How To Discipline Your Toddler Video

Discipline is important for children to learn boundaries and consequences for their behavior. Learn how to discipline your toddler in this parenting video.

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Disciple more like shaping behavior for toddler
Distract them to something you want them to be doing
Spanking not effective
Speak in soft voice
Talk softly

About this Author

Dr. F. Felicia Ferrara has more than 25 years of experience in psychology with a specialization in childcare and adolescent adjustment. Ferrara maintains a private practice in Tampa, Fla. and consults in Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties within the family court system. She has trained many educators and psychology students on child assessment, diagnosis and treatment as a former associate professor in the university setting. Above all, Ferrara loves to circulate expert knowledge along with her vast background and training to help people with all types of childcare issues.

DR. F.FELICIA FERRARA, PhD: Hello! I'm Dr. Felicia, the parent coach, and I have been working with children and families for over 25 years now. And I would like to share with you on how to discipline a toddler. Now, discipline is probably not even the correct word. Perhaps, we might call it shaping behavior of a toddler. Because, the truth is, a toddler's mind does not have the conception of clear right and wrong. They certainly know when you're not happy with them, but you want to keep your discipline in a more positive light. You can shush them away, for instance, say they're trying to play with the light switch, and of course, you know they shouldn't be, and hopefully you have your safety mechanisms on the light switches so they don't. But if they should go to a place where they might get hurt, you need to say, "No, no, don't do that," instead of yelling and screaming at them. You want to just take their hands, and softly say, "No, no, that's not for you", and distract them by bringing them to another toy, another activity, or another thing. Little toddlers are so easy to distract. Now, granted there are several toddlers that have very strong will, there is no doubt about that, that's why they call it the terrible 2's. And that's why when they are yelling at you, and they are in the heat of their tantrum, and maybe arching their back, you're not going to get anywhere with that. The main thing to do there is to calm them down first. You soothe them, hold them, rock them, and try to distract them by soothing thoughts, not by spanking. If you spank them like that, it only gets them even more irritated, and then they start screaming more. So the both of you are sitting there like two little children having a war of the minds again. So what you want to do with the toddler is distract them from the place they are that you don't want them, model the behavior that you want them to have, speak to them in a very soft voice, and try to reason with them because, remember, you're setting the pattern of the mother-child relationship from early on. So how you are perceived by that child has a lot to do with how you handle them even in the toddler age. So by three, four, and five years old, then they already know what to expect from you as far as behavior. And to get the best response, be reasonable, talk softly, explain what's happening, and of course, by all means, as a parent putting up with a lot of tantrums, count from one to ten before you respond, all right? And may you have a happy time with your toddler and correct them with an easy manner. God Bless.

How to Discipline Your Toddler Video

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