Discipline Question for 2.5 Yr Old

[AgentBrez]

Hi everyone, i know there is a wide range of ages of moms and their kids so i was hoping you could give me your advice if you have a toddler or what you did when your child[ren] was a toddler.

Clare is 2.5, will be 3 on 12/22. sometimes i feel like all i do is yell at her when she is yelling or whining. it can get very annoying and aggravating to listen to her yell and whine what seems like all the time. what has helped your kid to stop yelling and whining so much? i use time outs for serious offenses like pushing, kicking, hitting her brother [Nathan, 18 months]. i don't spank so that is not an option for discipline for me.

thanks for any help you can give!

[KrhMsh]

Oct. 12, 2009 at 12:44 PM

Count. I give a warning, then start my count 1.... 2... 3, and mine either gets a swat on the butt or a time-out. I don't believe in spanking, but I do believe in a swat on the bottom. Get down on her level once she has calmed and explain to her that big girls don't throw fits, that only babies cry and throw fits, and if she wants to be a big girl she can stop throwing a fit and enjoy the rewards of being a big girl(getting a cookie, picking cartoons/movie, etc etc) or she can act like a baby and go to bed. My little girl is VERY into being a big girl and getting to make big girl decisions and do big girl things, and the counting works like a charm, on bad days I get to 3, but majority of the time, I don't even get to two! 

[momjoy1027]

Oct. 12, 2009 at 2:03 PM

Ignore, especially with the yelling. Calmly pick her up and put her in her room until she's over it. Once quiet, go to her room to get her, explain in a simple way..."you can't yell at me or anyone else, when you do, you have to go to your room to be alone." She's old enough to understand that. With the whining...ugh. My kids are whiners. What worked for my son, telling him that my ears don't understand whining. When he can talk using his regular voice, they will understand, and I can listen. This worked for him because he's very mechanically minded, so I think he really thought my ears were turning off and back on. It didn't work with Emily tho, who is almost 3. Distraction works well for her, she whines when she's tired. Sometimes just telling her, I'm done talking until you stop whining works too. Good Luck Erin!

Sorry, didn't know where to put this, so I thought I'd answer here too.