Have your toddler began to be unruly? Is their favorite word ‘no’? Do they keep on doing things you have told them not to do? Disciplining a toddler may be tricky for parents especially when the toddler insists on their exploring their newfound independence from their parents. Whether it’s a cheeky way for them to see what they can get away with or it’s just their natural curiosity and exuberance, toddlers will eventually need discipline in order to know how to behave and not behave.

Here are five tips when it comes to disciplining your toddler.

Discipline right away.

For toddlers, they need to be disciplined right after they commit their misbehavior. This is so they can easily connect the inappropriate behavior to being disciplined. When you see them do something inappropriate like hitting their sibling, or jumping on the couch or running around with abandon, you must immediately put an end to their behavior, tell them what they shouldn’t do and the consequences of their inappropriate behavior. Connecting the misbehavior with the discipline allows the child to understand his actions have consequences and that he will receive the discipline whenever he does the behavior.

Provide a developmentally-appropriate method of discipline.

Babies certainly won’t have the same level of discernment as a preschooler. This is why you must know how to discipline in a developmentally appropriate way. For babies, repetition is the key when minimizing unwanted behaviors such as tugging at your hair or poking at your face.
Meanwhile, toddlers are beginning to discover their independence. They may understand the word “no” and which behaviors aren’t allowed however, they may be lost as to what to do next. This is where parents and caregivers can step in to guide the toddler on how to proceed. For example, if they tugged at their sibling a little too strongly, parents can say to do it more gently. Or if they hit their sibling out of frustration, you can give them a timeout explaining why they got the timeout.
Preschoolers are more precocious and might be more prone to tantrums. The key to overcoming tantrums is to never give in and ignore if possible. Once a child learns throwing tantrums will not get what they want, it negatively reinforces their tantrum behavior.

Use positive reinforcement.

Instead of focusing and fretting about when or whether a child will commit a misbehavior, experts say it’s better for a parent to praise a child for doing something appropriately such as sitting quietly, expressing themselves or sharing their toys with their friends. This helps the child learn which behaviors are acceptable and they will be more likely to repeat the same behavior.

Model the behavior you want your child to do.

Parents are children’s first role models in life. Young children are very impressionable and malleable in that they mostly mimic and learn their behaviors from their parents. Seeing how you behave is what they’ll pattern their behavior on.

Have realistic expectations.

While using proper discipline methods can help a lot in shaping your child to be a good kid, it’s also important for parents to have realistic expectations of their child’s behavior and emotional capacity. While you may have days where your child behaves in a perfect manner, there may be days when they just seem to be in a bad mood.