Gentle Discipline and the One-Year-Old Child
Babyproof, Redirect, Distract, Routine and Playtime
Jan 8, 2009
Gentle discipline with a one-year-old involves lots of hands-on parenting. Keep the baby safe in his environment and use redirection and distraction to guide the baby. A routine and lots of playtime with mom and dad will further ensure that life with a growing, exploring one-year-old baby will be as joyful as possible.
Babyproofing
Make the safety of a one-year-old who likes to explore a priority. Babyproof the home as soon as an infant is mobile. Cover outlets, use gates at the tops and bottoms of stairs, put dangerous cleaning products and medicines out of reach and remove all breakable items.
Anything the baby has access to should be safe for him to handle. Likewise, it should not be something that the parents or other family members would be upset about if it were broken or damaged by the baby.
Redirection
When the baby does try to get into things that are off limits or explores where you would rather he not explore, redirection is important. Simply pick up the child and move him to an area that is safe and interesting for him to play.
Many babies are persistent and will continue to crawl or walk towards something that is off-limits. If possible, move the item out of reach. If it is too large to move, continue to redirect the baby each time he heads towards it. Things that are potentially dangerous for the baby should be gated to prevent accidents.
Distraction
Babies often respond well to being distracted away from things that they are not allowed to play with. The key is to distract the baby with something equally as exciting as the coveted object.
One-year-olds may voice their displeasure at being redirected or distracted away from something they want. Save particularly effective distractions for the times when your child is likely to be overtired or hard to soothe.
Here are a few things that most babies can be distracted with:
- Keys
- Child-safe flashlights
- Pots and pans
- Plastic containers of various sizes
You will quickly learn what works best for your baby. Some babies tire of toys and other distractions quickly. Something that worked well one time may never be an effective distraction again.
Routine
Like most children, babies thrive on a regular routine. Meals, naps and bedtime should all be at roughly the same time each day. When a baby stays up too late at night, he won’t necessarily sleep in longer in the morning, so try to be firm about bedtime. A baby that is short on sleep and overtired is more likely to cry, tantrum and fuss throughout the day.
Playtime
Play games with your baby, read to him and engage him in activities throughout the day. Even a young baby needs quality connection time with his parents.
Gentle discipline for babies begins as soon as a baby is crawling and walking in his environment. Keep the baby safe by babyproofing, redirecting and distracting. Help your baby be happy and content by following a regular routine and engaging in lots of playtime with him.
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