Discipline techniques for a two year old.

[staceyobu]

My four year old was so much easier than my second. He is good hearted, but he just does not obey. He'll run into the street with me screaming no. He'll throw hard toys at his sister. He'll dump buckets of toys and refuse to pick them up.

 

I'm feeling at my wits end sometimes. I don't know how much to equate to him being two... and just not worry about... and how much I need to crack down so he stops these behaviors at some point.

 

Any discipline techniques that worked like magic for you???

[Joanne]

Any discipline techniques that worked like magic for you???

 

The only discipline that works like magic is time and the accompanying maturity.

 

2 year olds need few words, lots of hands on action.

 

"Say it once, and act" is a saying of a great parenting author.

 

My own way of saying it is Get Off Your Butt Parenting.

 

With a 2 year old, you can spend the next 3 months:

 

Using time out.

Spanking.

Taking privileges. I don't recommend these, btw.

 

And it will still be a quarter of a year until they grow out of *this* developmental stage and into another one.

 

When your child needs to stop doing something, tell them to stop and if they don't, go to them and make them stop.

 

When your child needs to *do* something, tell them and if they don't, go to them and make it happen.

 

Specific problem areas might help us help you.

[staceyobu]

The only discipline that works like magic is time and the accompanying maturity.

 

2 year olds need few words, lots of hands on action.

 

"Say it once, and act" is a saying of a great parenting author.

 

My own way of saying it is Get Off Your Butt Parenting.

 

With a 2 year old, you can spend the next 3 months:

 

Using time out.

Spanking.

Taking privileges. I don't recommend these, btw.

 

And it will still be a quarter of a year until they grow out of *this* developmental stage and into another one.

 

When your child needs to stop doing something, tell them to stop and if they don't, go to them and make them stop.

 

When your child needs to *do* something, tell them and if they don't, go to them and make it happen.

 

Specific problem areas might help us help you.

 

Okay... two problem areas that immediately come to mind (give me five minutes and I'll have 20).

 

1. Refuses to hold hands crossing the street. I make him hold my hand anyways and he goes limp. I have a six month old that I usually have in a sling. So I typically wind up carrying my kicking screaming two year old AND the six month old across the parking lot or wherever.

 

2. Refuses to pick up toys. Dumps everything and won't pick it up.

[Jean in Newcastle]

1. Refuses to hold hands crossing the street. I make him hold my hand anyways and he goes limp. I have a six month old that I usually have in a sling. So I typically wind up carrying my kicking screaming two year old AND the six month old across the parking lot or wherever.

 

 

 

I used to practice parking lot walking with my toddler. I would take him out in the yard and we would pretend we were in a parking lot and he had to hold my hand. It didn't solve all our problems but it did help.

[Guest mom2jmc]

I found that if I let my son hold my finger, my purse, or the stroller he did much better than if I held his hand. He also liked "The Wiggles", and they have a song called "Stop at the Light" that talks about crossing the road with a friend. I would sing the song when we got to the parking lot, and we would do the motions before we crossed the road holding hands. I am sure we looked very silly, but it worked.

 

For picking up toys we always sing the clean up song, or we race to see who can clean up the fastest.