Can You Discipline a 1 Year-Old?

“Can you discipline a 1 year old? He’s a boy” 

Yes, you can. At this age, discipline is mostly about keeping them safe. As they grow, you can start building on your discipline techniques and explaining to him why things are wrong and why he should not do them. Remember that discipline is not the same as punishment. The goal of discipline is for children to understand why his behaviours are right or wrong.  

At his age you can start to very gentle discipline him using these techniques: 

• Keep expectations reasonable: when your son keeps throwing his food to the floor, he is not doing it to annoy you. He is learning. He is learning to control his own movements, he is learning that he can throw things on the floor, he is learning how you react when he does it. This behaviour is annoying, but he is not doing it to annoy you. Do not get upset. Do not overact and either ignore it or redirect his attention.  

• Praise them: little children love to please their parents. So, whenever he does something good, praise him. For example: “Look, how well you shared with your sister, well done!”. He is more likely to repeat this behaviour because you gave him your attention. 

• Be proactive: toddlers usually behave worse when they are tired or hungry. Try not to put him in potentially tricky situations when he is feeling this way. For example, do not take him to the supermarket just before lunch time because he is more likely to want to eat whatever he sees and throw a tantrum when you say no.  

• Redirect him: If he is about to stick his fingers in the socket or break something, just take him and make him focus on something else. If he likes to pull your hair, do not give him a big reaction because he will be more likely to do it again. Instead, do not say anything, gently remove his hand, and redirect it to a toy.  

• Say ‘no’ and stick to it. Children need to hear the word ‘no’. They need limits wile they grow up. When we say ‘no’ our child learns that there is a limit there. When you say ‘no’ stick to it because otherwise your child learns that if he whines, he gets what he wants.  

• Be consistent: if you do not want him to pull your hair. Always tell him no and react in the same way. If one day you laugh when he does it, and the next day you get angry when he does the same thing, he will get confused.  

Discipline is a difficult aspect of parenting. Remember that very often how we discipline has a lot to do with us being able to control our own emotions and reactions. If you ever feel you are going to lose it, leave the room, and calm yourself down before going back. Discipline always work better when you have close and warm relationship with your child.  

You may also find these articles useful:

How to Discipline Your Child: An Age-by-Age Guide 

Is Smacking Your Child Ever OK? 

Let’s be Honest: Who Doesn’t Ever Yell at their Kids? 

I hope you find this information useful. I wish you and your little one all the very best.  

Love,  

Ana 

Dr Ana Aznar