Reply to Mischievous 12 month old - too early for discipline?

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[quote=Anonymous]OP, I totally sympathize because my DS was doing the exact same thing at that age, thinking it was funny.

The most important things are to remain calm and loving and to be consistent.  If she isn't allow to stand on the coffee table once, she isn't ever allowed to do it (sorry, can't think of better example).  She is testing but not in a mischievous way so much as a learning way -- she wants to know that things are routine, rules are always rules, and she wants to learn what these rules are.

The most useful thing I heard from a teacher at a class we were taking was to think of these instances as your child asking for help and information, not "testing" you or trying to be bad.  Sometimes it's really frustrating, but I think it helps to think of it as a "teachable moment" rather than a moment for punishment or even discipline.

You ask a good question about not giving attention if you have to stop her.  It's okay to tell her "no," but try to do so in a calm, relaxed manner.  Our DS would think it was funny if my DH raised his voice and asked upset.  If we said it more calmly and quietly, it wasn't so interesting to him.

Redirecting is the best thing to do at this age.  If she goes over to hit the glass door with her toy car (happens a lot in our house), you can tell her "no hitting the glass" and calmly move her to another activity.  Here she is learning that this is something she isn't supposed to do, but you aren't making a big deal of it, and you're helping her find something else to amuse herself.

This may be an interesting article for a different kind of approach: http://theparentingpassageway.com/2010/03/26/discipline-without-distress-discipline-tools-for-toddlers-1-2-years-action/[/quote]

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