Is My 13 Month Old Too Young to Be Put in Time Out for Disobeying?

time out didn't work for us til after 18 months. though i suppose since he's immobile you could shut him in his room for punishment. you certainly shouldn't be letting him hit you though. and if he does it three times in a row, and you continue the same response (a "NO!") it's apparently not getting through to him the first time. it just antagonized him more and let him know that you weren't serious. that it was ok to do it again, and again. you might have a problem with physical discipline, but you shouldn't have one with physically restraining your child from inflicting physical punishment on you.

My oldest daughter was really stubborn and was never spanked as well now I have had to start enforcing with spanking on my middle child b/c nothing else has worked. But my oldest was about twelve months old when I started sending her to the corner for time outs for disobeying I had to stand right beside her but it did work. Eventually she knew I meant business and she started really responding.

I never was into hitting/spanking my daughter when she was that age either. What I used to do is physically hold her back from whatever she was doing. That would make her really mad and then I would just tell her "no." Eventually she would figure out that she wouldn't be able to do whatever she was doing. Also I wouldn't have any type of reaction (would remain calm) so she didn't do stuff just to get a reaction out of me. She's 5 now and doing great! Hopefully I am explaining this right.

Redirection, redirection, redirection.

He's VERY young, and is learning boundaries. You should direct him to an activity/toy that he can actually play with.

If the tree is that big of a problem, then put a fence up around it.

I have been using time out on my 14 month old since she was a year old. I didn't like the whole spanking thing either. I actually put her in her pack n play because they are a bit young to expect them to understand that they can't move or why. I tell her no once and then I tell her if she does it again, she will go to time out. She picked up on the phrase really quickly. I tell her "mommy said no" when I put her in and when I take her out (after a minute or so) we go back to the scene of the crime and tell her to listen to mommy. It took about a week of being consistent (it was hard with stairs every trip) but now, it is rare that I have to do that more than once a week. The warnings work. What ever you end up doing, do it every time!

I agree with the last post. Consistency is key.
I have seen parents let their child do what they wish especially because they're afraid to discipline their child in front of others. DON'T GIVE IN. You're responsible for making your child mind you for their own good. I would much rather see a parent take the time to discipline their child regardless of who they're around than to let their child run around in chaos.
The playpen is a safe place for you to put your son so you can walk away for a few minutes. Not only can he realize that only negative results happen when he hits or acts out in other ways, but you should also praise good behavior. It is probably the hardest thing to do, but if you actually search out behaviors that are good like if he comes to sit in your lap without hitting you, you could praise him for that, or if he eats his dinner without throwing food, or sits quietly playing, etc. Praise the good behavior, and punish the bad behavior.
Keep up the good work. It is all worth it in the end.

Hi J.,
In my opinion (remember this is free so you get what you pay for), if he is old enough to hit, he is old enough for time out. If you can get a small carpet similar to one that would go in a bathroom, and make that your naughty spot. When he hits, put him there and tell him to stay for 1 minute, set a timer and walk away. This is prime time out training time. It will take a few weeks to achieve this but he will learn to stay and if you do it consistently every stinking time he hits until you think you are going to lose your silly mind, then he will know you mean business when he is two or three. I see you are trying to get your criminal justice degree. I would rather you practice some loving discipline and behavior shaping on your child now than to give him kisses through bars later.

Good luck and remember every single stinking time he hits, no matter where you are, in the store, at church, at grandma's, at the park (receiving blankets and small purse sized timers make wonderful portable naughty spots). Also the rule of thumb is 1 minute for each year, so at 13 months he would get one minute, at 18 months 1 and 1/2 minutes and so on.

Consistency sister!!!!
C.