What would you do if your baby or toddler started to hit or bite you? Is it possible to discipline your 1-year-old? How would you handle such a situation? New parents are often confused about whether or not to discipline a baby, especially if he/ she is 1. Discipline, especially at the age of 1, is okay, says Dr. Mona, a board-certified pediatrician and a mom of two, in a video shared on Instagram. Though most people associate discipline with punishment, that’s not the case. Then how exactly do you discipline your baby? Let’s take a look.
You can instill discipline early
Most new parents wonder whether they can discipline their babies. The answer is yes, but it’s not necessarily how you assume. “Discipline starts as young as nine months old. You know when your baby starts throwing food on the ground at 10 months or tries to playfully hit you? Even if it’s playful, this is a boundary you’re going to set,” Dr Mona said.
Discipline is not punishment
Most people think discipline means punishment, but that’s not the case, says the pediatrician. “Discipline to me is consistent and safe boundaries and following through, so kids know what preferred behaviours are,” she said. She explained how one can reinforce discipline without attaching punishment to it. “We do not punish children: we set boundaries which are extremely healthy.”For toddlers, she advised avoiding giving big reactions to behaviours you want to discourage. “Instead, calmly but firmly tell them the boundary. Redirect their attention to things they CAN do. “No, we don’t throw food. We can EAT food.” And model eating the food. “No. No hit. Show me a gentle touch.” And model what a gentle touch. Positive reinforcement when they do preferred behaviour,” she said.For a 1-year-old, time-outs are not an ideal approach. “Putting a ‘toddler baby’ in time out is unlikely to change their future behaviour, as they have no way to link their behaviour to why they have to stand in the corner. Time-outs can be used in older children over 2 years where other methods aren’t working. It’s important to note that some older kids respond better to time-outs than more “time-in” strategies,” the doctor explained.
What you should know
If you are a parent of a baby who is around 1-year-old, Dr Mona has shared some tips that may help.
- Don’t give a big rise to undesired behaviours
- Show them what the desired behaviour is
- Positively reinforce when they do desired behaviours (behaviour goes where your attention goes!)
- If they continue with an undesired behaviour after showing them the preferred behaviour; calmly state the boundary and follow through. “If you throw your food, I take it away.” “Okay. All done. We can try again next time.”
Throughout this process, you must have patience and remember that repetition matters for them to understand the consistency and importance of a boundary. As Dr Mona emphasized, discipline does not mean punishment, so yes, you can instill discipline in your child’s life at a very young age.
