Is anyone else having discipline issues?

alrighthamilton

Kate is very devilish lately. Hitting the dog, pinching and scratching me what seems like hundreds of times a day when I tell her "no", standing on the coffee table, climbing and attempting to sit on the back of the couch, you name it. I have been sternly telling her "no", and she laughs at me and repeats the behavior immediately. I have been putting her in her crib for 1 minute time outs for the severe infractions, like hitting the dog and scratching. But I feel like I am always putting her in time out. And there are times when she pinches and scratches me when I can't do time out, like in public and when I'm buckling her into the car seat. Is anyone else dealing with this, or do you have any suggestions? I just realized I made her sound like a little monster-she's not that bad, she's pretty cuddly and lovable, but this behavior has worsened in the last week and I'd like to get it under control. Thanks for any suggestions.

Jeffreysmom24

We are having very similar problems with Jeffrey and I have not found anything that works! When he hits me or throws a toy at me (this happens daily) I always tell him no and that it hurts. If it is a toy he has thrown at me, I tell him I will take it away if he does it again and usually it does get taken away. Occasionally he will come over and give me a hug but more often he just ignores me. We have a baby gate around the fireplace and he discovered how to move it back - he knows he isn't supposed to climb over it but still does. He does the same thing as Kate - just laughs when I try to correct him and often repeats the same behavior. I think he knows he can get away with more with me bc he seems to act better with DH. Anyway, good luck! If you find something that works please update!

WhtRssnGrl

It's lovely, isn't it?  I have to tell DD "no" a lot and it gets really old, but I know it won't be like this forever.  They're just testing their limits and seeing what they can get away with.  I don't have any advice, but you're definitely not alone.

BluepointToasted

That is really good behavioral science @CourtandNate! I need to stop being lazy and get started. It's just like with CIO, the first couple of days are really hard and then it makes your life easier

NeneCakies

B is relatively young here (late A12) but we're not doing time outs yet, not even close. I'm not against it, I just don't think she'd understand at all yet.

She also does the laugh and repeat when she hears "no" but we've learned to pick our battles and either ignore the behavior when clearly attention seeking (but not unsafe), or redirect, sometimes physically picking her up and moving her to a new activity.

Not reacting to stuff is so hard but has helped a lot with her throwing, biting and hitting stuff and sticking her finger up her nose. We still say no but don't make it a big deal. It's not a game if we don't play.

vvvvvfee

i always try to phrase things in a positive way. that is, telling them what you want them to do instead of what you don't want them to do. for instance, saying "the sofa is for sitting" instead of "don't stand on the sofa," or "gentle hands" when DS is being rough with us or the cats. i also make a point of saying "ouch, that hurts mommy" if he is pinching me or the like. here is a great site with more on positive discipline- aha parenting. another suggestion's is dr. harvey karp's book, the happiest toddler on the block. i've found some of his suggestions to be very effective.