Time-outs How to make them work (12-24 mo.)

I'm kinda wondering how to make this TIME-OUTS work since jake is going to be 1 year old in a couple of months from now, i talk to my sister since she's dealing with it with BB Dallas and his already in his TERRIBLE TWOS so he gets time outs a few times a day so here, i found some of the details i need to learn. This post is originally from my sister chel.

When your child acts up, the best way to nip the behavior in the bud is often to remove him from the activity at hand and give him some quiet time alone. This technique, known as a time-out, is an effective, nonviolent way to shape behavior. Here are the keys to a successful time-out:

Understand what a time-out is — and isn't

A time-out isn't a punishment. It's an opportunity for your child to learn how to cope with frustration and modify his behavior. While your child is in a time-out, he's on his own, so try to let him sit in solitude for a few moments. Any attention from you, positive or negative, will serve as reinforcement for his behavior. Instead, quiet time alone will allow him to switch gears and calm down. (If you manage to step aside, you can take a deep breath and do the same instead of getting caught up in his struggle.) What's great about a time-out is that it can defuse and redirect an escalating situation in an unemotional way. It lets you teach your child without setting a negative example, the way yelling does.
Make sure your child is old enough for a formal time-out

Because toddlers find it hard to sit still, trying to make your little one stay in a certain place for a prescribed length of time may well disintegrate into a chase scene. Here's what happens: Your child runs away from his time-out spot. You catch him, then struggle to make him stay in one place. You threaten, he laughs, delighted with this new game — or cries, frustrated by the requirement. You grab, he bolts. Meanwhile, because he has a short attention span, your toddler forgets why you wanted him to sit still in the first place. Instead of helping your child regain his self-control, you find yourself in a power struggle.

For this reason, traditional time-outs won't really work until sometime between your toddler's second and third birthdays. Watch for signs that he understands what's acceptable and what's not. One clue is if he reminds you of the rules when you break them, too. For example, if he catches you doing something you normally wouldn't allow him to do — say, eating a snack on the sofa — he may say, "You're not supposed to do that, Mommy." Until your toddler shows this kind of appreciation of the need to follow rules, hold off on time-outs. Otherwise, he won't understand why he's being corrected, and you may get frustrated and abandon the strategy prematurely. check out more about your baby's stages at www.babycenter.com