof around and wrestle. We did it way before Isa was born.  We now put each other in the corner.  The best was the other day when we had lunch at his office.  Anthony’s two other partners were there and Anth hit my leg just goofing around.  I think he actually asked me to pass him the salt or something.  Isa  was right there and saw it.  I got to put him in the corner in front of everyone.  He was then a good boy HILARIOUS!

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