Dear Annie,
My son just barely turned 2-years-old, and we are starting to see the very normal behavioral patterns of a typical 2-year-old, where he is beginning to test us by not listening and throwing small tantrums, etc. He’s not by any means out of control or anything, but before he really begins to act out, I’d like prepare myself with some general advice on how to begin disciplining him now and being consistent. Up until this point, we’ve gotten away with simply explaining to him why/why not you do/don’t do something, which we will always continue to do. However, now that he can better understand and communicate, I’d like to introduce the more regimented types of discipline like, a “time-out” and/or “counting to 3…” which will let him know that what he is doing is not okay and he needs to stop and listen. I’d like to learn some good, consistent ways that we can practice helping him listen to us when he’s acting out. I’d also like to know how to introduce a time-out, when/if it’s necessary.
I believe it’s important to pick and choose your battles when they are this young, but when it’s something that truly needs to be addressed, I’d really like to learn how to be a good and healthy disciplinarian without resulting to shouting (because then, I just feel awful). Can you give me some tips on how to introduce this into our household and what type of reactions to expect from my son? I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you SO much! P.S. I’m so excited to have found your website!
Best,
Danielle
Dear Danielle, Continue reading
Tagged as:
Discipline,
time out
I love the Ask Annie segments that we produce for my show — hearing from parents is one of the best parts of my job. Recently, I received four questions from Moms and Dads fighting behavior battles. Watch the video below to see my answers to these questions: Continue reading
Tagged as:
chores,
separation anxiety,
table manners,
tantrums
Dear Annie,
My 2 1/2-year-old son can be very mean to my husband and in-laws. He kicks and yells at them, telling them to go away and not to talk to him and that only Momma can do anything. He acts like this for a little while after I leave, then he gets over it. I’ve been telling him it’s not nice and he’s hurting feelings. If I see it, I put him in time-out as I know he understands what he is doing. My husband and in-laws do the same. The majority of this acting out is not in my presence, so I’m at a loss as to what I can do to help stop these actions. Any tips or tricks to help get him over this phase would be great.
~Leah
Dear Leah,
Tagged as:
motherhood,
tantrums,
Toddlers
Dear Annie,
My two year old has become anti-bath. She’s never been keen on bathing, but over the last six months it’s become a real struggle. She starts to cry before I even turn the water on. We have tried baths with lots of toys, no toys, lots of water, little water, showers, bubbles, tub crayons, bathing suits, mommy getting in with her, sponge baths, using the big tub, using the baby tub, using the sink, and just about everything else you can think of.
Because of the struggle I only bathe her 2 to 3 times a week, which is okay since she doesn’t get real messy. (She likes to be neat and clean but hates to take a bath.) When we do put her in the bath we try playing and calming her down but then just end up rushing through it to get her out. It’s very stressful for all and I don’t know what else to try. Please help.
~Kate
Tagged as:
bath time,
tantrums,
Toddlers
Dear Annie, 
