Last night DS got a hold of his video monitor and threw it across the room. Of course it stopped working. DH got mad and yelled at him which I didn't agree with. First of all I don't think he should yell at him at this age and second of all, if he does need to resort to some extreme measures, I think it should be reserved for life threatening situations. DH then got mad that I wasn't backing him up. Sigh.
Anyway, it got me thinking - at what age did you guys start "disciplining" your child? Did you start with time outs?
Thanks!
Re: Should you "discipline" a 17 month old?
I start with taking items away, like if DD throws her toy I take the toy for a bit. Time outs work when the child is ready, I will take several tries for them to get it. Maybe even months, but it's usually pretty effective. Try to be firm and loving when you do it. I say to DD "Milla is being a naughty girl, we need to be a good girl." Then I walk away. She mostly cries for a minute and then runs to me to hug me and tells me she's a good girl.
In the situation you had, the monitor was within his reach, of course he's going to mess with it. He shouldn't be punished for doing what comes naturally. He didn't know, he probably has been eyeing it and knew it's get your attention. I'd tell him that's not for him and move it out if reach,