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6 toddler discipline ideas that will make life easier for both of you

Leslie Anderson
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As a parent of a toddler, you might look at your little boy or girl and wonder who’s impersonating the lovely baby you used to know.  While this may be a common feeling among some parents when it comes to disciplining your toddler, you may want to focus on a few tips that will help reinforce positive behavior while addressing the negative action so that you can assist your little one as he or she slowly transitions into a toddler.

Toddler discipline ideas

Prompt discipline

Sometimes when you’re looking after multiple children, or you’re outside of the house with your toddler, you might put off discipline for a few moments. Making sure the other children are safe or not wanting to discipline your child in public are normal reactions but according to Dr. Kristin Carothers, a clinical psychologist, addressing an issue immediately helps your child to better understand the connection between action and consequence.

Little girl with head down sitting on sidewalk
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Assurance of love as a toddler discipline idea

Disciplining a toddler is not all rosy and easy, and it does involve a continuous process. Patience is called for so that your toddler can achieve this important social milestone. On the one hand, you have to be cautious enough to address the bad behavior in a real-time fashion, since your toddler may neither remember nor understand why you’re scolding him later. Also, you’ll need to resist the temptation to shout and try to talk calmly as you call out the bad behavior without condemning your child.

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Assure your toddler of your love, but be firm and consistent with the consequence. If you follow through with age-appropriate punishment like time-outs, according to renowned pediatrician Harvey Karp, M.D., you won’t find a need to negotiate for good behavior.

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Provide a clear explanation

Another toddler discipline idea from Dr. Carothers involves giving specific, actionable guidance to your little one. While telling her “no” might get her attention, your toddler still doesn’t know exactly what to do or not to do. However, when you tell your toddler to stop hitting, for example, then she has a clear idea of your expectations.

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Offer attention often

With busy schedules and many commitments, carving out some time to listen to your toddler helps you to learn more about what goes through his mind. This toddler discipline idea will go a long way in instilling good behavior. Child behavior professionals say that listening tops the list of means through which parents can win over their toddlers.

You can achieve this by routinely engaging her in a play session and by using this time to gently correct bad behavior as you condone and give thumbs up for the good behavior. Avoid reacting by shouting even when she errs.

Also, learn to ignore harmless actions and think ahead enough to keep trouble at bay by putting aside non-play, harmful, or fragile items in the immediate environment that may attract his attention.

Setting examples

Toddlers learn by seeing. This is just the way they are. You may talk to them often, but when all is said and done, they emulate what you do. Teach them empathy by being willing to discuss their situations even as you set limits, and do this with love. They will feel the love and remember the action plan against the bad behavior.

Also, shift your punishment from time to time so that you are not too predictable. Learning not to overuse time-outs helps maintain consistency while teaching flexibility.

Choose your battles wisely

Like any other age group, toddlers require you to pick your battles carefully as noted by Dr. Linda Pearson, child psychologist. You risk taking away the desired effect of discipline when you call out the same behavior repeatedly. Over time, your toddler stops taking you seriously, and the behavior gradually becomes worse. So you’ll both benefit from choosing the behavior that’s the most severe and needs the proper attention as opposed to the most annoying. Plus, you’re showing your child that he can’t get the best of you, and you’ll provide more positive attention instead of negative.

With these toddler discipline ideas, you’ll get your little one back on track while maintaining the peace and closeness in your relationship with her. And though it might not feel like it at the time, you’re doing your children a favor by showing her early on that the world doesn’t always bend to her will. And that’s a vital life lesson that carries into adulthood.

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Leslie Anderson
Leslie Anderson
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Leslie Anderson is a freelance writer/writing coach from Roswell, N.M. She enjoys gardening, cooking, and helping students…
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1. Time bedtime perfectly
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2. Keep bedtime consistent
While you want to go with your child's natural rhythm as we just discussed, once you know the time your child typically gets drowsy, pick that time on the clock to be bedtime every night. Staying up an hour later one night and an hour earlier the next won't encourage a successful bedtime routine with minimal resistance.
3. Time dinner appropriately
Does your child come out of bed asking for a snack? Make sure they haven't eaten too early so that they're hungry again after the bedtime routine. Time dinner to be over an hour or less before bedtime to avoid this issue. The digestion will also help make them sleepy.
4. Wind down
Kids shouldn't go straight from running around outside into bedtime. After dinner, wind down with books, chatting about their day, quiet music, stretching, or even breathing exercises or meditation. This isn't a good time for tablet time since the light can mess with their circadian rhythm. Bedtime starts long before bedtime, prepping the mind to be quiet and restful.
5. Set up the space for success
Make sure your child's bedroom encourages sleep. You want them to feel safe and calm, so some soothing music or a white noise machine can help. Some fairy lights or a night light that projects stars onto the ceiling can also make a child less scared of the dark. You can even put a lavender spray or sachet under the pillow to encourage sleep. Invest in blackout curtains so natural light doesn't keep your child awake or wake them up too early (they might also be scared of the dark out the window, so keep the curtains closed).
6. Stick to a consistent routine
The repetition of the bedtime routine should cue your child's brain every night that it is time for bed. For most kids, this involves brushing their teeth, washing their face, going potty, and then once in their room, putting on PJs and having some books read aloud to them. You may also add rubbing their back or another soothing and calming part of the routine after story time. Even the number of books and length of the stories should be consistent.
7. Attend to every need preemptively
If you are potty training or post-potty training, you might not let your child have unlimited water overnight. In this case, having their last drink of water should be part of the bedtime routine. Make sure going potty is one of the last parts of the routine before heading to the bedroom so they can't come out saying they have to go again. Whatever they come out asking for nightly, attend to it right before going to bed to avoid the request coming after bedtime.
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