Disciplining your 3 and 4 year old.

I need help! We usually put them in time out (in a corner, sit on the couch, etc.) and now my 4 year old looks forward to going to timeout, which kinda defeats the purpose and I just don't know what to do anymore for timeouts   I'm willing to try anything to see if it works. So, what do you do when your child/children need a timeout?

I take my 4 year old's ipad.

Read 1-2-3 magic

Works amazing. They have videos for it too but i spent 5$ getting it off amazon with shipping.

I make him have 5 minutes of quiet time...but he gets happy and plays. Nothing works for me, My husband can just have a "mean" voice and the kids jump and do whatever he says...with me they act like I'm joking all the time  

Have you tried taking away privileges? That is what my son responds to best.

If timeouts don't work for DD, and sometimes they don't, we will take s toy away. Or if what she is doing to warrant a timeout is bad enough or constantly repeated she gets a spanking.

Quoting BareFootBabyMaker:" I make him have 5 minutes of quiet time...but he gets happy and plays. Nothing works for me, My husband ... [snip!] ... can just have a "mean" voice and the kids jump and do whatever he says...with me they act like I'm joking all the time  "

same here it gets frustrating and I think they notice it gets to me which doesn't help  

Quoting BareFootBabyMaker:" I make him have 5 minutes of quiet time...but he gets happy and plays. Nothing works for me, My husband ... [snip!] ... can just have a "mean" voice and the kids jump and do whatever he says...with me they act like I'm joking all the time  "

Ugh! Mine too. They listen so well to my husband but they take me as a joke.

I dont think anything is wrong with cool off/reflection time. Time outs usually turn into that. They, like us need time to calm down and get away from what/whom is upsetting them.

However, if they laugh at you or find it to be a joke..eh..not effective.

We take away priveledges. Games, tvs, ect.

Well, our 4 year old has to earn cartoon time...so bad behavior = no earned cartoon time. We are also a spanking family when needed.

Time outs still work for my son, but not to much my nearly 5 year old daughter. For her we either send her to her room for a cool down or take away something special (her LeapPad, her lovie, etc.).

After her cool down we have a talk about her behavior and she apologizes and then we hug, lol.


My 2 year old sits in the corner for 2 minutes, and then I explain to him why he was put there. Then he has to apologize and give me a hug, too.

We try taking their favorite things away but they just seem to find something else that gets their interest even more. DH says we should just take away all their toys so they can't get distracted. Might have to resort to doing that every now and then though.

Quoting *NicoleAmber*:" same here it gets frustrating and I think they notice it gets to me which doesn't help  "

I understand completely, Sorry that I have no advice
I even spank them sometimes and they get upset for a second but it doesn't change anything I battled my son all day yesterday to clean his room with no luck...then DH comes home and is all "go clean your room NOW" 10 mins later its spotless

I don't like spanking unless it's absolutely necessary. Sometimes time outs work but if they start to get in trouble and I say corner, they smile and go there like its a privilege. What sucks is on my husbands breaks he calls will talk to them and they still listen   I'm gonna try taking away bigger things like their kitchen set and other stuff to see if that works.

Quoting BareFootBabyMaker:" I understand completely, Sorry that I have no advice I even spank them sometimes and they get upset for ... [snip!] ... yesterday to clean his room with no luck...then DH comes home and is all "go clean your room NOW" 10 mins later its spotless "

I don't know what it is about the fathers being able to get them to magically listen. I get very jealous.